Product Description

"Twelve-step" recovery programs for a wide variety of addictive behaviors have become tremendously popular in the 1990s. According to John W. Crowley, the origin of these movements -- including Alcoholics Anonymous -- lies in the Washingtonian Temperance Society, founded in Baltimore in the 1840s. In lectures, pamphlets, and books (most notably John B. Gough's Autobiography, published in 1845), recovering "drunkards" described their enslavement to and liberation from alcohol. Though widely circulated in their time, these influential temperance narratives have been largely forgotten.

In Drunkard's Progress, Crowley presents a collection of revealing excerpts from these texts along with his own introductions. The tales, including "The Experience Meeting," from T. S. Arthur's Six Nights with the Washingtonians (1842), and the autobiographical Narrative of Charles T. Woodman, A Reformed Inebriate (1843), still speak with suprising force to the miseries of drunkenness and the joys of deliverance. Contemporary readers familiar with twelve-step programs, Crowley notes, will feel a shock of recognition as they relate to the experience, strength, and hope of these old-time -- but nonetheless timely -- narratives of addiction, despair, and recovery.

"I arose, reached the door in safety, and, passing the entry, entered my own room and closed the door after me. To my amazement the chairs were engaged in chasing the tables round the room; to my eye the bed appeared to be stationary and neutral, and I resolved to make it my ally; I thought it would be safest to run, as by that means I should reach it sooner, but in the attempt I found myself instantly prostrate on the floor... How long I slept I know not; but when I awoke I was still on the floor, and alone... I have since been through all the heights, and depths, and labyrinths of misery; but never, no never, have I felt again the unutterable agony of that moment. I wept, I groaned, I actually tore my hair; I did every thing but the one thing that could have saved me." -- from Confessions of a Female Inebriate, excerpted in Drunkard's Progress

Customer Reviews (1)

A unique collection of "drunk narratives" f
Crowley is not really the author of this book but the editor. _Drunkard's Progress_ is Crowley's collection of a genre of prose, the "confessions" of the alcoholic. Crowley's contextualizing essaydoes a nice job connecting the told-story, or the ritual of recountingalcoholic experiences with the first groups, like the Washington group, whoemployed this as a tactic toward achieving sobriety. Crowley also makesconnections with the similar ritual within modern day recovery groups. As acontemporary literature scholar, I found Crowley's previous text, _TheWhite Logic: Alcohol and Gender in Modernist Fiction_ to be moreinteresting, largely becuase it offers a literary interpretation andcriticism of a variety of novels rather than being a collection of briefnarratives like this book. However, for the reader and scholar interestedin the foundation of the drunk-narrative-as-ritual-therapy model, Crowley'scollection will be interesting reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Stopping addictive behavior is the only way to start recovery. However, stopping the behavior is not enough to stay in recovery. True recovery is achieved by learning to cope with difficult situations and emotions. Dr. Patrick Carnes helps readers know how to deal with difficult affective states and guides them to a place of resilience so they can decide what is important in their lives. Readers will learn how live optimally in the Recovery Zone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Recovery Zone By Carnes
Haven't started it yet, but Carnes has not disappointed as of yet!If your recovering from any sort of addiction or additive behavior he's your man. ... Read more

Product Description
With compassion and encouragement, this book helps us to begin and strengthen our recovery from our addictions and emotional or psychiatric illnesses. A gentle, spiritual and supportive approach to bolster our recovery, The Twelve Steps and Dual Disorders provides an adaptation and discussion of each of the Twelve Steps of Dual Recovery Anonymous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very interesting book on the 12 steps.
I am a case manager in a treatmnet center this book has helped me serve my dual diagnosed client better.

Dual recovery anonymous
This is an excellent book for those people suffering from dual disorders. It is self paced and can be used in conjunction with any other therapy the user is undergoing. The condition was as stated by the seller and the recipient has and is using it daily to help them in their quest for a better life.

What a gentle way to recover!
I love this book! Can't say enough good things about it. I would highly recommend it to anyone recovering from dual disorders or any professional working with clients with dual disorders.The book offers real hope forrecovery from both illness, is writen in a very gentle tone and iswonderfully supportive. I especially like the way the authors deal withthe definition of 'sanity' and the Higher Power aspect of the 12 StepProcess.Sanity is defined as 'sound judgement'-how simple is that!Whata relief from guilt for the person with mental illness.They discribe HPas a circle of helping resources-psychiatrist, case worker, family,friends, sponsor, others in recovery in addition to a spiritualrelationship.

I use it in a recovery group in an institutional settingand my clients love the material.Its an open-minded view of recoverywithout all the 'God Stuff' found in the original 12 Steps. ... Read more

Product Description

In his New York Times bestselling memoir, Symptoms of Withdrawal, Christopher Kennedy Lawford chronicled his deep descent into near-fatal drug and alcohol addiction, and his subsequent hard-won journey back to sobriety, which he has maintained for more than twenty years. The overwhelming response his book received impressed upon Lawford the number of people struggling to find their own way back from addiction and the need to share their stories. The histories gathered here are the recollections of lives snatched back from the brink of a precipice so wide and deep it threatened to engulf them.

Customer Reviews (16)

Poweful and compassionate story telling
This is the first time I have read the author's book.I enjoyed the compilation of all the diverse stories and the way Lawford linked them together.It's honest and poweful.I found it to be motivational for someone who is in recovery.

Revealing book about addiction
The stories in this book about addiction were very revealing. There is darkness in this book, but also a great deal of hope as well.

Inspiring Stories of Insight
Growing up Kennedy didn't spare Christopher the anguish of addiction. Nor has celebrity spared the contributors to this book.

