Children’s Books About Addiction and Overdose
Some concepts seems so complicated and confusing… and emotional, that it seems impossible to explain them to children. Yet, often these are also the topics that can be some of the most important things to talk to children about. The world of addiction is one of those. Family members can feel frustrated and confused about why someone is making the choices they are. They can feel overwhelmed about what they can do to help. This can leave kids stuck in the middle. Their adult is making bad choices and no one is talking to them about it. This can lead children to internalize, blaming themselves or creating fantastical stories about why their adult would act this way. These books can be an important step in having honet conversations with children about their adult.
In addition, a couple of these books are about overdose leading to death. Sometimes, families can carry a shame or a temptation to change the story to “help the child”. We know that ultimately these lies often don’t work and the child finds out about the cause of death, leading them to feel isolated and wonder why they weren’t trusted. These books help families explain that addiction is a disease and that the overdose was not the child’s fault, as well as helping the family find ways to remember the parts of the person that they miss.
These books are important additions to every grief library, as well as social work and counseling offices. Read below to find which books are the best fit. As always, when you purchase the books throught he links below, you support this blog, but if you can find them at your local library or book store, that’s great too!
Sometimes Stormy by Amanda Davis
This book tells the story of a boy who lives with his parents. Sometimes, his house feels “stormy” when his dad is drinking alcohol. His dad is mean, he yells, and he sleeps a lot. The boy doesn’t like it, but there isn’t anything he can do to change it. He likes the days when his dad isn’t drinking and is good to be around. He learns to keep his distance on stormy days finding activities he can do to keep him out of the storm. This book is an important tool that adults can use to support young kids who live with an alcoholic reminding them that it isn’t their fault or their problem to fix. Hopefully this book is also paired with efforts to get the adult help, but this world is tricky and addiction is hard. So I appreciate that this book uses simple words to support kids in the middle of it all. The book has extra information about addiction and the end and resources for adults. Good for young-middle elementary-aged kids.
https://amzn.to/4yeWKo0
Something Happened to Our Mom by Ann Hazzard, Phd, Marietta Collins, Phd, and Marianne Celano, Phd
This book tells the story of a brother and sister who lives with their mom. Their mom is in a car accident, and their aunt moves in for a while to take care of them at all. Eventually, the aunt returns home, but the kids notice changes in their mom. Sometimes, she is fun and silly, but sometimes, she sleeps instead of going to work or doing the laundry. Sometimes, she is in a horrible mood. The older sister quits softball to take care of her brother and the house. Eventually, she has to call 9-1-1 one day because her mom doesn’t wake up. After going to the hospital, their mom starts getting treatment for her addiction. They go to a kids’ group and recognize other kids from their community. The whole family benefits, but not without some stumbles. This story can help kids relate and see that they aren’t alone. It uses basic words to explain addiction and remind kids that it is not something they can control. This supportive book doesn’t blame anyone and helps families have honest conversations- obviously written by three women with lots of experience with kids and how to explain addiction. Good for school aged kids.
https://amzn.to/4gxk3U0
A Kids Book About Addiction by Nicole Lendo
This book explains that addiction is like a loop and explains the lack of control that defines an addiction. The book is inclusive of all addictions including gambling, drugs, shopping, etc. By explaining brain function, using an analogy, and reinforcing that there is nothing that a reader could have done to cause the addiction, the book helps the reader build an understanding and avoid blame. Like the other books in this series, this book utilizes an expert to explain addiction in a supportive way that kids can understand, but there are no illustrations or storyline. For that reason AND some of the bigger, more confusing words in the book, I would say that this book is most appropriate for upper elementary and middle school aged kids. It could also be beneficial for adults. It never hurts to hear things in simple, supportive words.
https://amzn.to/4cRBjRy
Someone I Love Died of a Drug Overdose by Melody Ray
This book tells the story of a boy whose father sometimes takes pills from their kitchen cabinet that make him tired. The boy learns that he can’t really talk to him or play with him when that happens. At some point, he goes to rehab and comes back more engaged, but eventually, his father dies. The boy’s mother tells him that his dad got sick and died, but eventually, after some time passes, the boy asks more questions. His mom explains addition and accidental overdose in words kids can understand. The boy feels embarrassed because he learned in school that drugs are bad, but then his mom explains that his dad was not a bad person, he was just affected by the pills he was taking. The boy and his mom then remember lots of the fun times with his dad and eat the foods he liked to keep his memory alive. It is important for families to be honest with kids so that they hear the truth from the people they love instead of through rumors or from other kids. This simple book could help families find the words to be honest with their kids in a supportive way. This book is most appropriate for elementary school aged kids who have been affected by a death caused by accidental overdose.
https://amzn.to/3UMe6tS
All the Pieces: When a Loved One Dies from Substance Abuse by Hallie Riggs
This book tells the story of a boy who misses his dad. The book simply explains that an overdose is when his dad took more medicine than the doctor told him to and that it was more medicine than was safe for his body. He talks about the different “pieces” of his dad (illustrated as beautiful puzzle pieces). He talks about good memories that are some of the pieces and not good memories like when he didn’t get out of bed or when he lost his temper or when he didn’t come home. His grandmother reminds him that it is important to remember all the pieces of him and that it is okay if those pieces make hiim feel mad or sad. It also says that he had a disease called addiction, but doesn’t got very much into that except that it was contagious. An adult reader might want to explain that a little more fully to kids. The book ends with focus on how much the dad loved the boy and ways that they can remember him and keep him alive in his heart. This book would be good for elementary aged kids who have lost a loved one to addiction. This book may prompt conversations about the many pieces of their loved one - the good and bad, giving space for a wide variety of feelings. https://amzn.to/4cScyVo
