So whats some good books to add to my libary?
A new dawn and new chapter
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Posts: 298
So whats some good books to add to my libary?
I have 7 weeks to sobriety and just ordered under the influence and will probably order the follow up to that once I'm done reading it. I even have a copy of the AA big book even though I'm not really doing the AA approach. So anybody else got a recommendation?
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Toronto, Ontario
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Rational Recovery. by Jack Trimpey
If you are a non AA'er this may be more up your alley.
I haven't read it yet but I ordered it from Amazon and it is coming next week. It is kinda a how to book. Now the alcohol is out of my system it is time to work on my recovery.
If you are a non AA'er this may be more up your alley.
I haven't read it yet but I ordered it from Amazon and it is coming next week. It is kinda a how to book. Now the alcohol is out of my system it is time to work on my recovery.
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 4,150
Anna.
How about a little synopsis of those books you are suggesting.
I am also looking to take my battle to the next level and would like to know a bit more about what they are about before I buy.
I really respect your opinion and experience.
How about a little synopsis of those books you are suggesting.
I am also looking to take my battle to the next level and would like to know a bit more about what they are about before I buy.
I really respect your opinion and experience.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 645
Originally Posted by Bard 
I have 7 weeks to sobriety and just ordered under the influence and will probably order the follow up to that once I'm done reading it. I even have a copy of the AA big book even though I'm not really doing the AA approach. So anybody else got a recommendation?
I've suggested this book before. "The Alcoholism and Addition Cure" by Chris Prentiss. He wrote this book and started his own treatment center 'Passages Addiction Cure Center in Malibu, California' after his son became hooked on heroin and alcohol. (stealing from family, all the lies, relapses, beatings by dealers and mult treatment centers)
Big controversy surrounding one of this treatment centers core beliefs-alcoholism and addiction is not a disease. He makes good arguement against this in the first few chapters of the book. Not sure that really matters anyway, although it probably upsets a lot of established entities. Like most self-help books, I think you take what works for you and leave out what doesn't. And heck, for a $15 book it has been well worth it.
Without giving it a whole lot of credit to my short lived sobriety, it has helped to give me hope and insight into my dependency and tools to use. For example:
Ch 5 'The 4 Causes Of Dependency'
Cause 1: Chemical imbalance
Cause 2: Unresolved events from the past
Cause 3: Beliefs you hold that are inconsistent with what is true
Cause 4: Inability to cope with current conditions
Google it and you can read the entire first chapter online to see if it sparks your interest.
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Location: Dancing in the Light
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Originally Posted by Fubarcdn
Anna.
How about a little synopsis of those books you are suggesting.
I am also looking to take my battle to the next level and would like to know a bit more about what they are about before I buy.
I really respect your opinion and experience.
How about a little synopsis of those books you are suggesting.
I am also looking to take my battle to the next level and would like to know a bit more about what they are about before I buy.
I really respect your opinion and experience.
"The Seat of the Soul" was the book that gave me the impetus to stop drinking. I knew I was empty and needed something in my life if I was stopping drinking. This book led me gently, to discover my soul's path in life.
"A New Earth" shows the way to get your ego out of your way, how to not attach to things in life and how to live in the moment.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 679
I'm obsessed with recovery books and probably at about 7 weeks was when I got really into them as well. If I had to say that I had a program that would be mine. I don't go to AA and in a way it gives me a wide view and many stories about sobriety, recovery, and even drunkalogues. It has given me so much to think about over the last few months. I really would be lost without my books. I'm a woman so tend to seek out some that are gender specific but here are my recommendations so far:
First before you read any other book I would read Sober for Good by Anne Fletcher. She takes a few hundred people that have been sober 5+ years and interviews them. They have made it using a variety of methods— both AA and not AA. It really is the most balanced view that I have come across, a real the program that works, is what works for you. You can check out a lot of the book (I think the first 70 pages) on Google Book Previews for free: Sober for Good: New Solutions for ... - Google Book Search. You can listen to the author on Talk of the Nation NPR here: Problem Drinking : NPR.
