Through a dramatic and sometimes emotional dramatization this video shows the process of addiction and the effects of its progression through generations of a family. Susie Vanderlip evolves as a troubled participant from generation to generation as the legacy of a troubled family passes from parent to child to grandchild. At the outset, Susie is a teen with an alcoholic father, trying to please, feeling guilty, torn between love and hate. She latches on to a boyfriend who treats her much the way her father treated her mother, and only when her daughter has a baby with the possibility of AIDS does she seek help--and finds it in a recovery group where she learns that she is responsible for her own well-being.

The words are blunt and realistic. Many teens will find the message delivered in this format more effective than the usual lecture.