In Chasing Happiness, teen author Chase Block offers practical, no-nonsense advice for teens to deal with the same tough situations he did, including divorce, addition and suicide.
Chase originally started writing a book to give kids and teens advice on how to both support their parents and be their own person through changing family dynamics. But as his mother’s addiction to prescription sleeping pills got worse, Chase and his brother decided to give her an ultimatum as a last ditch effort to save her. The boys told her they didn't want to see her, or talk with her, until she agreed to enter rehab. That emotional confrontation was to be their last conversation with her. Two weeks later, after crashing her Mercedes into a tree, she committed suicide with a handgun in a hotel room.
Although he was devastated by his mother’s death, Chase realized he could help even more teens by including this tragic situation as a part of his book.
Some of the points he elaborates on include:
Take responsibility for your own happiness- Know when and who to ask for help
- No matter how bad it gets, it can and will always get better
- Don't bow to peer pressure – kids who want you to do stupid things aren't your friends
The book also offers parents, mental health professionals and other adults a unique window into the mind of today's teens.