Off the Rails

Fifteen-year-old Hannah was a privileged young girl with a promising future, but that didn’t stop her from sliding into an abyss of sex, drugs, alcohol, and other high-risk behaviors. Off the Rails narrates Hannah’s sudden decline and subsequent treatment through the raw, honest, compelling voices of Hannah and her shocked and desperate mother―each one telling her side of the story.

Fearing that they couldn’t keep their teen safe, Hannah’s parents made the agonizing decision to send her to a wilderness program, and then to residential treatment. Off the Rails tells the story of the two tough years Hannah spent in three separate programs―and ponders the factors that contributed to her ultimate recovery.

Written for parents of teens experimenting with high-risk behaviors, as well as those trying to navigate the controversial world of teen treatment programs, Off the Rails is an inspiring story of family love, determination, and the last-resort intervention that helped one troubled young woman find sobriety after a terrifying and harrowing journey.

Author: Susan Burrowes

Publication Date: October 23, 2018

Categories: Award-Winning, Fall 2018, Memoir

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About the Author

Description

14^th Annual National Indie Excellence Award Finalist in Addiction & Recovery
2019 New York City Big Book Award—Winner in Addiction & Recovery
2019 IBPA Ben Franklin Awards: Silver Medal Winner in Parenting and Family Issues
2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist in Parenting/Family (Non-fiction)

“Susan Burrowes provides raw insight for families faced with the unexpected chaos of a troubled teen. This honest account of one family’s journey from a stable, loving home through the bowels of downtown Santa Cruz and three separate treatment centers is a great read for anyone interested in taking a peek behind the rehabilitation of a child gone ‘off the rails.’”
—Kristin McCandless, recovery counselor

“This story is inspiring. It is helpful for other parents to hear about how mistakes can help us learn and grow into more effective parents.”
—Dr. Catherine Towson, LMFT

“In Off the Rails Susan Burrowes and her wildly defiant daughter Hannah, take us through misdiagnosis, overdose, and treatment for addiction. We hear from mother and daughter: Susan describes the agonizing decisions parents face. Hannah shares the experience from her perspective; a true gift to readers. Struggling families will connect with this compelling book. It clarifies what happens when you send your child to wilderness therapy or residential treatment, how high-risk kids fall through the cracks, how finding help feels impossible, and how schools, professionals, and parents must work together.”
—D’Anne Burwell, Author of Saving Jake: When Addition Hits Home

“Alternating voices, Susan and Hannah Burrowes, a frantic mother and her troubled young daughter, narrate an all-too-frequent tale: a beloved child’s rapid spiral into addiction and chaos coupled with a woefully inadequate health care system. Off the Rails shines with clarity and unstinting honesty about the pitfalls and sources of help needed not just for a child, but a family to recover.”
—Linda Dahl, author of The Bad Dream Notebook

About the Author

Susan Burrowes is a presenter, teacher, trainer, and project manager. She holds a master’s degree in communication, but took enough time out of her studies to produce the two extraordinary, challenging children who continue to define her life. Her career spans fifteen years in advertising, eight years teaching in the college classroom, and another ten years training professionals in organizations how to communicate with each other, an irony that was not lost on her as she struggled to reach her addicted daughter. Burrowes currently works with a team of high-achieving young adults in Admissions at the University of California Santa Cruz, where she ponders the question of teen success on a daily basis. She writes about the strength and determination of troubled teens and special needs children.