Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. The dedication that starts the book is beautiful and overall the book is non-judgemental and full of compassion. I appreciated Susan’s story at the beginning that shows she has a deeper understanding of this than just academic learning and it was great hearing these things coming from a teen counsellor. I think having a chapter explaining the adolescent brain is great as there’s so many differences developmentally than an adult brain, especially in relation to addiction. The stories/bits teens experiences were great to help people feel less alone and it’s good that it covered concurrent disorders and family connection too. I liked the exercises at the end of each chapter and found the quick review at the end of each chapter helpful.

Favourite Quote: Addictive behaviours medicate a person’s trauma, and the reality is that recovering from either (addiction or trauma) requires treatment for both.

This is a book that will help many many people. There was so much information in here to help.
It was a little dense and heavy at times, but on the whole I think it will be very beneficial.
One of the downsides to this book, was the fact it was from the US so not all the info was relevant to me living in the UK.