Product Description
Adding to the successful series of Raising titles, a developmental psychologist gives parents tips for keeping children of all ages away from drugs and alcohol

In a nation where an estimated 25 percent of high-school seniors use illegal substances on a monthly basis, parents are wise to be concerned about setting their children on a drug-free course. While much advice handed out these days focuses on teen behavior and on what to do once drugs have become a problem in the home, Raising Drug-Free Kids takes an innovative approach and focuses instead on preventative measures that can be followed early on in a child's life.

Developmental psychologist and parent educator Aletha Solter provides parents with simple, easy-to use tools to build a solid foundation for children to say "no" to drugs. Organized by age group, from preschool through young adulthood, the handy 100 tips will show parents how to help their children to:

Feel good about themselves without an artificial high.
Cope with stress so they won't turn to drugs to relax.
Respect their bodies so they will reject harmful substances.
Have close family connections so they won't feel desperate to belong to a group.
Take healthy risks (like outdoor adventures) so they won't need to take dangerous ones. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Highly recommended reading
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a parent, or cares for children of any age. It is easy to read, well laid out, and gives separate chapters which discuss children at different ages, for quick reference.

The book highlights what you can do for children to help them avoid the world of drugs and alcohol and the peer pressure they might experience as they become teenagers and young adults.

Emphasis is put on what you can do no matter what age your children are, and that it is never too late to begin making changes that will help your children to resist drugs. It also offers advice to parents where children or young adults have already become dependent on drugs.

Aside form helping children to avoid drugs and alcohol, this non-punitive approach to parenting helps children to develop into emotionally healthy, co-operative and autonomous adults.

Dr Solter is an expert in her field of developmental psychology. She is also the author of three other books; The Aware Baby, Tears and Tantrums, and Helping Young Children Flourish. All of these books are well written, well researched and offer invaluable information and advice to parents and carers, and anyone involved with children and young adults.

I have found Dr Solter's approach to parenting both liberating and highly beneficial for my children and myself. Highly recommended reading.

Informative and easy to read!
This is a great book!It contains lots of practical tips for parents, and suggestions for how to talk about drugs with kids. This is an innovative cooperative approach.

Outstanding from many perspectives
As a mental health professional, I was impressed by how well grounded in research and developmental theory Dr. Solter's approach was.As the parent of three former teen-agers, I wished I had read her book twenty-five years ago.Dr. Solter provides clear, simple, practical suggestions for innoculating your child against the need for drugs in adolescence, beginning at birth.Her advice is divided into developmentally age-appropriate categories and is specific enough to leave no doubt about how you can handle almost any situation.It is also an easy read, with concise, short (less than two-page) "Tips" arranged in a sequence that builds upon itself logically.She offers the kind of hope and encouragement that all parents need, even demonstrating that "It's never too late," with ideas for relating to your young adult children after they've turned to drugs in their teen years.I have not seen a more user-friendly, hopeful, practical guide to navigating the territory of raising drug-free children.I recommend the book most highly.

Powerful tools for a drug-free and emotionally healthy life
Aletha Solter's fourth and latest book is another excellent resource for your parenting tool belt! Packed with a wealth of invaluable tips, "Raising Drug-Free Kids" differs from most parenting advice on the subject. Many parenting books suggest children need more discipline, meaning punishment, for breaking rules or for misbehavior. But strict authoritarian control and punishment, Solter stresses throughout the book, can cause children to harbor anger and resentment and often "teaches" them to hide their feelings from their parents and rebel.

A Swiss American developmental psychologist and founder of the Aware Parenting Institute, Solter contends the root cause of most behavioral problems, including substance abuse, is not a lack of "discipline" but rather a lack of connection. She emphasizes that it doesn't matter how much punishment you dole out to them, children who don't have a relationship with at least one loving parent where they feel heard and understood are at risk for substance abuse.

Throughout this book the message is consistent: listening, really listening to your children's problems and upsets nonjudgmentally, spending time with them, using a non-punitive approach to discipline and accepting your children's emotions will foster a meaningful connection with them that will both prevent and heal behavioral and emotional problems. She calls this approach Aware Parenting.

