GettingStronger2

As I have been going through my early recovery, I have been reading different books regarding alcoholism/addiction. I thought maybe a thread with some recommendations might be a good idea. . .may have been done before, and I apologize if it has!

Under the Influence (sticky above), is definitely a must read for an alcoholic or family member.

If you are in AA or interested in it, My Name is Bill is really good. It taught me a lot about why AA is the way it is and how the traditions came about.

I am currently reading (just started) Dry, but Augusten Burroughs, and even though I just starte dit, it is really good. I think I saw it from a post here at SR.

I have some others, but I will stop for now.

Anyone have anything good they are reading or have read?

smacked

My fave, as controversial as it seems to be is The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure by Chris Prentiss. Totally made sense to me, finally.

Boleo

Spirituality of Imperfection by Ernest Kurtz. Kurtz is a true scholar of AA history.

Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Even though it was is a semi-fictional memoir, it had a very good description of how Eastern philosophy could be applied to recovery.

Brucel

When I first got sober, I went to the Alano East in San Jose one day that was less than great, and this old dude bought me a copy of As Bill Sees It. I still have that book and refer to it today. It reminds me of that day, and how not so great it was, and how my life today is so much different and the fact that I am so Blessed. Thanks for reminding me of that. God Bless

lildawg

I'll second Dry.

I've also read Smashed: A Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas.

Leaving Las Vegas by John O'Brien (which is also a brilliant movie with Nicolas Cage) is good.

On the Run: A Mafia Childhood by Gina Hill. This book is told from the perspective of a child watching her father destroy himself (and his family) with addiction and criminal associations.

LexieCat

In addition to AA literature, I like: Sober for Good by Anne Fletcher, One Breath at a Time by Kevin Griffin, A Burning Desire by Kevin Griffin.

So far as memoirs go, I like Symptoms of Withdrawal by Christopher Lawford, and Broken by William C. Moyers. I also love Moments of Clarity by Christopher Lawford (a collection of recovery stories somewhat similar to the stories in the back of the Big Book).

Zebra1275

I read Dry a couple of weeks ago and thought it was good. It had some humor in it which also helped make it entertaining.

soberbythesea

The Easy Way to Stop Drinking, by Allen Carr was helpful to me (if you take it for what it is and not the miracle cure he seems to think it is.) I also am really enjoying Drinking: A Love Story, by Caroline Knapp, because so many of her issues seem similar to mine.

LaFemme

SBTS, I second Allen Carrs book...the Easy Way to Stop Drinking...a lot of awesome tools in there to really clarify what alcohol really is, at least IMO:-)

Also, Seven Weeks to Sobriety, the Power of the Subconcious Mind, and a book abou Meditation and addiction, but I have tp get back to you on the title:-)

NewMe11109

Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp

Wilde10

Can I suggest we say something about why we liked the books we have read?

I have really enjoyed Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp. It explains denial very very well in my opinion. It also explains well the 'addictive' behaviour, the relationship with eating disorders and dramatic lifestyle.

I did not like the very little attention paid on the recovery part in the rehab center. Too 'clean', aseptic - I could not relate to her life at all but yes to the denial part. There is a very powerful part when her mum about to die asks her to 'stop smoking'. When she wrote the book Caroline Knapp says that she interprets the message as 'stop drinking, stop the self-destruction'. It was a shock when I discovered how she died afterwards. But this is anecdotical to the book

I started Smashed, also cited above, but could not relate to it much and could not keep up. It is that kind of story that would make me believe I am not alcoholic. Basically is about binge drinking and the excess that come with it, sleeping with men you do not remember and the like.

Alen Carr said nothnig I did not know about quitting smoking so I have not tried the drinking one. Will have a look at the others mentioned here

LaFemme

Good idea Wilde!

I never read Carr's smoking book, but I read his drinking one. In many ways he did not say anything I didn't already really know, but the way he put it all together made me realize that giving up alcohol, wasn't actually giving up anything, and that I didn't need to use some superhuman willpower to give it up. I just had to stop. (more complicated than that but thats the best I can do in a blurb).

The Power of the Subconcious Mind was about the concept of the power of thoughts, if you put a negative thought out there (say "Life without Alcohol is impossible") then life without alcohol is impossible. Whereas, you put out the thought, "I am happy, fulfilled and wonderful." You will be happy fullfilled and wonderful..notice I didn't even mention alcohol in that sentence. Except on SR, I am erasing the word alcohol from my mind.

Seven Weeks to Sobriety, deals with the biochemical aspects of the disease. When I read it I had never given it any thought and it really opened my eye's to that aspect of the disease.

And the book on Meditation, was really cool, because meditation has such a huge benefit regarding addictions. Meditation teaches you to control your thoughts, which is a majorly useful tool in overcoming alcohol.

I have shied away from drinking memoirs, because I have enough drinking memories to write my own book:-)

Jamison

Passages through Recovery...An Action Plan for Preventing Replase by Terence T. Gorski

Getting Sober -A Practical Guice to Making it Throught the First 30 days by Kelly Madigan Erlandson

Oh and even though Oprah took it off her list A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

lildawg

I'd really like to know the title and author of this book if you have time to share it.

As for the books I recommended:

The four books I recommended are alcohol memoirs. I recommended them because reading them helped me "see" myself the way another person might see me. This is especially true with Leaving Las Vegas. I drank because I was committing suicide. Reading LLV helped me see how empty and pointless that way of life is.

JohnnyZ

Drunkard: A Hard-Drinking Life by Neil Steinberg.

soberbythesea

Wow Wilde, I had no idea Caroline Knapp had died until I read your post then went and looked it up; what a shock. I am about 80% done with her book. I may take a break and actually read something not drinking/sobriety related after I finish this one. A person can only absorb so much of this stuff at a time and I think 6 out of my last 7 books were on this topic...

LaFemme

SBTS, have you read Eat, Pray, Love...if not I recommend it for you next non-alcohol related book:-)

Lildawg, I've got the name of the book, but I left it in the car so it'll have to wait til tomorrow.

soberbythesea

LaFemme I keep meaning to read that. I will have to get to it eventually... right now I have SO many books unread I'm trying not to buy any more for a while

Wilde, totally agree with you about the description of Knapp's time in rehab -- I read that part last night and was so disappointed. After all that setup I felt like there wasn't much emotional payoff -- wanted to hear more about how she beat the demons she described so eloquently in the rest of the book.

lildawg

No problem. Post the title whenever you can. I'm interested because I know meditation is helpful for addicts, and I'd like to do some study on it.

Anna

In my early recovery, I needed to reconnect to my spiritual self. I knew instinctively I wouldn't make it unless I could do that.

"A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle

"The Seat of the Soul" by Gary Zukav