"Moments of Clarity" are those moments when an addict or alcoholic finally comes to terms with the fact that the disease that grips them isn't going to just go away, and is a problem. This book is a collections of memories of their own moment, or moments, of clarity for 43 (mostly) celebrities. The stories are touching, frightening, sad, aggravating and ultimately hopeful and inspiring memoirs. What I appreciated about the book was that I didn't think I needed to suffer from addiction to find personal relevance here. I took notes of such little gems as "self-centeredness was the basis of psychological suffering" from page 94, or "Resentment is such a poisonous emotion ..." on page 194. The anecdotes can inspire even a sober person to their own moment of clarity in other areas of life.

I wondered who would be the market for this book. Based on the stories, I doubt it would inspire many addicts/alcoholics to a moment of clarity. I'd recommend the book to anyone interested in general in the subject of addition and recovery, or anyone with an interest in inspiring stories of personal triumph or of celebrities struggles and victories.

celebrities share their "struggle"
I understand that many will say "when it comes to addiction, we're all the same." I disagree. This book is full of overpaid Hollywood celebrities whining about their various addictions. As a regular working stiff (and addict) I just could not relate to these people. I was expecting the book to talk about the struggles the rank & file addict goes through, not an addendum to Celebrity Rehab.

I'll say it again.. A millionaire addict and a trailer park (or middle class for that matter) addict simply do not share the same experience.

Book
I was surprised to find that Lawford is a fine writer and this book was a very enjoyable experience. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn what it’s like to be a member of an addiction recovery group!

Group Psychotherapy and Recovery from Addiction: Carrying the Message is NOT a self-help book. Instead, it’s a rare opportunity to sit in on a virtual therapy group and take part in a virtual Twelve Step meeting. The book’s unique perspective lets you compare and contrast the experience of participating in a psychotherapy group and a Twelve Step group, including an examination of the Twelve Steps and The Twelve Traditions. The book demystifies the process of recovery, demonstrating all the important elements of the group process, including free association, resistance, transference, re-enactment, boundary management, interpretation, and confrontation.

Rather than relate shared stories of addicts in recovery or present abstract formulations on the group experience, Group Psychotherapy and Recovery from Addiction takes you inside the experiential process of recovery that can’t be achieved in isolation. Your experience as a group "member" will help solve the mystery of the group process and provide you with insight into the scientific elements of recovery as the book builds a bridge between the Twelve Step programs and a psychoanalytic model of group functioning.

Group Psychotherapy and Recovery from Addiction examines:

how the group carries the message of recovery
the higher power of the group as a symbol of authority
the development of prayer and meditation as group analytic functions
addiction as a family disease
making amends as an export process
powerlessness and free association
unmanageability and resistance
surrender and transference
inventory and re-enactments
humility and working through
The Twelve Steps and The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
and much more!

Group Psychotherapy and Recovery from Addiction: Carrying the Message is a unique resource for group therapists, addiction treatment professionals, and anyone else interested in group therapy—especially those who have personal experience with Twelve ... Read more

Product Description
You've been able to stay alcohol and drug free for a period of time, but something's still missing. Addiction is a physical, spiritual, and emotional disease. Detox deals with the physical aspect, and a 12-step or some other type of spiritually based program teaches you how to remain abstinent. But what about the emotional or mental challenges that must be overcome? Are you ready to move beyond financial scarcity? Are you floundering in an unfulfilling career or personal relationship? These real-world challenges often lead to an uninspired, mediocre recovery and can be major contributors to relapse. It's time to move forward, discover your life's purpose, and reach your full potential. This book is designed to help you design an action plan, create momentum, and achieve results. The universal truths presented here have taken me from being a low-bottom alcoholic/addict to a successful entrepreneur and author with twenty years of continuous sobriety. The suggestions and exercises I present have worked for me and countless others. They will work for you if you choose to let them. So you're sober; what's next? No doubt you achieved sobriety with guidance from someone who knew how to get and stay sober. I speak your language; let me do the same for you on the next step to full recovery. Let me be your life coach on your journey to abundance. Everyone loves a great comeback story. Achieving full recovery is the greatest comeback story you'll ever tell because it will be your own.

Full Recovery is a valuable book not only for those in recovery from addictions but also for those looking to grow toward their full potential. This book fills a void in recovery literature specifically addressing life after getting sober. Recovery principles and spiritual concepts are effectively integrated into a framework for readers to apply to their career, relationships, and spirituality. Through real-life examples and action plans, Full Recovery inspires readers to use challenges and adversity as sources of motivation toward creating a productive, meaningful, and successful life.
-Sarah Allen Benton, MS, LMHC, author of Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic, therapist at the McLean Residence at The Brook, Waltham, Massachusetts (affiliated with Harvard Medical School), and licensed mental health counselor in private practice at Confidential Care, Norwell, Massachusetts

Full Recovery is a must-have resource not only for anyone who wishes to deal with addiction but also anyone who wishes to live a full, abundant, and amazing life. Brian McAlister's personal story will inspire those who think they're 'too far gone' to keep going and know that there is hope.
-Melissa Bradley, MS, NCC, BCETS, FAAETS, psychotherapy and international clinical trainer on resilience and healing

One of the best how-to books I have read in a long time. This book abounds with information and exercises to live a more abundant life. With Brian's advice, you can't miss.
-Frederick T. Reihl, CEO, Freedom House, drug and alcohol treatment center ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Sober and looking for "More"; here's how
I was introduced to this publication in my 10th year of sobriety, have read it twice and am actively applying this material in my daily life.As a "survivor" and "addict" I am experiencing something amazing from this book; I am being directed in a very practical way of how to "get to the point" in a simple manner by inspiring insight offered by Brian McAlister.This truly is helping me further explore my sober education and bring about greater potential that I know to be deep inside.More precisely, I am profoundly aware that I am growing as I process this literature.It has been and continues to offer me reward after reward that has me intrigued to "go for more".This writing can benefit anyone who wishes for positive approaches to personal success. A terrific attitude can be gained from anywhere, for anyone, and this is the place to find and get your information.McAlister is inspired!