My husband and I can attest to the benefits of this philosophy. We have a 10-year old son who is about to turn 11. We first came across Solter's work when he was 2 years old. In so many ways, it validated for us what we knew in our hearts was the way to treat children. Her first three books: "Aware Baby;" "Tears and Tantrums: what to do when babies and children cry;" and "Helping Young Children Flourish," lay the groundwork for creating this kind of mutual respect between children and adults. And we have experienced first-hand how effective this approach is in doing that. The close connection we have formed with our son throughout his young life has helped us give him the support he has needed during difficult times. We don't always do it right but we always try to make it right by listening to him and valuing his feelings and needs. He has always amazed us by his awareness and expression of what is really going on with him. We are so grateful as we head into his teen years that we have such a strong connection with him!

For us, Solter's latest book couldn't have come at a better time. It's armed with tips on how to give drug-related information to children at different ages and on how to continue to build a strong relationship with your child, one that will help your child resist the onslaught of peer and media pressure to do drugs. From information on addiction and the brain to the signs of depression to teaching your child stress-management skills to learning to communicate your own feelings and needs, this book is a must read for any parent wanting to improve their relationship with their child.

In the book, Solter, who spent two years studying with Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, shows how parents can teach their children from birth on emotional literacy, meaning the ability to accept and release painful feelings. One of the major causes of substance abuse in adolescents and adults is the desire to not feel painful emotions. So it makes perfect sense that children who are free to express their emotions will have less of a need to use alcohol, drugs, sex, food or any of the other addictions out there, to escape their pain as they get older. Instead, they will have the skill to process negative emotions from a childhood of practice!

Solter suggests you can help your child identify feelings and needs by reflecting back verbally what you think your child needs or feels. This invaluable tool can remove some of the mystery and confusion around emotions and help your child feel understood. One of the keys to emotional literacy is allowing your child to cry and express fear and anger. Solter explains that just like sadness, bottled-up fear and anger can lead to problems later on, including the tendency to control painful feelings with alcohol or drugs. Expressing feelings freely during childhood helps reduce the amount of emotional baggage your child will carry with him as he grows older. In fact, Solter stresses that contrary to what many parents fear, the more you allow your child to express angry emotions with you, the less likely your child will be to use hurtful words or actions with others. The message they will learn is that painful feelings are nothing to be afraid of and that it is okay to express them safely. When they are older, they won't need to numb painful feelings with mind-altering drugs to keep them at bay. Instead, they will have learned that painful feelings have a beginning and an end and the pain will eventually go away if they can express their discomfort freely. This is an important lesson, Solter says, that many alcoholics and drug addicts never learned as children.

Solter so aptly illustrates how important it is to value the need to address children's painful feelings while they are young by describing what it takes to heal from drug addictions. The one thing former addicts must learn in substance abuse recovery programs is to accept their painful emotions without trying to suppress them with drugs. Most people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs or any other type of addiction struggle with pent-up feelings of grief, fear, or anger and don't know how to cope with them other than to mask them with the drug of their preference. During the process of withdrawal, the person must experience the reservoir of painful emotions, which are no longer blocked by the drug. In successful recovery programs, former addicts must learn how to identify and express these long-suppressed feelings. The recovery programs do this by creating a supportive and safe environment for the participants to talk and cry without being judged. Therefore, it makes perfect sense from a preventive standpoint that anything a parent can do to help their children identify and express painful emotions through talking, raging or crying in an emotionally safe environment will strengthen their resistance to drugs.

Solter also gives tips on what not to do and what to do if your child has already tried drugs, as well as outlines the symptoms that indicate your child is addicted to them. You also will find tips for specific steps you can take to strengthen your child's bond to you, your family and a community of other caring families. This network of emotional connections is at the root of drug-resistant parenting. If your relationship with your child is strained, Solter says to realize that it is never too late to repair it. She offers suggestions on how to do that and much more, including role play scenarios to go over with your child on how to refuse drugs if pressured by peers to do them No matter what stage of development your child is at, this book will be a valuable asset that you will not regret having on your book shelf for quick reference at any time! ... Read more

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Explains what Alateen is and how it can help teens with alcoholic parents. ... Read more

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A comprehensive and compassionate look into the major issues surrounding drug and alcohol abuse--from their causes and symptoms to their lethal consequences and treatment options. ... Read more

