Emily2002

I did a quick search -- and may have missed a thread like this -- but sometimes having a book about alcoholism (fiction or non fiction) nearby helps me stay focused on staying sober.

I just picked up Bert Pluymen's The Thinking Person's Guide to Sobriety (non-fiction) and have found it really interesting so far.

One of my favorite novels of all time is The Tender Bar by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist JR Moehringer (actually a memoir).

Thought we could all add our favorites?

Dee74

I haven't read many actually - I did read Drinking a Love Story by Caroline Knapp and recommend that.

I've enjoyed Augusten Burroughs and James Frey (and Charles Bukowski) as more or less fictional reminders of where I've come from tho, that's true.

good thread!
D

CarolD

My all time favorite is....

"Under The Influence"
by Milam & Ketchan

It convinced me to finally quit drinking...

Hazelton published...

"God Grant Me The Laughter"

and I loved the humor.

KenL

I really liked Under the Influence. That book really taught me alot about alcoholism. However, I like Beyond the Influence even better. I have also read the book by Knapp but thought it only o.k. from a guy's point of view. There are some good movies out there as well. I really liked Leaving Las Vegas with Nicholas Cage. The Lost Weekendis also a good movie. My name is Bill W. is a good one as well but the book (Bill W.) is better. There are more that I want to see though.

desertdonna

I recently read Drunkard: A Hard-Drinking Life by Neil Steinberg. He's a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. It's a great read, with AA and some Alanon perspective. Nice, if abrupt, twist at the end.

Thanks for the thread, and other suggestions.

TryingSoHard

Dee, have you read Dry? I almost bought it the other day but didn't. Might see if the library has a copy.

I have SEVERAL books. I bought a whole pile of 'em in September and I bought about 4 more just the other day. I now own both Under the Influence and Beyond the Influence... highly recommend Under, am looking forward to reading Beyond.

Understanding the Alcoholic's Mind is the one I'm currently reading and it's really making a lot of sense to me. That's sad... sigh. But so far I'm really enjoying it.

I also bought The Small Book, Rational Recovery's version of The Big Book (I do also own The Big Book). I also own Rational Recovery and when I first read it, it truly energized me and made me feel HOPEFUL. It just CLICKED with me and it felt great. I'm hoping The Small Book will help renew that feeling.

I HIGHLY recommend Sober For Good, too. It's kind of a compilation of stories of how people quit, what worked for them, why they feel something worked or didn't work, various programs, etc. It was VERY helpful to someone like me who 1) liked AA but didn't feel quite comfortable enough to keep going back and 2) had no idea what other options were out there. Sober For Good doesn't ENDORSE any program or idea, it just tells you, "Here are 2,000 people who had drinking problems and quit. Here's how they did it, and here's how they feel it worked - or didn't work - for them." Lots of really helpful information, lots of stuff I could relate to.

Sorry this was so long.

TryingSoHard

Oh, and see my other thread about I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max. It's HILARIOUS (at least the excerpts I've read are, I haven't purchased it yet) and it 110% reinforces why I never, ever need to drink again. It's very easy to laugh at HIS drunken escapades!

TryingSoHard

Oh, I'm also curious if anyone has read The Power of Now. It's not an alcohol/recovery book, but more of a self-enlightenment thing, I think. It sounded interesting as I read the back cover and thumbed through the table of contents, but I was hoping to hear from someone who's actually read it before I purchase it.

coffeenut

Trying...Dry is very good, as well as Running With Scissors and Magical Thinking. I just ordered Sellevision last night.

I'm in the middle of Sober for Good.....it's good, but calling the participants 'masters' is bugging me, not sure why!

Also just ordered one on the first year of sobriety....can't remember the name. And one on preventing relapse....can't remember the name.....I'm really no help!

TryingSoHard

Yeah, the "masters" thing is kind of weird, but the book is good.

I saw one about the first year of sobriety and almost bought it, but ranked the others above it in preference. I literally sat down in B&N in a chair with a stack of about 10 books and flipped through them all, deciding which ones to buy and which ones to put back! LOL!

