sfgirl

So there have been a lot of debate threads lately about disease vs. not a disease, moderate vs. abstinence, and so on. I wanted to start a thread where people could offer up the places that they have found to be the most helpful for doing research or just general reading on alcoholism and recovery because for some people (me) information can seem really supportive and maybe it will bolster the quality of some of these debates . But also I do think that at some point in a lot of people's recovery they come to a place where they want to know more and I would love to know of other people's resources as well as share some of my own. Personally, I have done most of my "research" by reading and I am not going to list the books here because I have listed them or they have been listed by others many times. But some other ideas for looking up stuff and learning more:

1. The NIAAA has tons of research on their site that you can access, fun graphs and all for those who like to be nerds. Welcome to NIAAA

2. My local library, the San Francisco Public Library system allows me to access tons of electronic databases from home for free with my library card number. This means I can get into lots of peer reviewed scientific journals through databases like JSTOR or read magazine articles from over the years from various publications both mainstream and specialized. It is quite fun, you might want to check out if your library system has a similar system.

3. Along with all the electronic databases my library card also allows me to access the NetLibrary which has quite a few books that I can "check out" (read online) for free about alcoholism and recovery. Google Books also sometimes has some cool stuff you can find. For example, Sober for Good the book I always recommend has a limited preview on their which is actually about 70-80 pages long or about 1/4-1/3 of the book.

4. There are a lot of drug/alcohol programs at the local junior colleges around here. You can pursue it either just to learn something or here there is a track to get certified to be a counselor. I am not sure about other places but here it is $20/unit so works out to $60/semester per class. It is worth checking out. I am taking a drawing class right now at City College here and am sort of obsessed even though I can't actually draw.

If you guys couldn't tell I can totally "dork out" which is probably why being alone often in early sobriety has been easier rather than harder. I haven't done that much reading on the internet about alcoholism. I would love to know about some good websites I can check out.

Astro

Everything I've Learned, I Learned In The Rooms Of AA. Sounds like it should be the name of a book, huh?

I've also learned alot on SR, from other AA'ers, from the literature I pick up and devour at used book stores, from talking to people in all stages of recovery, newcomers and oldtimers alike. I also get a lot of useful info at Hazelden -- Drug rehab alcohol addiction treatment .

Then there's Alcoholics Anonymous Unofficial Big Book Search and The History of Alcoholics Anonymous .

The resources for learning about recovery are endless, I'm glad to see other people reaching out for them.