ON THE MEND

Eight young adults who have hit bottom but are moving away from addiction tell their stories. As in her other books (e.g., Growing Up Adopted, 1989), Rosenberg elicits a depth of trust from these young people that compels reader interest, intermingling their stories to bring out common threads—a technique that generally succeeds in its purpose but is occasionally confusing. Most striking is how young these mostly middle-class kids were when they began to use drugs, often in a family setting, and how easy it was to find fellow travelers. Until they seek treatment seriously (rarely on the first ostensible try), their desperate manipulation is doomed to be repeated. As one says, ``To me, life was a game where everybody lied to each other.'' Follow-up on these eight demonstrates the value of viewing addiction as a family problem and the reality that rehabilitation is not 100% effective. Glossary; bibliography; resources. Photos & index not seen. (Nonfiction. 9+)