Winning the Drug War at Home
by Kathy Pride
Published by Living Ink Books
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Reviewed by Connie Anderson
The Pride family has four children. Second child Matt was arrested for possession of marijuana use. The system wanted to send him to a "boot camp" after he didn't follow the rules and earlier treatment failed. Matt's mother fund a therapeutic wilderness program that the system finally approved.
Any parent can learn from this book, written with a Christian focus, if you are dealing with a child who is acting out in damaging ways--to him/herself, the family, the home, and the parent's marriage.
The author does a good job of describing her reactions as a "controlling mother" to his behavior. She found when they went through this experience with Matt, there was nothing to read on the subject--so she wrote it.
We "live with" Matt and his parents through his arrest, first treatment, the wilderness program and then after-care.
As a woman new to a strong faith, she ends each chapter with H-O-P-E: Holy Scripture, Observation, Pray, Encouragement. These points really sum up the chapter--and gave hope.
The Pride family is not the first and will not be the last to go suffer along with a child who makes bad choices related to drug or alcohol use and addiction and the dysfunction, lying and rage that often rides along.
Son Matt grew through his crisis as did the entire family, causing Kathy to change her way of parenting and the couple to improve their communication and decision making.
This is a real walk-in-my-moccasins story that many families can relate to. Often what happens to the rest of the family while one child is acting out is dismissed or not acknowledged. This book does. Matt's problems become everyone's problems, with people taking sides, including grandparents.
The author used Matt's letters home and the parents' letters to him as a way to tell how both sides were feeling--how each saw what had happened. A secondary big problem was that the mother and father didn't always agree on what was best.
Now a few years later Matt seems to be doing well as is the couple and the other children.
Armchair Interviews says: This book can give parents hope by their words and support from biblical references and knowledge that God always has a plan.