From Binge to Blackout: A Mother and Son Struggle With Teen Drinking »

Chris Volkmann is a former classroom teacher and recipient of the 2001 Washington State Artist Trust GAP Literary Grant.

Toren Volkmann is a former Peace Corps Volunteer.

ALCOHOL: The number one drug of choice for America's youth.

Throughout his college years, Toren Volkmann partied like there was no tomorrow. And like so many parents, his mother, Chris, overlooked Toren's growing alcohol problem. But when he graduated, Toren realized that he had become a full-blown alcoholic with a college diploma.

Written from the viewpoints of both mother and son, this 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 is putting America's future at risk.

New York Times

From Binge to Blackout: a Mother and Son Struggle with Teen Drinking is an especially gripping cautionary tale on this subject. And it is unusual in that it does not follow the standard story template, from downfall to miracle cure. Instead this account is divided between two narrators: Toren Volkmann, who slid with scary ease from fun-loving party guy to desperate alcoholic, and Chris Volkmann, his mother, who bought Toren's assurances that he was fine. He had a secret, and she hadn't a clue.