At best, going to bed with a bottle of wine will make you wake up feeling dry-mouthed and stupid. Going to bed with a book will tire your eyes naturally, ease your subconscious tension, and fill your mind with endless possibilities. Intervention is a commonly used term among addiction professionals. Most people think of an intervention as something you see on television. In addition to ACOA and Alateen, here are some book suggestions for young people and adults who can benefit from reading. A Drinking Life” was written 20 years after Hamill took his last drink, and in it he shares how drinking in his early years affected his life trajectory.
Why self-help books dont work?
‘They read too fast, too passively, and too shallowly.’ This may be true, but there are other, perhaps more compelling, reasons why self-help books often don't help: Self-help books most often reflect the results obtained by one person, usually the writer.
Is the addict going to control you, or will you take back control with boundaries? Sure the boundaries may not feel good initially, and like the scissor and lighter example, your first instinct should be to protect your child. Not being able to set boundaries and say no doesn’t protect them from their addiction, and it only protects your feelings at the moment. When you read any Masters or Ph.D. level textbooks on counseling theories and strategies, you find strategies utilized in Alcoholics Anonymous. Looking back to the psychoanalytic theory developed by Sigmund Freud and collective unconscious developed by Carl Jung, there are similarities to the suggestions of Alcoholics Anonymous. As you read through all the other counseling strategies that came after, you will find equal similarities. The point is, the foundational message, vision, and solution of Alcoholics Anonymous cannot be completely avoided regardless of which method works for someone to achieve sobriety.
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After returning to the states after his tour in Iraq, he and his girlfriend become addicted to heroin. Codependent No More is written for the families of recovering addicts. This book gives family members exercises to help regain their individuality. The book discusses one justification for drinking alcohol in each chapter. That reasoning is then refuted with common sense and medical data. I have personally watched many people die because they overdosed or abused their bodies to the point of no return. It can, and does happen to people of all ages and all walks of life.
Can you ever recover from being an alcoholic?
More than a third of U.S. adults who were dependent on alcohol are now in full recovery, says the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Is a loved one struggling with addiction? We can help! ‘Many people can and do recover from alcoholism,’ says NIAAA director Ting-Kai Li, MD, in a news release.
Engaging, readable, and honest, this book is like getting a hug from your best sober buddy. As a child, Helaina Hovitz witnessed the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Being so close to this leaves her with a serious case of PTSD throws her into despair and later lands her in the throes of addiction. This is a different memoir because it focuses not on the road to sobriety, but on what happens with your life now that you’ve done the thing that once seemed impossible. She’s just someone who uses alcohol to muster up the courage, and, well, survive life. This is just how it has always been since her introduction to Southern Comfort when she was fourteen.
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For any child or adult who has experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, and substance use during childhood, ACOA can be a tremendous resource. Addict in the Family by Beverly Conyers is a book to help comfort family members by assisting them in understanding that they did not cause the addiction, nor could they have done anything to prevent it. books about alcohol recovery Whether or not we fully agree with that concept, it still proves to be a great read. We encourage families of addicts to read it and compare it to other books that have different theories and beliefs. The nice part about the book is it encourages detachment and helps families understand the need to take their lives back and enjoy it.
Decades later, Cat reminisces about those days with Marlena and learns to forgive herself and move on from those days. Julie Buntin’s Marlena is a stunning look at alcoholism, addiction, and bad decisions, and how they haunt us forever. Ann Dowsett Johnston combines in-depth research and her own story of recovery in this important book about the relationship between women and alcohol. Drink brings to light the increase in DUIs, “drunkorexia” , and other health problems among young women in the United States. If you are struggling with your drinking, a trained therapist can help you find treatment. If you’re living with an alcoholic, you may also benefit from the support of a therapist or couples counselor. Russell Brand is a popular actor, writer, and comedian who shares his personal struggles with addiction and recovery. In addition, he offers valuable advice for those looking for freedom from their addiction.
Recommended Books on Drug and Alcohol Addiction
In his follow-up to his first memoir, Tweak, which dealt with his journey into meth addiction, Sheff details his struggle to stay clean. In and out of rehab, he falls into relapse, engaging in toxic relationships and other self-destructive behaviors that threaten to undo the hard-won progress he’s made. Feeling Good explains how thinking errors can lead to these conditions and gives Sober Home the reader tools to change their thinking. She discusses the twelve-step program and points out some of its shortcomings. This book illustrates some fresh ideas in the fight against substance abuse. Allen is a master at removing the psychological triggers that lead to drinking. He explains why the benefits people believe they are getting from drinking alcohol are fictitious.
When you quit drinking for a year or more, you’ll find that you have the energy to move forward and tackle new projects. This book can supply you with the internal resolve and concrete strategies you’ll need to make progress in all aspects of your life. The only part I took issue with was the diet chapter, which promotes some dated myths about meat. Neuro-linguistic programming is a fascinating system for reprogramming behavior by altering cognitive associations. This book is the most basic guide for NLP that I have found, and the authors describe how using NLP has changed the lives of people they care about.
For people with addictions, finding support can mean the difference between success and relapse, or even life and death. Reading and re-reading helpful books about addiction recovery can make a big difference in your level of commitment to sobriety. Make a cup of tea, curl up and delve into one of these uplifting, encouraging books to gain some new perspectives and get practical, actionable tips and advice for maintaining a successful recovery. Don’t be afraid to break out the highlighter so that you can look back and find those parts that resonate with you when you need a quick dose of inspiration. This book takes a holistic approach to fighting addiction and improving your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being through honesty, gratitude, self-awareness, and authenticity. This book offers tools for navigating the challenges life throws your way during recovery, and it provides strategies for overcoming negative and unhealthy thought and behavior patterns that can lead to relapse.
As you will discover, one of the themes across these books is the surprising joy found in sober lifestyles. In the end, sobriety is often described as a privilege rather than a chore. Have you noticed that our world is increasingly obsessed with drinking? Work events, brunch, baby showers, book club, hair salons—the list of where to find booze is endless. Holly Whitaker, in her own path to recovery, discovered the insidious ways the alcohol industry targets women and the patriarchal methods of recovery. Ever the feminist, she found that women and other oppressed people don’t need the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous, but a deeper understanding of their own identities.