Necessary Steps: A Family's Journey
A family struggles with adolescent addiction
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Our
minds, however, are embarking on a mental journey which will take at least
three years, if not the remainder of our lives.
Our
twenty three year old son, Burt, is about to be brought before a judge for
violating the terms of his probation.
How
ironic that this is the day
“
I
am feeling attacked- totally besieged by an invisible enemy!
I
search desperately through my brain for some phrase which might bring me
comfort. Suddenly, from some very
ordinary Sunday in church comes a piece of scripture, something about “putting
on the whole armor of God.” I recall on
that particular Sunday, a lay person explained to him the “whole armor of God”
meant that, unlike human armor with its metal joints and hinges, God’s
armor had no cracks. In God’s armor you
were completely sealed and protected from harm.
I
had found this to be an interesting thought at the time. Now, however, it took on an immediacy and
intensity which made me appreciate the practice of Sunday church-going in a
whole new way!
As
I envisioned Dan and myself totally encased in God’s armor- not at all an easy
thing to do- I realized I was battling total terror.
The
thing I most feared for the past two years had occurred. Our son had violated the terms of his
probation.
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About the Book
When
faced with adolescent drug abuse and addiction, families seem to go one of two
ways: denying that there is a problem, or dealing with the situation. By denying the problem, many years of a young
person’s life may be lost. In worst
cases, the lives themselves are lost.
This
is the true story of how one family dealt as openly as possible with the
painful reality of a child’s addiction to drugs.
About the Author
Jane
Barsumian is a musician, composer and writer. A former psychotherapist, she worked with
adolescents and their families and developed an outpatient adolescent treatment
program. Jane has written and led group
programs in stress reduction and conducted parenting groups for various
community organizations. She has also
written poetry and original musical compositions.
Jane
lives and teaches piano and violin in upstate