cover image Loving Our Addicted Daughters Back to Life: A Guidebook for Parents

Loving Our Addicted Daughters Back to Life: A Guidebook for Parents

Linda Dahl. Central Recovery (HCI, dist.), $16.95 (180p) ISBN 978-1-937612-85-6

Novelist (Cleans Up Nicely) and biographer Dahl has done her homework on the topic of gender-specific treatment for alcohol and drug addiction, and she presents her findings in a thorough and forthright manner. Dahl is a recovering alcoholic and mother of a young woman with addiction issues, so she's clearly personally engaged with her subject, but her primary focus is on providing useful information to others. Dahl points out that "girls and young women are the fastest-growing group of addicts in the country," and risky substance use is the number one public healthcare problem for U.S. youth, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University She walks readers through the process of turning addiction around, going over the warning signs of substance abuse, when and how to intervene, the benefits of gender-specific recovery programs (preferably inpatient, with strong aftercare), and other topics. Female addicts, she notes, are particularly prone to guilt and shame, and may require longer treatment plans than males. Dahl also includes a helpful assessment of specific types of treatment facilities. This compassionate and invaluable guide will aide parents as they set out to support their addicted daughters on the journey to recovery and healing. (June)