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From Binge to Blackout: A Mother and Son Struggle with Teen Drinking
Throughout his college years, Toren Volkmann partied like there was no tomorrow, having what was supposed to be the time of his life. Like so many parents, his mother, Chris, overlooked Toren’s growing alcohol problem. But when he graduated, Toren realized he’d become a full-blown alcoholic. And he was not alone. Considered a rite of passage, teenage drinking has skyrocketed to epidemic proportions, fostering a generation of young adults whose lives are already beginning to come apart under the strain. This book, written from the viewpoints of both mother and son, is a riveting, enlightening, and heartbreakingly true story of a family that was able to confront the fear, pain, and denial that threatened to destroy them—and survive the epidemic of teenage drinking that’s putting America’s future at risk.
- GenresNonfiction
410 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2006
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88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 15, 2012
Reading each chapter was like reading the one before. This could have been an excellent 150 page book. Instead it was over 350 pages, not including extra information. Still, this book would be a great one for families dealing with this issue.
Something that bothered me was that the mother continually explains that she and her husband did the "right" things -- informed their children of dangers, were active in their children's lives, maintained communication when possible, created consequences, were hard or easy on them depending on the circumstance, confiscated beer bongs, etc. -- and it still didn't work. Then she spends the rest of the book trying to tell parents what they can do to avoid this problem, including all of the things that they did correctly and didn't work. I can appreciate that struggle (could I have done something?), but I feel like you should have that pretty much decided before you write a long book about it. It's okay to say, "Take these suggestions, knowing that your best efforts may not be effective. But these strategies might improve your chances..."
In the end, I think the editor is to blame more than the writers. After all, they're just telling their stories and hoping to help others in the process. The book deserves a 3- or more star rating, but it just felt like this book would never end. Kind of like this review I'm writing.
Something that bothered me was that the mother continually explains that she and her husband did the "right" things -- informed their children of dangers, were active in their children's lives, maintained communication when possible, created consequences, were hard or easy on them depending on the circumstance, confiscated beer bongs, etc. -- and it still didn't work. Then she spends the rest of the book trying to tell parents what they can do to avoid this problem, including all of the things that they did correctly and didn't work. I can appreciate that struggle (could I have done something?), but I feel like you should have that pretty much decided before you write a long book about it. It's okay to say, "Take these suggestions, knowing that your best efforts may not be effective. But these strategies might improve your chances..."
In the end, I think the editor is to blame more than the writers. After all, they're just telling their stories and hoping to help others in the process. The book deserves a 3- or more star rating, but it just felt like this book would never end. Kind of like this review I'm writing.
December 27, 2010
Great non-fiction if you are dealing with alcoholism yourself or someone in your life who is. The book goes back and forth with a perspective from the mother and son, and it makes you progress in your perspectives on alcoholism as well as you see how everything is lost in translation. I think everyone can gain from reading this in order to see the world in a different angle.
November 22, 2018
I am an alcoholic. I can't simply drink one drink. Simple left the party an hour ago while I engaged in some debauched act which painted my true self with a "aw, what an idiot" paintbrush. The author, Chris Volkmann, discovered her son was alcoholic when he told her he was. He, Toren, called her to inform of his goal to enter rehab. Shock ran through the family, and later ran the gauntlet of shame,fear, blame, and help. Reading this with an addict mind, I felt the warning signs happened much sooner, yet the parents seemed to brush them off. How many times does your teenage son have to kicked off a team or be caught intoxicated in college for you to wonder about him. I also felt Toren still has "it's not my fault" attitude toward a lot of his encounters with law enforcement while in college. Written almost 13 years ago, I hope Toren is still sober. This is a great read for families struggling with addiction because it does include helpful charts and information on red flags.
October 10, 2010
This book is co-written by a young adult man (Toren) and his mother (Chris) during Toren's realization of his dependence on alcohol and his early recovery.
I can't say it was exactly enjoyable, but it felt important to read and was moving and instructive in various ways. Reading about the mother having to face the fact that this disease exists in her family was pretty tough. She writes a lot about how hard she and her husband worked to send the right messages to their sons about alcohol abuse, underage drinking, etc. In spite of their valiant efforts, one of their sons became an addict. Chris (mother) shares her reactions to reading Toren's story; she is hearing about some of his problem drinking and related behaviors for the first time. She writes honestly about her fears, her shame, and her pride.