Memoir Genre
Drinking: A Love Story — Caroline Knapp
Amazing memoir, well written, honest, high-functioning, writer, drunk, who goes through recovery
Turnabout — Jean Kirkpatrick
Written by the woman who started Women for Sobriety, I actually am not sure I recommend this book, it is really heavy on her drinking and the worst bits of the end of her drinking which is hard to read but maybe is helpful to some people to read really rough drunkalogues
A Drinking Life — Pete Hamill
I haven't read it yet, have it on shelf, putting it down because drinking memoir by a man, supposed to be good
More Clinical
Trauma and Addiction — Tian Dayton PhD
Really liked this book, had some of the best lines I have read on addiction, some parts about psychodrama therapy I could leave, she is program director for Caron rehab, highly recommended for first chapters
I have so many more but dog is being a brat and I have to take him out so I'll come back and write down the rest of them later...
First before you read any other book I would read Sober for Good by Anne Fletcher. She takes a few hundred people that have been sober 5+ years and interviews them. They have made it using a variety of methods— both AA and not AA. It really is the most balanced view that I have come across, a real the program that works, is what works for you. You can check out a lot of the book (I think the first 70 pages) on Google Book Previews for free: Sober for Good: New Solutions for ... - Google Book Search. You can listen to the author on Talk of the Nation NPR here: Problem Drinking : NPR.
Memoir Genre
Drinking: A Love Story — Caroline Knapp
Amazing memoir, well written, honest, high-functioning, writer, drunk, who goes through recovery
Turnabout — Jean Kirkpatrick
Written by the woman who started Women for Sobriety, I actually am not sure I recommend this book, it is really heavy on her drinking and the worst bits of the end of her drinking which is hard to read but maybe is helpful to some people to read really rough drunkalogues
A Drinking Life — Pete Hamill
I haven't read it yet, have it on shelf, putting it down because drinking memoir by a man, supposed to be good
More Clinical
Trauma and Addiction — Tian Dayton PhD
Really liked this book, had some of the best lines I have read on addiction, some parts about psychodrama therapy I could leave, she is program director for Caron rehab, highly recommended for first chapters
I have so many more but dog is being a brat and I have to take him out so I'll come back and write down the rest of them later...
Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 679
Women Focused Books
Happy Hours: Alcohol in a Woman's Life - Devon Jerslid
Other author on the NPR Talk of the Nation, talks specifically about how alcohol affects women and other specific groups (women of color, married women, etc)
A Woman's Way Through the Twelve Steps by Stephanie Covington PhD
A Woman's Way Through the Twelve Steps Workbook by Stephanie Covington PhD
Really good because it fleshes out the twelve steps and changes/rewrites the language that women might have some problems with, really made me understand the twelve steps better and want to understand them better...I think that the book could be helpful to men with an open mind as well
A Place Called Self: Women, Sobriety and Radical Transformation by Stephanie Brown PhD
A Place Called Self: Workbook by Stephanie Brown PhD
I really liked this book as well, it had a great description of early recovery I even quoted it places in this site. I think this book is definitely helpful for both genders if you are a guy and willing to buy/check out a pink book with "women" on the cover I think it really is worth it. The author has written a lot of other books on addiction as well although I have yet to read anything else...
Other Books
Cool, Hip, and Sober: 88 Ways to Beat Booze and Drugs by Bill Manville
The title is stupid and the narrator is more like a crusty old sober guy who has been in AA forever and can sometimes seem way too into AA but it is in Q&A format and I really found some of his answers and wisdom from a guy who has been around the block both sober and drunk to be really interesting and helpful, quick to jump around too
Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery by Christopher Kennedy Lawford
I actually haven't read this book really but am putting it here because it is a compilation of a lot of different people's stories about getting sober which is something I always find interesting. I think it is famous people and non-famous people, so a wide range, the one person I can remember being in there is Alec Baldwin b/c I remember asking myself wait he is sober what about that whole phone message to his daughter thing, but whatever, so this one might be interesting to check out...
First Year Sobriety: When All that Changes is Everything by Guy Kettlehack
Second Year Sobriety: Getting Comfortable Now That Everything Is Different by Guy Kettlehack
Just read these in the last couple of days and highly recommend them, even if you are early on (I'm only 4.5 months), there is a year three and I might check that one out as well. Instead of listing everything it concentrates on case studies, it gives the examples of a few people and their experiences. I really liked year two which talks about people who are frustrated/bored/upset in sobriety and dealing with that sober. I found them to be honest and hopeful.
There are some other books I've read that I haven't put up here like Drew Pinksy's memoir about his rehab unit which just wasn't quite as poignant as the others, although it did have some good pages about addiction and then a great section going off on insurance companies. Basically I am addicted to Amazon.com and once I find one book I like I go through all the other books that it lists on that page that people would have bought or I go through the lists about recovery which is why I currently have a large stack of unread books on my bedside table.