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"Getting Wise to Drugs" is a resource for use with children aged between eight and twelve years. It comprises exercises centred on illegal drug use, medicine use and safety, solvents, alcohol, tobacco, crime and other anti-social and risky activities. Fully photocopiable, it consists of an introductory chapter, followed by 20 photocopiable exercises grouped into blocks of five, one for each year within the age range of the book. Each exercise is intended to last 30--45 minutes, and can be used in a classroom or other group situation. Each block of five exercises covers the following topics: knowledge and information, risk assessment, consequences, and handling situations. "Getting Wise to Drugs" is an ideal complement to the authors' previous bestselling titles for older children and young people, "Understanding Drug Issues, Second Edition" and "Understanding Street Drugs, Second Edition". It will be valued by teachers and support staff within schools, and will also be of interest to leaders of young peoples groups (e.g. junior youth clubs, church groups, and uniformed young peoples organisations), parents, drug support teams and anyone with responsibility for young people. ... Read more

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Medical Univ. of South Carolina, Charleston.Text covering a broad array of issues, from basic principles of pharmacological treatment to its social and cultural implications. For students and practitioners. ... Read more

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How does the passive act of watching television and other electronic media-regardless of their content-affect a developing child's relationship to the real world? Focusing on this crucial question, Marie Winn takes a compelling look at television's impact on children and the family. Winn's classic study has been extensively updated to address the new media landscape, including new sections on: computers, video games, the VCR, the V-Chip and other control devices, TV programming for babies, television and physical health, and gaining control of your TV. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Interesting Thesis but serious lack of research and commentary
While on one level "The Plug-in Drug" is a horrifying look at just how much television effects the lives of Americans, on another hand the author Marie Winn provides little scientific evidence to support her claims.

Nobody will argue with me that American children watch too much television, have stopped going outside to play as much as previous generations and have the highest obesity rates in America.And of course television is part of the blame.Children are raised on the passive medium and spend as much time as they are allowed to in front of the set.

Winn's purpose for writing this book is to show parents just how much damage is being done to their children.But beyond citing specific research from a study in Alaska as well as random percentages from gallup polls, Winn never tries to go further into proving her thought processes.Additionally, the book is full of Winn repeating almost the same sentence several time on a page (in numerous accounts several times within the same paragraph) which leads to a harder reading experience.Many times I woulds top myself to think "Didn't I just read this twice before?".It comes off like because its the only thing powerful enough to say in a given character she will repeat in instead of trying to find more powerful statements to back up her thoughts.

And as a Psychology student (reading this book for a psychology student) I was dismayed with how haphazardly all the research was presented.More times than not Winn would offer a research finding but not explain (anywhere) where she got the information, how did the research and what the total results found were.Also, she never went into even thinking about other confounding variables that could lead to stronger than probable research findings.

But beyond that the book is written in a readable manner and does have several key points (I probably won't be allowing my children much television before the school years begin) but it with all its positive attributes the negative definiately outweigh in "The Plug-In Drug".

*I have to note that NOWHERE in the book does Winn describe television as a "drug-in drug" beyond an odd reference to 'plugging the children in' which leaves the book feeling unfinished in many ways.

you may not want to know this...
this book was really eye opening. it isn't so much what is on, but the fact that the tv is on that is the problem. i have noticed with my own children that the tv causes them to behave differently. people don't want to admit that, but it is true. i feel that the book is even more relevent now then when it was first published. now that there is so much more tv to watch and stuff being pushed as "educational" more screen time in general with computers, gameboys, cell phones, yada yada... it's too much. we have gotten to the point of needing it NOW so much that we forget how important the journey is. turn off your tv/computer and turn on life!

mother of 5

Irresponsible
This book is ultimately an opinion piece.
The studies and science used to drive the author's point home are not explored objectively.
One area of study the author focuses on what she feels is a detrimental effect to left brain thinking - by illustrating that television viewing engages the right brain more than the left... this point makes no sense in her argument when considering that right brain development is also important to the whole mind, and has a history of neglect in the education system.

Most of her claims are borne out with 'evidence' she gleans from anecdotes.She especially likes to rely on retired teachers and other people who are unaccustomed to modern living.Surely their experience has value - but when presented with no observations from other people (giving that retired teachers must surely make up a small percentage of the educated population) is entirely irresponsible.One brief mention of her reason for this is given - that anyone younger has been brain damaged by television, and hypnotized into being its devoted disciple.

Television is presented as a mindless activity - regardless of the fact that some of the most creative, talented, artistic and educated people the world has ever seen are responsible for what is produced on television.Surely there is trash TV - but there is irrefutable value in other programing, including children's programing.

Her assertion that children are passive zombies (her actual words) while watching television does not bare out in the experience of many people.If a parent is disconnected enough from their child to not understand the motivations for their viewing specific programs - that parent is failing to connect - the television is not to blame. For the people that do have an actual problem, are out of touch with their kids, allow them to have televisions in their rooms at a young age and watch as much as they please - this book is of value.
Most people can evaluate their own lives and find simple solutions.The assumption of this book is that they can not - and since some people watch more television than is healthy (for their social development), everyone should get rid of their televisions.

She also insists that computers are just as bad, have no value, and should not be present in schools.Perhaps she has not toured many workplaces in the last 20 years, to see that computer skills are practically a necessity in order to put food on the table.

The book preaches.It does not present facts, but opinions - and one-sided interpretetions of fact.Read the footnotes and see that her sources are entirely undependable - and often out of print.Incorrect and irrelevant information eventually dies - it is sad commentary that this book saw a reprinting.

Powerfully persuasive or totally histrionic? You be the judge.
With this book, Marie Winn has written an arch (though lengthy) indictment of television's pervasive and largely detrimental impact on childhood culture. With sixty years' worth of data, studies and surveys as ammo, she makes a nearly airtight case for why television should be strictly limited for the elementary children and why the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics that no children under the age of 2 be allowed to watch is not just commendable, but physiologically and neurologically imperative.She lays out her small mountain of evidence that the practice of ritualistic television watching dulls children's sensitivity to others, negatively affects family life, nearly annihalates their motivation to contribute to their own development as critical thinkers and, especially, critical and enthusiastic readers, and generally, is neither necessary nor desirable as the cultural stronghold it's become.

Ms. Winn peppers her work with diverse perspectives from different families on the effects of television on children, from mothers who let their toddlers watch unlimitedly, to old-skool teachers who think it's ruined kid's minds. She also makes a comparative (though obviously tacked-on for the updated version) survey of computer games, video games, and online usage, arguing that it's all "screen time" and has more or less the same effect on children's intellectual and emotional productivity.She provides case studies of families who have tried to severely limit or altogether forgo television with unbiased candor (some of the families fail in their efforts, find the effort totally unpleasant, or end up going with a less radical approach than their initial cold-turkey strategy).Most helpfully, she provides practical tactics for reducing or getting rid of television in your home without causing your children and spouse to disown you.She lays out the ten most common reasons why parents fail to act on limiting their kids' television usage, then one by one, she provides solid, confidence-building reasoning against each one. After I read this section, I felt like I had a LOT more conviction in my decision making, and in applying her strategies, I will say that everything she predicted has come true: my child is indeed reading more, we are indeed spending more time together as a family, his social skills have indeed improved, he has become less aggressive and more imaginative, and we don't miss anything we used to watch.

With all that said, it's important to understand this author's perspective going into this. According to Ms. Winn, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING GOOD about letting your child watch television. She acknowledges that there are "many fine television shows" and that "some may even be educational," but in the end, her thesis is that it's not the content of what your kids watch that matters, but the *experience* of sitting passively and "letting images wash over you" in a half-trance "zone" for hours that is so damaging for children.

This philosophy, while in and of itself isn't necessarily wrong or bad, leads Ms. Winn to make incrementally more far-fetched and less supported claims, including that television makes children so unpleasant that it has actually caused a greater number of working mothers, is largely responsible for destroying the nuclear family, can probably be blamed for school violence (her reasoning: children whose main social experience is not with another human being but with an electronic machine can't be expected to care about other humans' well-being), is causally linked to climbing divorce rates, ADHD, the loss of music and arts programs in school, the rise in learning disabilities and autism, bad politicians getting elected (it's not like a television-educated/dependent public can be expected to make sound, informed decisions!) and... I could go on.