A guide for life
Full Recovery is a great book to help convert self destructive behaviors into positive energies with life changing ideas, letting you achieve more peace, joy and passion than you ever thought you could.Beautifully written.

Something for everyone
This is a valuable addition to McAlister's first book - the ABCs of conquering addiction.Now he has given us another thought-provoking and inspiring must-read for a key to an unbridled successful future.This is a book for all ages - it's never too late to be well, or to achieve your goals.Great book!

A great book to explore who you are and where do you want to go in life
"FULL RECOVERY is your answer to your search on how to move ahead into an abundant and prosperous life. Brian McAlister has come up with a treasure trove of practical ideas and questions that will stimulate your creativity and allow you to find out who you really are and where you want to go in life. I am transitioning into a new stage of life after many years in personal recovery. I am using Brian's book as a guide through my changes in adapting a more holistic approach to fully developing my Body, Mind and Spirit. I highly recommend this book for anyone going through any life changes. It really works." Brian Ford- Addiction Specialist

Inspiring
Full Recovery was extremely helpful and inspiring.It made me feel like I could accomplish anything.Also, that there was hope no matter how far I had to go to achieve success. Great read! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Thanks Mike D.
I've used Fr. Peyton's rosary book for years and highly recommend that, (esp since his cause for sainthood has just been opened). However, Mike D.'s meditation definitely gave me a new perspective on the rosary. It's such a powerful tool and if you see any sin as an addiction, you can customize his meditations into something relevant to your situation. Also his conversion story was quite touching as well.

Mike D. brings his healing prayer seminar to print.
This is a wonderful book for all people in recovery. You'll learn a proven method of prayer and meditation that you will return to again and again. I always faltered when trying to meditate-but this program helps me stay inthe process and the benefits include an improved conscious contact with myhigher power. Thanks Mike D. for this wonderful book. ... Read more

Product Description
Charting Women's Journeys is about the meaning of addiction and recovery in the lives of twenty-five Appalachian women who have been practicing abstinence from the use of alcohol and/or drugs for eighteen months or more in a small rural community in the United States. The empirical focus is on the ways in which these women's lives have been transformed through the processes of addiction to and abstinence from these substances. ... Read more

Product Description
Millions of alcoholics and addicts recover through spirituality. In The Soul of Recovery: Uncovering the Spiritual Dimension in the Treatment of Addictions, author and journalist Christopher D. Ringwald tells how and why they seek and achieve these transformations. Ranging as far back as the Washingtonian Total Abstinence Society in 1840, Ringwald illuminates the use of spirituality within a wide range of treatment options--from the famous Twelve Step-style programs to those tailored to the needs of addicted women, Native Americans, or homeless teens not ready to quit. Focusing on the results rather than the validity of beliefs espoused by these programs, he demonstrates how addicts recover through practices such as self-examination, meditation, prayer and reliance on a self-defined higher power. But the most compelling evidence of spirituality's importance comes from those directly involved in the process. Ringwald traveled across the country to visit dozens of programs and interview hundreds of addicts, alcoholics, counselors, family members, doctors and scientists. Many share moving stories of suffering, survival, and redemption.A homeless man, a surgeon, a college student, a working mother-each describes the descent into addiction and how spirituality offered a practical, personal means to recovery. Ringwald also examines the controversies surrounding faith-based treatment and the recovery movement, from the conflict between science and spirituality, to skepticism about the "new age" brand of spirituality these programs encourage, to constitutional issues over court-mandated participation in allegedly religious treatment programs. Combining in-depth research with powerful personal accounts, this fascinating exploration of spirituality will provide a fuller understanding of the nature of addiction and how people overcome it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Like New1
Thank you for such a helpful book.It arrived quickly and was in GREAT shape.

The real deal on Addiction Recovery
As a recovering alcoholic and addict for 19 years and a professional worker in the field for 16 years, this book was so refreshing to read. Most people who work with addicts will tell you that until they achieve some sort of "spiritual experience" often through a faith based program such as AA, NA, etc. they never achieve long-term contented abstinence. Even though the author is outside the field of addiction and is primarily a journalist, he does an astonishing job of surfacing the issues that are the "elephant in the living room" of addiction treatment and recovery. With all due respect to the medical and psychological research and literature, none of it speaks as clearly as this book about what "causes" recovery from addiction.

San Francisco Chronicle review
...In his recent book, "The Soul of Recovery: Uncovering the Spiritual Dimension in the Treatment of Addictions," journalist Christopher Ringwald takes a sober and well-documented look at some of the unquestioned claims of the burgeoning recovery movement.

Many recovering addicts say they felt a "spiritual emptiness" or a "God- sized hole" in their souls and tried to fill it with alcohol or other drugs.

"The drug distorts clear thought and often makes the person feel ecstatic, invulnerable, godlike," Ringwald writes. "Then, in the final throes of an addiction, counselors and addicts report, life condenses to a self-centered round of getting, using, and recuperating before starting over."

...

What makes "The Soul of Recovery" (Oxford University Press, 2002) stand out from the pack is the way Ringwald approaches the recovery movement as a journalist, not as an evangelist or protagonist. He understands the power of spirituality in treating substance abuse, yet still asks some hard questions about the wisdom handed down from "Bill W." and "Dr. Bob."

Ringwald, who covers legal issues for Newsday, devotes a chapter to another treatment philosophy called "harm reduction," which, unlike AA, does not see total abstinence as the only way.