Reading Toren's sections made me feel like I dodged some bullets in my teens and 20's. His high school and college drinking seemed pretty typical to me, but (1) his drinking is typical for excessive college binge drinking, but not necessarily for the normal college student, and (2) he was unlucky enough to have an brain that was prone to being addicted. When his physiological symptoms of withdrawal set in, he started to realize he was in trouble. He tells his tale with honesty and humility; I felt awful for him.
I am impressed with how this family worked together with Toren in his recovery. Chris and Toren apparently have given lots of talks and workshops on addiction in the wake of this memoir.
I might recommend this book to a parent who learns that a child has substance dependence. Chris does a nice job including information on resources for families to educate kids about alcohol, resources to get help for family members with addiction, and useful stats about alcohol and addiction. Perhaps it would also be instructive for parents of younger kids, to help prepare them for talking about drugs and alcohol. A young adult or adult who is facing addiction problems might get something from reading it, as well. It may be helpful to read about someone else's journey.
As for the clinical case that motivated me to read it... Reading about Toren opened my eyes more realistically to the possibility that problem drinking in college can lead to much more serious problems. Would any 20-year-old ever believe it could happen to him, though? Doubtful.
I can't say it was exactly enjoyable, but it felt important to read and was moving and instructive in various ways. Reading about the mother having to face the fact that this disease exists in her family was pretty tough. She writes a lot about how hard she and her husband worked to send the right messages to their sons about alcohol abuse, underage drinking, etc. In spite of their valiant efforts, one of their sons became an addict. Chris (mother) shares her reactions to reading Toren's story; she is hearing about some of his problem drinking and related behaviors for the first time. She writes honestly about her fears, her shame, and her pride.
Reading Toren's sections made me feel like I dodged some bullets in my teens and 20's. His high school and college drinking seemed pretty typical to me, but (1) his drinking is typical for excessive college binge drinking, but not necessarily for the normal college student, and (2) he was unlucky enough to have an brain that was prone to being addicted. When his physiological symptoms of withdrawal set in, he started to realize he was in trouble. He tells his tale with honesty and humility; I felt awful for him.
I am impressed with how this family worked together with Toren in his recovery. Chris and Toren apparently have given lots of talks and workshops on addiction in the wake of this memoir.
I might recommend this book to a parent who learns that a child has substance dependence. Chris does a nice job including information on resources for families to educate kids about alcohol, resources to get help for family members with addiction, and useful stats about alcohol and addiction. Perhaps it would also be instructive for parents of younger kids, to help prepare them for talking about drugs and alcohol. A young adult or adult who is facing addiction problems might get something from reading it, as well. It may be helpful to read about someone else's journey.
As for the clinical case that motivated me to read it... Reading about Toren opened my eyes more realistically to the possibility that problem drinking in college can lead to much more serious problems. Would any 20-year-old ever believe it could happen to him, though? Doubtful.
May 5, 2008
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
I think it would be safe to say that, for the majority of teens at least, drinking (and by this I mean consuming alcoholic beverages) is something that will come up sooner rather than later. Seen by many as a "right of passage," teens and alcohol are things that seem to go hand in hand. Although I know this isn't true for every teen--I myself never had a drop of alcohol until I was twenty-one, due to a strict upbringing--what I remember from my high school years, and what I see today among teens, shows that teen drinking is on the rise.
What many teens don't realize, and quite possibly don't even understand, is that due to their actual adolescence and the changes that brings, their bodies are actually at risk to suffer greater negative effects from alcohol. Sure, it can give you a buzz, and in some social circles there are even those who will say it makes you look cool. The problem is, that just like with the nicotine in cigarettes and the unhealthy substances in marijuana and other illegal drugs, that the changing bodies of teens can be harmed to a greater extent than those of full-grown adults.
