The resentments that develop in young children can lead them to substance use and unhealthy choices in relationships. The sooner you can get in front of a child affected by substance use, the less damage may be done. We can not stress enough the importance of doing something when children are being affected. As we said above, if you don’t want to help yourself or the substance user, that is on you. When children are involved, we feel it is child abuse and neglect not to take immediate action. Children of substance users and many substance users often act this way toward relationships with others.

The Best Addiction and Recovery Books
Developed by Family First Intervention, S.A.F.E.® is the acronym for Self Awareness & Family Education. The book is about addictive behaviors, manipulations, and unhealthy family roles that develop to balance dysfunction. We hope that the reader will see things differently and apply the suggested solutions to help improve the situation. The book Emmy’s Question, written by Jeanine Auth, is about Emmy drug addiction treatment wanting an answer to why her mom chose alcohol over her. At the risk of spoiling the answer to those who have not read the book, we will just say it is a must-read for children and adults of alcoholic and drug-addicted parents. Before we get into books for children that explain addiction, two groups are highly recommended for young people who have a parent or loved one who has an addiction.
Reading Selections
Her father goes into treatment and by the next birthday, he is in recovery. Some reviewers of this book say the story ends on a too-hopeful note, as many parents with addiction may never recover. However, I believe this book explains well that children have nothing to do with their parent’s drinking and provides a realistic look at https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the possibilities for healing.
- The scene where Karl Ove and his brother clear up hundreds of empty liquor bottles from their dead father’s wrecked home will stay with you forever.
- Straightforward and to the point, Carr helps you examine the reasons you drink in the first place in The Easy Way to Control Alcohol.
- She’s focusing on her schoolwork and is on track to finish high school at the top of her class.
- This book for children of alcoholics is best for second and third graders, as the writing is a little more advanced than a preschooler will relate to.
- This is an excellent book to read while navigating grief and loss in your recovery journey.
Consider Outpatient Treatment

These three books by the great Danish author, published not long before she committed suicide, are (for my money) the greatest autobiographical work on drugs ever written. The first two books in the trilogy portray her unhappy childhood and adolescence, and the final installment, Dependency, shows her near-fatal addiction to an best alcoholic memoirs opiate medication called Demetrol. This book is about treating alcoholism and drug addiction as a biological disease. A brain disease can be treated with medications just like other chronic illnesses.