Counselors in this faction say that "abstinence for many merely increases the luster of the forbidden fruit."

"When certain alcoholics relapse even slightly, their remorse can be so severe -- thanks to the lessons about 'one drink will get you drunk' -- that they go on a tear to blot out the shame."

Ringwald cites studies showing that many nonabstinent alcoholics can reduce their consumption substantially by being taught how to moderate their behavior,

or by alternating between periods of abstention and drinking.

This kind of thinking challenges the medical model of the for-profit recovery industry, where total abstinence is seen as a kind of First Commandment.

"Harm reduction challenges the most basic of substance abuse treatment assumptions: the disease concept," Ringwald writes. "Whether advocates say so or not, their emphasis on resolving conditions -- poverty, housing or other illness -- first, rather than halting the drug abuse, argues for alcoholism or addiction having some origins outside the person."

In the end, Ringwald notes that the two camps really want the same thing -- to create a social environment where addicts have more to live for than the next fix. Both treatment styles seek to change addicts' spirit by connecting them with something larger than themselves.

... ... Read more

Product Description
This entertaining and practical book points out a basic fact about changing harmful addictions - that many people need to develop a devotion to a healthy, positive addiction - to which they can cheerfully "just say yes!"

Based on thousands of observations made by the author during 23 years of active participation in the addiction recovery and treatment field, this ground-breaking new book describes five naturally-occurring stages of change on an Addiction Recovery Learning Curve that many people with the most serious harmful addictions will usually have to go through on the long road to lasting recovery.

Addiction, Progression, & Recovery illustrates how harmful addictions often develop gradually with many identifiable signs and symptoms emerging over time in a series of progressively worsening stages, and it clearly describes the lifelong learning process normally followed by people who successfully make the difficult transition from active progression into permanent recovery.

In this pioneering work, Dale Kesten introduces readers to the FACE to FACE Unified Addiction Recovery Model. This promising new developmental learning model offers a realistic and individualized approach to addiction treatment. It can help clinicians simultaneously assess, educate, motivate, and empower clients to eventually control or stop harmful addictive behavior by reframing their past, present, and future experiences as an honest and open-minded series of "Formal Addiction Control Experiments and Failed Addiction Control Experiments."

This innovative new model is not based on any abstract, academic, scientific, or partisan theory about how people might or should be able to change harmful addictive behavior. Rather, it accurately describes the natural and readily observable process by which most people actually do change or ultimately fail to change such behavior in the long run. ... Read more

Product Description

Addiction and Grace offers an inspiring and hope–filled vision for those who desire to explore the mystery of who and what they really are. May examines the "processes of attachment" that lead to addiction and describes the relationship between addiction and spiritual awareness. He also details the various addictions from which we can suffer, not only to substances like alcohol and drugs, but to work, sex, performance, responsibility, and intimacy.

Drawing on his experience as a psychiatrist working with the chemically dependent, May emphasizes that addiction represents an attempt to assert complete control over our lives. Addiction and Grace is a compassionate and wise treatment of a topic of major concern in these most addictive of times, one that can provide a critical yet hopeful guide to a place of freedom based on contemplative spirituality.

Customer Reviews (58)

A Classic in Understanding Addictions, their Components, and the Road Back from Them
In just over two decades this book has become a classic in understanding what addiction is, how it works, why addictions occur, the ingredients of an addiction, and what must be done in overcoming one. Dr. May talks about addictions from coffee to the other end of the spectrum. He shows us that we all have them. They do not have to be life-threatening, although many are.

As a medical doctor, he shows that addictions are not just a mental challenge that must be surmounted. There are physical, neurological and spiritual components that enter into the whole mix.

I initially bought this book in the late eighties to try to better understand the problem of alcoholism in my family. I have to say, I got what I wanted. I also got to take a better look at myself and what makes me tick.

Each reading of this is very new. However, it is also a great reference book to keep handy to help others in need. I have used it hundreds of times in this manner.

I have likened it many times to the Confessions of Saint Augustine and his speaking of his own addictions. To paraphrase him, he said addictions are a perversion of any of our passions, which then get out of hand: we go from an evil, to a habit, to a compulsion and then to a necessity. At one point, he calls it the "Law of Sin," which he gets from Saint Paul's Letters to the Romans (and Galatians). He gives a great definition too! He says, "the law of sin is the fierce force of habit, by which the mind is drawn and held even against its will, and yet deservedly because it had fallen willfully into the habit" (Book 8, 5 Frank Sheed translation).

Like Augustine, like any 12-step program, Dr. May shows that there is a dimension in recovery that is beyond ourselves. Augustine saw it as Christ, the "... Anonymous" programs see it as a Higher Power, Dr. May calls it "Grace." Because of this dimension, this is not only a helpful, but also a good spiritual read that can benefit almost anyone.

I've liked the hardcover, because it serves one well over the years. It's not a bad idea to keep a few used paperback copies around to give away. They're cheap enough! I've given away dozens of copies along the way, and will probably continue to do so.

Graced and Sent Forth!
Found this book to be written in a spiritual, clinical and easy to understand manner.
I think that Gerald May, MD does a tremendous service to those struggling with addiction of all sorts. Help is available and God does not leave us alone. One should feel hopeful,challenged and this should also lead to our seeking help. We do not have to be bound by our addictions...there is healing, insight and a whole new way to experience newness of life!
This is a short review but I would say buy it, read it andsee how your life can be changed for the better.
Highly recommended!

additions and grace
This is an absolutely great book. I see myself as having alot of additions I was'nt even aware of,it certanly opened my eyes.
I recommend this book to everyone. Sandra Prough

Transformational Study of Addiction

This is a very excellent and potentially transformational book.

In it psychiatrist and teacher Gerald May explores both the physical and the spiritual aspects of addiction and examines the connections between the two. His insights on the subject resonate deeply, opening the way to a new understanding of human freedom.

A couple of quotes from the first chapter convey the flavor and direction of the book:

* For generations, psychologists thought that virtually all self-defeating behavior was caused by repression. I have now come to believe that addiction is a separate and even more self-defeating force that abuses our freedom and makes us do things that we do not really want to do. While repression stifles desire, addiction attaches desire, bonds and enslaves the energy of desire to certain specific behaviors, people, or things. These objects of attachment then become preoccupations and obsessions; they come to rule our lives.

* I am not being flippant when I say that all of us suffer from addiction. Nor am I reducing the meaning of addiction. I mean in all truth that the psychological, neurological, and spiritual dynamics of full-fledged addiction are actively at work within every human being. The same processes that are responsible for addiction to alcohol and narcotics are also responsible for addiction to ideas, work, relationships, power, moods, fantasies, and an endless variety of other things. We are all addicts in every sense of the word.

Hmm. So much for the safe position that holds addiction at a distance and caricatures it with the imagery of junkies in back alleys...

May goes on to develop his thesis with chapters that speak of a journey:

* Desire: Addiction and Human Freedom;

* Experience: The Qualities of Addiction;

* Mind: The Psychological Nature of Addiction;

* Body: The Neurological Nature of Addiction;

* Spirit: The Theological Nature of Addiction;

* Grace: The Qualities of Mercy;

* Empowerment: Grace and Will in Overcoming Addiction;

* Homecoming: Discernment and the Consecrated Life.

This important book has the potential to change worldviews in profound ways. It should be required reading for counselors, pastors, teachers, social workers, etc. Really, anybody on a path of spiritual and emotional growth should read it as well.

Just like the man said!
He was very honest about his products, which builds trust with me!I would absolutely purchase from this seller again! ... Read more

Product Description
I had been addicted to Vicodin and Norco for almost ten years when I received my first "scrippie" or prescription for Oxycontin. I took two of the little pink beauties and washed them down with a soda. While driving, the Oxycontin hit me like a freight train.A warm rush filled my veins as I pulled my car over due to the intensity of the feeling. My jaw became soft, my temples were ringing with joy, and I was this soft, gummy person that became a fixture to the seat of my car. A teardrop rolled down my eye, and any bit of physical pain I had was gone. Much more powerful than Vicodin or Norco,it was pure religion. I thought, "This is exactly how God and Jesus Christ want me to feel for the rest of my life, nothing should feel this good."I tried rehab facilities, medically supervised detoxifications at home, I even paid $10,000 to have a procedure performed to clean my blood in hopes that it would "fix me."*For the last two and a half years of my addiction I was on a breathing machine to keep me alive. I would stop breathing 40-50 times a night due to the depth of my insanity with the drug use.*I checked myself into rehab on February 16th, 2007 and near certain death. Dr. Daniel Headrick, Medical Director at South Coast Hospital in Laguna Beach, Ca said, "I have worked with and detoxified more than 12,000 patients, and your case is probably the worst I have ever seen. *I didn't sleep for the first 44 days of my recovery. I made a deal with myself that if I didn't sleep by day 50 that I was going to end my life.*I shook physically for close to nine months as the years of opiate pain pill addiction slowly exited my system.I love my life today, but it wasn't that way for a very long time. In order to be built back up I had to be completely torn down."Dying for Triplicate" is an inside glimpse of a horrific story of addiction, and proof that we can change, and break free of something that we never dreamt possible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Real Deal
Dying for Triplicate:

What do ya get when ya take the wit of Rodney Dangerfield, life style of Sid Vicious, and a splash of Archie Bunker's patience?...why, Todd "Z-Man" Zalkins of course!

When I was first introduced to Todd in 1986, (Zawkins I used to call him), he was already a veteran drinker and "space coke" conniseur. There was never a dull moment when he was around and for the most part he always made the "party" even better.

In his book "Dying for Triplicate" you get a first hand look at the man, the legend, and the train wreck Long Beach and the world has come to know as "Z-Man".
The anecdotes date back to his early years at Rogers Jr. High, with an alcoholic father, and family dysfunction, in to Wilson High, sighting naked surfing & bridge jumping as a hobby, through Long Beach City College where dipping your sack in to the mashies was common place, into routing Vegas hookers with Bubbah, Mexico debauchery with SUBLIME, and his very own "party vehicle" Corn Doggy Dog and the Half Pound.

Though mainly known by me and to others as a sex crazed party horse, and cocaine mule (this man would not stop), what was most surprising about this autobiography is to learn of his deep, dark 17 year addiction to prescription opieates. Thus the title "Dying for Triplicate".
We all knew there were "scrippies" involved, but I had no idea to this level.

His detox and rehab stories are horrifying and unforgettable as well. "Z-Man" chose a long hard road, but it really looks like the man has finnaly chose to get back in touch with reality.
When I read this book I could not put it down, I read from front to back in 1 sitting. Everything in the book I believe to be forthright and honest. (Seriously folks,,, you can't make this stuff up, & I've seen a lot of it first hand).
I think this book has helped "Z-Man" to grow into a new kind of hero, someone who has taken his life and turned it around. Writing this book has had to be some great releif and therapy for him, he wears it all on his sleeve.

The beautiful thing about this book is he retains the things I like about "Zawkins", the humor, the wit and charisma. He didn't lose this when he got clean and it is apparent in his writing.

Basically Im glad you are still alive. Keep up the good work.
"It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it"

Greg Odell (pg 91 &92)

Give this to your addict!
Having known Todd in his twenties I can confirm a lot of the crazy stuff that happened in this book. The most fascinating part of Todd's story is the final rehab and ongoing recovery. This book is an inspiration showing that no matter how bad things get there is always a way to make lasting change.
If you have someone in your life struggling with substance abuse buy one for them and yourself.