FROM BINGE TO BLACKOUT is the story of Toren Volkmann and his mother, Chris. Toren was like any teen, one who experimented with alcohol in ways that didn't, at first, prove to be a problem. Unfortunately, this experimentation later led to full-blown blackouts and an eventual stay in a rehab center for alcohol addiction.
This is a book that is part autobiography, part scientific text, part guidebook. You'll find the warning signs of teen drinking, references to places that can help you both as a drinker and a family member affected by someone who is a drinker, and questions that can help you talk about alcohol dependency. This is the perfect book not just for parents, but also for teens who struggle with an alcohol problem--or even those who don't yet, but realize they could be on that path. This is a touching, heartwarming story that ended, thankfully, with recovery. Unfortunately, many more teens might not be as lucky as Toren Volkmann was, and those are the ones who really need to pick up a copy of FROM BINGE TO BLACKOUT.
I think it would be safe to say that, for the majority of teens at least, drinking (and by this I mean consuming alcoholic beverages) is something that will come up sooner rather than later. Seen by many as a "right of passage," teens and alcohol are things that seem to go hand in hand. Although I know this isn't true for every teen--I myself never had a drop of alcohol until I was twenty-one, due to a strict upbringing--what I remember from my high school years, and what I see today among teens, shows that teen drinking is on the rise.
What many teens don't realize, and quite possibly don't even understand, is that due to their actual adolescence and the changes that brings, their bodies are actually at risk to suffer greater negative effects from alcohol. Sure, it can give you a buzz, and in some social circles there are even those who will say it makes you look cool. The problem is, that just like with the nicotine in cigarettes and the unhealthy substances in marijuana and other illegal drugs, that the changing bodies of teens can be harmed to a greater extent than those of full-grown adults.
FROM BINGE TO BLACKOUT is the story of Toren Volkmann and his mother, Chris. Toren was like any teen, one who experimented with alcohol in ways that didn't, at first, prove to be a problem. Unfortunately, this experimentation later led to full-blown blackouts and an eventual stay in a rehab center for alcohol addiction.
This is a book that is part autobiography, part scientific text, part guidebook. You'll find the warning signs of teen drinking, references to places that can help you both as a drinker and a family member affected by someone who is a drinker, and questions that can help you talk about alcohol dependency. This is the perfect book not just for parents, but also for teens who struggle with an alcohol problem--or even those who don't yet, but realize they could be on that path. This is a touching, heartwarming story that ended, thankfully, with recovery. Unfortunately, many more teens might not be as lucky as Toren Volkmann was, and those are the ones who really need to pick up a copy of FROM BINGE TO BLACKOUT.
March 26, 2012
The book was full of great facts about alcohol and the teenage brain. If you are a parent of a teenager who is at risk of alcoholism or even a parent who is looking to inform themselves on the subject, it's a good book. However, if you are a parent currently dealing with a teenager with a drinking problem, this book will leave you wanting. Chris didn't see Toren's drinking as a problem until he checked himself into rehab at 24. Chris does give ideas of what to try with your teen, but she didn't actually deal with trying to get a teenage drinker sober. While a great resource, it won't provide you with that.
December 27, 2013
felt like it was too surface, and not honest enough. especially in the end. wrapped up a little too cleanly and nicely with a bright bow, so that it seemed unbelievable, or that it was a PR book trying to spin it positively for the sake of their family reputation rather than honesty. I wanted to hear more from the son.
January 19, 2010
The School purchased these books for parents to read and then had
an open discussion with school counselors and administrators. Unfortunately a lot of parents that needed to be there did not attend. Book was very good and gave lots of advice for teens and college age students.
an open discussion with school counselors and administrators. Unfortunately a lot of parents that needed to be there did not attend. Book was very good and gave lots of advice for teens and college age students.
October 5, 2007
Interesting read about alcoholism and our society. Very worthwhile.
October 28, 2007
Wanted more plot. It had a good plot, but lots of resource info. I say "but," however, this is an awesome resource for many parents, academics and anyone whose life is touched by alcohol.
May 10, 2011
More of a reference book than a biography, which is what I thought it was. Very interesting though!
May 13, 2011
This was a heartbreaking story of addiction and a mother's fight to save her son.
July 23, 2007
Not one to read late at night, it gave me bad dreams.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews