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by David Vieth Kopeny (Author)
BOOK REVIEW of The Tip of the Spear by David Vieth Kopeny
by Bernard Glos, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist with expertise in forensic
psychology, addiction and violence/threat assessment
In my five decades of professional work, rarely have I come across a book
like this one. It is unbelievably well written. First, it is fact based, both in
terms of drugs and human behavior. It carefully integrates relevant stories of
young people and parents to make the factual content much more relatable.
Importantly, it clearly illuminates the key role parents have in preventing
or dealing with their children's substance use. The book not only identifies
everything a parent needs to know, it does so in such a clear and simple
way that both understanding and application are easy for the reader. There
are clear strategies in how to prevent drug use but also clear interventions
to address such use if it is already occurring. Although the teen age years
cause teenagers to over-connect with peers and other outside influences,
parents can still have a powerful impact. They can help their child not be
overly influenced or pressured by their peers. So often, my work with teens
was stymied by parents unwilling to get involved. A family is a system and a
child or teen is part of that system. For example, merely changing a battery
in a car without checking and replacing a defective starter motor will not
get things moving! A look at the "big picture" is needed, which this volume
does unbelievably well. The author discusses how to facilitate a school
connection as it plays a key role in not only prevention and intervention
but adolescent growth and other developmental activities as well. At the
end, the author sees his work as a strategy for hope. So often, when young
people get involved with drugs or other addictive behaviors, parents throw
up their hands in frustration and try to get the issue "fixed" elsewhere. If
you read this book, you as a parent will know what to do. YOU are the fix!