Thank you!
Todd, Thank you for sharing this brutally honest, funny and hopeful book with us all. It was painful to read and I also laughed out loud. I was rooting for you to get well -not junkie well- but really well throughout the book. I have been a social worker for 20 years and have had friends and family members who have struggled with addiction and recovery. We can all learn from your message of hope and love.

Honest, Sad, but TRUE.
I couldn't put down the book. Read it in less than 24 hours in two sittings (and I read slow). I laughed, cried, and commiserated with Todd through his journey to hell and back. This book should click with everybody, as everybody knows an alcoholic and/or addict. Your style of writing is honest, witty, direct I felt like I could visually picture the scenes you describe. One of the best books I've ever read! ... Read more

Product Description
Imagine living your life free from your habits and addictions. You will be able to identify with the feelings in Numb No More as you are shown specific steps to take for your freedom from the pain.Kim Pottle's story of gambling addiction exposes the negative emotions and desires to escape into numbness. You are given simple and practical ways to step away from the pain and into a more positive lifestyle.Numb No More was written from an addicts perspective to be an effective source of hope and help.It is captivating, short and packed with resources.This is a must read that will change your life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Numb No More
Numb No More: Simple Solutions to Achieve Freedom from Habits and Addictions
I started reading Ms. Kim Pottle's book, Numb No More, just a few days before I received a devastating emotional blow. After reading only the first two chapters, I was able to put her message and tools into practice. Rather than carrying the pain of that blow around with me for weeks and months, as I would usually do, I was able to acknowlege it, trust myself, and release that pain completely, allowing myself to move forward feeling stronger and more powerful. Ms. Pottle's book is a blessing to anyone with or without an addiction!
~Beth Temple-Holmes, RN
Life Coach, Pet Loss Counselor
[...]

Awaken YOUR Power within----YOU CAN!
You know, I tell myself... one day at a time, one moment at a time.
After reading Numb No More, I realized all of the inspirations that have emerged from my personal stepping stones.

You see, I consider myself "normal" and free of addictions and yet, there LIES MY HABIT.

We ALL have something or someone we become addicted or attached to which leaves us open for dependence.

Author Kim Pottle, has a way with words, clarity and real life experience.She showed the beauty in vulnerability and the strength with love for oneself. She PROVIDES YOU with POWERFUL strategies to go within and make CHANGE!She did, I did and YOU WILL!

If you are ready for a good read and some real ways to deal with your compulsions, obsessions or just plain cravings,
then, Numb No More WILL fill that need.

"It's easy to tell the difference when you have felt the heaviness of a miserable feeling.That's why our problems are our gifts.They help us live more fully when we choose..." Kim Pottle

May YOU ALL choose to be wide awake and enJOY your moments, stepping stones
and life by being Numb No More!AWAKEN---It's a choice!CHOOSE to LOVE YOU in a healthy way!

Many Blessings,
Delphina JOYce~Messenger of JOY(tm)
[...]

Help for All.
Numb No More by Kim Pottle

I purchased this book several weeks ago for something to read.I didn't consider myself as having any Addictions.I don't gamble, don't drink, and didn't have any negative habits that I could think of.But, as I read the book, I realized that I have many Addictions.I have the addition of takingseveral naps a day and tell myself that it is just resting.As I read more, I thought about my life over the years and how WORK in television was a very big addiction for me.I have spent as many as 130 hours in a week at the TV station - and did this many times.The family came second, or third, or forth.This book has made me to look more at me and what I am now doing every day and to see the additions I have in all areas of my life.It is a book that I have purchased several copies to send to people that I know that have additions in their life - like gambling.
This book and information should be in everyone's collection of "have read " books. It is not only for the gambler with an addiction, but everyone who has any type of addiction to something.It is also a book to have extra copies of to pass on to friends and family that need help.
Thank You Kim....A. Wood Tucson, AZ.

Salvation in 108 pages
First let me tell you I'm not a fan of the whole self help section of book stores.But I know I needed something and the title is what led me to buying this book.I have been numb for several years now, not due to gambling or being an alcoholic but living with my own personal addictions that have led me to chasing down temporary highs to satisfy me.I knew there was more to life than secretly spending money and lying about my purchases.I knew that when I binged on food just to purge it out of me later was killing me, not just physically but mentally and spiritually as well.I hated myself, hated what I saw when I looked in the mirror and I knew that it was time to start the healing process.So I started here...
I devoured this book in less than two hours because on every page I was able to relate to what Ms. Pottle was describing as she was dealing with her own personal demons. By using the stepping stones each day I can take a step back, breathe and know that I am going to be just fine.

A great way to look at addiction and recovery in a new light
This book has what it takes for me.Kim's story from addiction to freedom is compelling and touching.From the intimate details of how addiction had grabbed onto her life through the steps she took to first loosen the grip it had over her and then to find a new freedom in her life, Numb No More has given me the ability to see that I can do the same.I have been through 12 step programs and struggled at times with guilt and negative emotions around the addiction.Kim Pottle's book has taken away those negative stigmatisms and shined light on a new way to view and find power over your addiction.Her unique transformations from addiction to freedom are written in terms that I had no problem understanding and working into my life, she has written this book from a layman's perspective and made it so simple and uplifting.If you are in need of a book that will help you live your life free from addiction without beating yourself up through the ups and downs of the process, this is the one.
... Read more

Product Description
This book asks and reviews the vicious stages of cocainedependency?Answers to many probing questions are given from anAfrican frame of reference. ... Read more

Product Description
Find fresh perspectives on the treatment of addictions and effective methods for helping recovering alcohol and drug abusers in this valuable book!