I think that, had she simply laid out her case about the direct effect on children, this book would've been enough to convince any caring parent that TV-watching is something that, for children, should not occur unfettered. I feel, though, that she felt a need to "drive her point home" by adding all these other macrocosmic reasons to support this claim, and it wasn't just unnecessary, it was just plain hard to believe after a certain point, and undermines her entire thesis.

Still, I would recommend this book to any parent. Her main point is a strong one; her case for her claims, if laden with support-overkill, is damn near airtight. If you are a parent, you won't help but question your own children's television viewing habits and more strongly consider setting limits of your own, and that, ultimately, is a very good thing.

An enlightening book on the silver screen
While Winn's thought-provoking book focuses on the sociological harms TV can cause, it falls short in other areas, namely, the spiritual and neurological harms of TV. Another book, "Television: Prelude to Chaos" by Frank Poncelet, answered some of these questions I had after reading Winn's book. I also liked the hilarious cartoons throughout Winn's book that illustrate how silly it really is to wast your life away in front of the idiot box / boob tube / one-eyed monster. ... Read more

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Here's a book that every adult concerned about kids will want to read. The author convincingly argues that parents are the ones who not only can but also must take the lead in preventing their kids from getting mixed up with alcohol and other drugs. Parenting for Prevention shows them exactly what to do and how to do it. The theme is prevention, but the approach is thoroughly positive. You'll find no threats or warnings here, no long list of don'ts. Instead, this book says, in effect: If you really want to prevent your kids from getting involved with alcohol or other drugs, here's the way to do it. Teach them these life skills. "I make you a promise. If you read this book thoughtfully and follow its recommendations, you'll have new insights into a whole host of everyday parenting problems, as well as practical skills for handling them. Those insights and skills will be the best insurance policy you can take out to prevent your kids from getting into problems with alcohol or other drugs--because you'll be helping them develop into healthy, well-balanced kids who can stand on their own feet, resist unhealthy peer pressures, and still be accepted and respected wherever they go." ... Read more

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This useful guidebook addresses the severe educational problems facingcrack-affected children. The experiences of 63 teachers who discovered, by trial and error, what works in calming children, in controlling behaviour and in helping these children learn are distilled in this book. The result is dozens of techniques that have proved effective in the classroom - strategies that teachers can put to use immediately. ... Read more

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What we eat and how much we exercise make a difference in how healthy we are. Fit for Life looks at keep ing fit and healthy, and what affects the choices we make ab out what we eat, drink and do ' ... Read more

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This title takes the hypothetical investigat ion of an international drugs smuggling ring as a starting p oint to examine the work and co-operation of police forces a round the world in tackling drug production, smuggling and d ealing. ' ... Read more

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The effects of alcohol and other drug use on children have attracted increased attention from the public and the media. Offering practical strategies, this text helps teachers to meet the educational and psychological needs of children and families at risk due to exposure to alcohol and drugs. With insight into medical and enviromental factors, lessons from real-life case scenarios and pro-active intervention approaches and model programmes are demonstrated. This text outlines the development of comprehensive services for children and families affected by alcohol and drugs. It shows how to: understand the physical effects of substance abuse on unborn children; recognize the characteristics and needs of children exposed to substance abuse and their families; develop effective teaching strategies to address the learning and emotional needs of children affected by drug and alcohol abuse; foster resilience in infants and toddlers at risk due to exposure to substance abuse and to establish comprehensive service delivery systems that rely on multi-agency collaboration.The text shows how collaboration with schools and support agencies can strengthen efforts to provide assistance for children and families affected by substance abuse and examines the legal, political, financial and human obstacles that often deter agencies from working together. ... Read more

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Substance abuse remains an increasing problem in the late 1990s especially among young people. This resource contains over 30 exercises designed to expand participants' understanding of the issues surrounding illegal drug use. All the exercises are photocopiable as worksheets or as overhead projections, for use with young people, and are accompanied by full instructions for use. They should be suitable for use by teachers, youth workers, probation officers, those working with offenders, and indeed any professional having responsibility for groups of young people. The workbook can also be used in conjunction with the companion volume, "Understanding Drugs: a Handbook for Parents, Teachers and Other Professionals" which provides a complete background reference. ... Read more