try checking out a website called
http://www.difficult.netI bought the book and it is very interesting reading, and has some very non-traditional ways to getting through the "out of control teen", just as the book describes. Unfortuntely, teens that have become out of control, in reality, are that way because parents allowed them to be. Once the teen gets to this level, traditional methods no longer work. The most important thing in trying to keep your teen on the right path is to let them know there is a consequence (whether good or bad) for every action. You have to put in place the consequences that work for your teen, and not every same consequence will work the same for every teen. Simply abusing a teen mentally, forced exercise, and denial of simple privileges such as food and bathroom is not the way to correct one's misbehavior. Even in the real world, parents have an OBLIGATION to provide adequate food and shelter for their child, without subjecting them to harm.
PLEASE do not consider sending your child to a boot camp, TLC or otherwise. With time and commitment, you CAN correct the misbehaviors of your teen. But, you have to be willing to stay the course. The behaviors were not learned over night, nor will they be corrected over night. Once you have made the decision to correct the misbehaviors, you have to stay the course and don't back down, no matter how hard it gets emotionally. Believe it or not, if you follow recommendations such as they outline in the book, things WILL get better. Mind you, they will probably get worse before they get better, because you have taken the control away from your teenager, and are regaining control of your household. No one likes to give up control, but a teenager does not need to be in control of the household, they don't know how to be, even though they think they do. They just need to be kids, and let us parents be in control of the household. Once you have managed to regain control, your teen will not be spending so much of their time and energy trying to keep that control, and will be free to live their life as a normal teenager should, and will find they, as well as you, are MUCH happier! I will be happy to discuss with anyone some of the methods we have used.
After I removed my son from TLC, I made many excuses and allowances for him because I felt guilty of what I let him endure while at TLC. Eventually that guilt took over our household. My son was not a violent child, drug user, gang member, or ever even in trouble with the law when I sent him to TLC. I have seen the error of my ways by (1) sending him to TLC; and (2) feeling guilty over it. After putting those feelings aside, and dealing with issues that have come up since his release (using methods as outlined in the book), the transformation has been amazing!
I would be more than happy to discuss this with any parent that would like more information, or to simply find out how it worked for us.