Addiction in Human Development provides practical strategies based on theories of human development for working with clients recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction. An understanding of these theories will help therapists and addictions counselors recognize stages of recovery and better select appropriate interventions for every phase of treatment of addicted clients.

Addiction in Human Development shows how a developmental perspective is particularly appropriate to the treatment of alcohol and substance abusers and the patterns involved in their addiction. Disruptions in clients’childhood or adolescent development, stemming from their own or a parent’s drug abuse, can influence their present recovery process. This informative book also describes the developmental course of addiction and provides tools designed to interrupt addictive patterns. In addition, stages in the developmental process of recovery are identified to help therapists select appropriate interventions.

Some of the topics related to human development and addiction covered in this insightful volume include developmental deficits and developmental arrest in recovering clients, delayed reactions to sexual abuse and other childhood trauma, stages in recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction, developmental issues in the professional’s own life, and multi-problem families with a multigenerational history of substance abuse. Applying these developmental strategies to work with addicted individuals will significantly improve communication and rapport between helping professionals and recovering addicts and lead to more success in alcohol and drug addiction therapy. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book leading experts in the field of addictions report on key aspects of addictive disorders. They focus particularly on relapse, the long-term course of addiction to drugs or alcohol, and interventions to prevent relapse and promote recovery. A critical and highly complex public health problem, addiction is seen today as having biological, psychological, social, and cultural aspects. This important volume brings together the major perspectives on addiction, treatment, and recovery along with the current findings of clinical and scientific research. The contributors explore a wide range of topics, including craving and emotional factors in relapse, pharmacotherapies, adolescent treatment, outcome research and treatment careers, clients in the criminal justice system, the self-help movement, and such health services issues as managed care and linkages to other systems. For those working with addicted patients and those making policy decisions that affect treatment and its availability, this book is an essential reference. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

All of the lights change colors: Relapse and Recovery
In the detective novel the LONG GOODBYE, by Raymond Chandler, his hard-boiled detective, Philip Marlowe describes recovery from alcoholism as the lights changing colors and drinking friends become less fun and that the process takes 3 years.Raymond Chandler, who had personal experience with alcoholism, had great insight into the processes of relapse and recovery and he would have loved the subject of this review, RELAPSE AND RECOVERY IN ADDICTIONS edited by Frank M. Tims, Carl G. Leukefeld and Jerome J.Platt.Chandler appreciated the truth and RELAPSE AND RECOVERY IN ADDITIONS tells the truth about relapse and recovery. The book is a well balanced and comprehensive volume that sums up the contemporary research on relapse and recovery. As workers in the addictions are aware, the processes of relapse and recovery are complex and multi-determined. Similarly, RELAPSE AND RECOVERY IN ADDICTIONS appreciates the complexity of the task and covers the biological, psychological, social and cultural approaches to understanding,predicting and treating relapse and recovery in addictions. This book is no misguided attempt to seek simple but incorrect solutions but rather a realistic appreciation of the very complex conundrum that is treating addictions. The book provides a clear conceptual framework for understanding relapse and recovery, reviews the extant research on recovery and relapse and also describes the current status of the search for effective interventions. The volume is really quite eclectic in the range and depth of topics addressed, most likely reflecting the good judgment, wide knowledge and very even-handed approach of the editors to scientific findings.Interestingly, the authors who have contributed chapters are leading researchers in the field of addictions and the author list includes such addictions superstars as Robert L. Hubbard, M. Dougles Anglin, George DeLeon, Richard Schottenfeld, Harvey Siegal, Barry S. Brown, Patrick M. Flynn, Thomas R. Kosten and D. Dwayne Simpson, among a number of others.In closing, this book is an exceptional work and is destined to be seen as a contemporary classic and an essential reference for information on relapse and recovery. No serious student or researcher in the addictions should be without this book. I am sure that Raymond Chandler would have purchased a copy and perhaps reading the book would
have helped allow his lights to have changed colors a little quicker. ... Read more

Product Description
The annual literary awards were established to honor writers who self-published or had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, University press, or independent book publisher geared for the North American reading audience.

Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting! , written by Robert W. Boich, and published by iUniverse has been named the 2009 Great Lakes Regional Winner; as well as the 2009 Reviewers Choice Award for the Best Regional Book of the Year.

Making a resolution to address an alcohol or substance abuse issue is only the beginning. The real work begins when the alcoholic or addict acknowledges that something has to be done. In Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting! author Robert Boich details his battle with substance abuse and his decision to lead a sober lifestyle. He realized if he didn't change his life, he would be incarcerated or die all alone.

In this compelling, personal narrative, Boich shares his personal struggles and insights encountered during his first six months of recovery. A counselor once told him, "An addict only has to change one thing: everything." Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting! describes the many changes Boich made in his life. More than just eliminating certain people and places from a daily routine, he illustrates how a successful recovery requires a brand-new approach in dealing with life.

Blending personal thoughts with helpful information, Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting! discusses the ideas and tools used in an addict's early recovery. It shows that sobriety is much more than mere abstinence and that alcohol and drug use is a sign of deep personal problems that only true sobriety can address. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Chrissy's World Of Books - Book Review
I wanted to read how Robert Boich survived his journey to become sober. I grew up in an alcoholic home so I really wanted to read this book. I thought this book was going to be just for those with the problem. However I found this is also for anyone who has had to deal with someone with the addictions. This book has helped me understand the addiction better.

I was amazed at his honesty in this book. I thought it was going to be all technical this is what you need to do, here's where y...more I wanted to read how Robert Boich survived his journey to become sober. I grew up in an alcoholic home so I really wanted to read this book. I thought this book was going to be just for those with the problem. However I found this is also for anyone who has had to deal with someone with the addictions. This book has helped me understand the addiction better.