Dee74

I've ready Dry and Running with Scissors, TSH Both good reads - kinda like John Irving a little, but more warped LOL

D

TryingSoHard

I like warped.

gravity

I've read the following Eckhart Tolle books:

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

Stillness Speaks

Practicing the Power of Now: Meditations, Exercises, and Core Teachings for Living the Liberated Life


I have found them to be very helpful in enabling me to strip away all of the BS in my life and see what is truly important. I find his work to be very straightforward and it draws from various religions. I have used it for daily readings.

It can really tie into alcoholism & addiction. For example, he describes our ego to be nothing more than thoughts (which result in emotions) trying to make us feel unique. "I have to drink", "feel sorry for me", "my life is boring without alcohol", "I hate myself"...all thoughts, not reality. The ego wants to tell it's story (over & over) and obscures our true, spiritual nature. Once we realize that many of our problems are just thoughts running wild, it cuts our problems down to size.

Another book I really love is The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama. Again, very straightforward and helps cut through the BS.

Mark75

TSH - I loved Running with Scissors. Although there are important differences, my growing up was somewhat like Augusten's - I read it 2 or 3 years ago while still active, actually read it twice. It helped give my wife an idea of what it was like for me at that age, sort of.

But, my reason for posting (Hope I'm not hijacking!! - Sorry - Love your idea of a thread, will be following it!!) - Augusten's DRY was great. I read it last week, in a day.

In some ways, since I identified with him so much previously, and now, after rehab in recovery, really identifying, it's been my favorite read...

Also, I liked some of the Tolle book - A New Earth. Also, I am currently reading Moments of Clarity.

Thanx
Mark

TryingSoHard

Ok, wasn't sure where to post this but since it's about a book I'm currently reading I thought I'd put it here. I'm currently reading Understanding the Alcoholic's Mind, and I've been enjoying it. It's easy to understand and I can relate to a lot of it. I'm not very far into it yet; I haven't been putting a lot of effort into making time to read lately.

Just now I read a section that's discussing why it's so difficult for alcoholics to quit drinking and STAY quit - I think the chapter is called On and Off the Wagon. The author talks about several studies and experiments which tried negative reinforcements whenever the person consumed alcohol - in some cases EXTREMELY negative, and only when alcohol was smelled. None of them worked for any significant length of time. Then he discusses 18-month follow-up studies on alcoholics who spent a month in "intensive hospital treatment". 90% of the people had relapsed at least once by the 18-month mark.

90 per cent.

I'm starting to feel like what's the point? If all the evidence and studies and research indicates that it's a HELL of a lot more likely that I will drink again than I will stay sober... what am I fighting for? So I can be sober 10 years only to go back where I was a few months ago? The addicted part of my brain says well then why bother wasting those 10 years not drinking?

Am I fighting a losing battle? Am I destined to fail no matter how hard I try, how long I wait? The thought that this will be hanging over my head, day in, day out, every single day for the rest of my life is worse than the thought of never drinking again.

Mark75

TSH -

Did they mention recovery rates for those in AA, those who make it the first 90 days, 6 months, etc... You only mention some Pavlovian study and one study of Rehab follow up.
What other factors went into those relapse rates.

Did they post often to SR, like you, Read lots of books, like you, Have a good sense of self, like you, Clearly an insightful, interesting and wonderful mom and wife, like yourself????????

What constituted a relapse? One slip, or complete failure?

What you do will be what your experience is... 100%

Mark

Mark75

And if you went ten years, would those years be wasted? Hey, remember, one day at a time....

lulukat

Hi TSH,

It is scary to hear the statistics but when you wrote...."why waste 10 years not drinking" -- my first thoughts went to my few memories of my last binge----I KNOW that I don't want 10 more years of memories like that... The struggle with sobriety will continue but it is soooo much better than the alternative.

TryingSoHard

I haven't read the footnote section where he discloses all of those details... in the chapter he just includes basic information and then has all the back-up data in the back of the book.

But really this is what struck me:
You're right, and I thank you for pointing that out (should be obvious, I know!). It's just hard, reading about how this is such a difficult disease to deal with and how most people who try to beat it fail. Maybe I'm just in a funk today - I've got a lot on my mind.

Thank you, Mark.

Mark75

I am glad you are posting then. I can tell you are in a funk today... so post away! I am serious. I hope you'll listen when I get into my funky moods.

We are here to give each other support, and reality checks!!

Mark