I was amazed at his honesty in this book. I thought it was going to be all technical this is what you need to do, here's where you need to go for treatment, get treated and all better now. It wasn't he really put his heart and soul into this book and you can really tell he so desperately wanted to change. I would say he went threw hell and back to stay sober. This book takes us threw his journey.

If I could tell Robert one thing it would simply be.... Good For You. He said in this book that he wouldn't know what to say when people would compliment him on how hes doing, that he would say its just my job, my job in staying sober... or something like that I couldn't find the page again when I wanted to quote that but I thought that was a great response. Even though I have never met Robert I am proud of him. It is so easy to pick up a drink but Putting it back down again and walking away is the hardest thing to do.

I have to admit that I chose to review this book out of my own hope that I could find something that would convince my dad that he could accomplish what Robert did. I know he would have to want to chance for something to happen and I know my dad never will make that choice but I hope someone out there who reads this will make that choice.

Almost 2 years ago I was called and had to go to Dallas because my dad was in a coma and on life support due to his drinking with a less than 50% chance of recovering. He did recover and was released from the hospital but he had been there for sometime. You would of thought he would of got the message then but NO... I learned shortly after receiving this book to review that he had begun drinking again.

I had always wished my dad would sober up & come to the conclusion that his kids were important and that we mattered enough for him to quite. I am 40 years old now so I have learned to deal with the fact that my dad will die an alcoholic like his father before him.

*I received a complementary copy of Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting! for review. This was provided to me by the Author Robert Boich threw Pump up your book. Receiving a complementary copy of this book doesn't obligate me to give a good or bad review. I am an honest reviewer. My Reviews are written by me based on my own opinion

Extraordinary journey
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (10/09)

As a Psychologist and former substance abuse counselor, I have witnessed many attempting recovery from drugs and alcohol. Many succeed but many do not, which I feel comes from their viewpoint "If I just cut back or control it, I am okay." Robert Bolch was one of the latter. His personal journey from using to attempting recovery and finally "getting it" was not an easy one as readers will find through his narratives and notes from his journaling.Not only did he have problem with substances, his wife did as well. She chose to go to a rehabilitation program in California and Robert chose to do it on his own by going to Europe.

By traveling to Europe he thought he would be away from the distraction of substances, however, he took drugs with him. "Might as well use it all up, no sense letting it go to waste," was his stance, a common thought for many addicted to substances.

The author takes us through his nightmare and successes by addressing honesty, resentment and humility just to name a few. He does state several times that he is not telling readers how to become recovered, but he is telling what worked for him. I liked his honesty and ability to admit weaknesses during this process and letting readers know that abstinence is not sobriety, regardless of drug of choice. Journaling is very therapeutic and it is very hard to read after you have written your thoughts.

This is a journey of change from the inside. Robert, as many of us, always needs to take a self-inventory frequently. It is not an easy thing to do, but is a necessity. "Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting!" by Robert Bolch certainly is a book that I will recommend to my college Psychology students as it gives an honest point of view on recovery.

Graceful Chronicle of Interdependent Recovery
Robert Boich's "Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting! A Bridge from Addiction to Early Recovery" chronicals the author's decision to stop using drugs and alcohol for his family, and unique way of beginning his recovery: one last solo blast to Amsterdam.Going well beyond the usual therapy-talk and twelve-step substitute for chemical dependence, Boich's book reveals a personal path to interdependent recovery through the love of family, friends, and intensive out patient treatment.
This entertaining little biography shows everyone's ability to mend their own ways, if they can accept a little grace. ... Read more

Product Description
A Taoist guide to recovery from addiction teaches readers how to employ the Twelve Step program to let go, control desire, find acceptance, learn to trust, find hope in a the world, and more. ... Read more

Product Description
An eleven-year-old boy strangled an elderly woman for the equivalent of five dollars in 2007, then buried her body under a thin layer of sand. He told the police that he needed the money to play online videogames. Just a month later, an eight-year-old Norwegian boy saved his younger sister's life by threatening an attacking moose and then feigning death when the moose attacked him--skills he said he learned while playing World of Warcraft. As these two instances show, videogames affect the minds, bodies, and lives of millions of gamers, negatively and positively. This book approaches videogame addiction from a cross-disciplinary perspective, bridging the divide between liberal arts academics and clinical researchers. The topic of addiction is examined neutrally, using accepted research in neuroscience, media studies, and developmental psychology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Thought provoking
As a lifelong gamer who has, at times, played more than I should have, I could relate somewhat to the scenarios in the book.Nevertheless the authors did a good job of presenting an unbiased look at gaming, and how like many activities we choose to engage it, it can be unhealthy if not moderated.

Truly captures the world of someone who plays excessively, and what to do about it.
Finally a book about video game addiction that is not just about statistics and research, but from the minds of those who realized that they have played a little more than they have liked.With their motivation to find out why, I found the books relevance to the subject to be that much more heartfelt; with data to support that yes you can show all the signs of someone who is addicted, but not condemn game playing.I never felt like I was being lectured to, but given the facts to how to handle excessive game play and prevent it in children before it can become a problem. ... Read more

Product Description
For the more than 27 million Americans currently battling an addiction, recognizing the problem and seeking treatment is a tremendous challenge. This guide helps addicts and their families understand the nature of the disease so they can get the help they need. Because so many suffer from overlapping addictions, this book addresses a wide range of addictions including alcohol, prescription drugs, food, sex, gambling, shopping, and smoking. Readers will learn how to identify symptoms and causes, overcome social obstacles, decide on the right treatment program, avoid relapse, and more. With this book by their side, addicts will come to understand themselves and how to treat their addiction so they can live happy, healthy, substance-free lives! ... Read more