What I have found really interesting about addiction books is that if you look at some of the memoirs they become bestsellers. But then when you are looking for books on addiction/recovery there really are not that many say compared to other self-help type books. I have tried to buy recovery books in real life in bookstores and the section consists of three books. It is sort of fascinating. It is like society is fascinated, drawn to addiction yet would like to completely ignore it...okay I am typing too much about nothing right now.
Should there be a sticky about books on recovery addiction? Is there one?
Happy Hours: Alcohol in a Woman's Life - Devon Jerslid
Other author on the NPR Talk of the Nation, talks specifically about how alcohol affects women and other specific groups (women of color, married women, etc)
A Woman's Way Through the Twelve Steps by Stephanie Covington PhD
A Woman's Way Through the Twelve Steps Workbook by Stephanie Covington PhD
Really good because it fleshes out the twelve steps and changes/rewrites the language that women might have some problems with, really made me understand the twelve steps better and want to understand them better...I think that the book could be helpful to men with an open mind as well
A Place Called Self: Women, Sobriety and Radical Transformation by Stephanie Brown PhD
A Place Called Self: Workbook by Stephanie Brown PhD
I really liked this book as well, it had a great description of early recovery I even quoted it places in this site. I think this book is definitely helpful for both genders if you are a guy and willing to buy/check out a pink book with "women" on the cover I think it really is worth it. The author has written a lot of other books on addiction as well although I have yet to read anything else...
Other Books
Cool, Hip, and Sober: 88 Ways to Beat Booze and Drugs by Bill Manville
The title is stupid and the narrator is more like a crusty old sober guy who has been in AA forever and can sometimes seem way too into AA but it is in Q&A format and I really found some of his answers and wisdom from a guy who has been around the block both sober and drunk to be really interesting and helpful, quick to jump around too
Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery by Christopher Kennedy Lawford
I actually haven't read this book really but am putting it here because it is a compilation of a lot of different people's stories about getting sober which is something I always find interesting. I think it is famous people and non-famous people, so a wide range, the one person I can remember being in there is Alec Baldwin b/c I remember asking myself wait he is sober what about that whole phone message to his daughter thing, but whatever, so this one might be interesting to check out...
First Year Sobriety: When All that Changes is Everything by Guy Kettlehack
Second Year Sobriety: Getting Comfortable Now That Everything Is Different by Guy Kettlehack
Just read these in the last couple of days and highly recommend them, even if you are early on (I'm only 4.5 months), there is a year three and I might check that one out as well. Instead of listing everything it concentrates on case studies, it gives the examples of a few people and their experiences. I really liked year two which talks about people who are frustrated/bored/upset in sobriety and dealing with that sober. I found them to be honest and hopeful.
There are some other books I've read that I haven't put up here like Drew Pinksy's memoir about his rehab unit which just wasn't quite as poignant as the others, although it did have some good pages about addiction and then a great section going off on insurance companies. Basically I am addicted to Amazon.com and once I find one book I like I go through all the other books that it lists on that page that people would have bought or I go through the lists about recovery which is why I currently have a large stack of unread books on my bedside table.
What I have found really interesting about addiction books is that if you look at some of the memoirs they become bestsellers. But then when you are looking for books on addiction/recovery there really are not that many say compared to other self-help type books. I have tried to buy recovery books in real life in bookstores and the section consists of three books. It is sort of fascinating. It is like society is fascinated, drawn to addiction yet would like to completely ignore it...okay I am typing too much about nothing right now.
Should there be a sticky about books on recovery addiction? Is there one?
Too far from the beach
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 387
Hi Guys,
I just bought "the alcohol and addiction cure" on ebay for about $15. I also got "under the influence" and "beyond the influence" on ebay for less than $7 each two weeks ago. Ebay is the place to go if you want these books cheap. FYI
I just bought "the alcohol and addiction cure" on ebay for about $15. I also got "under the influence" and "beyond the influence" on ebay for less than $7 each two weeks ago. Ebay is the place to go if you want these books cheap. FYI
I'm just a little unwell
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 2,219
There's a really good thread about this that KindBird started a while back, I think in the Alcoholism forum. In case there are some books listed there that haven't been mentioned here yet, I will try to find a link to it.
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 679
You can also get a lot of them cheap at Amazon.com or abebooks.com by looking under the used book section. On amazon often, especially the older ones you can find for 1 cent so basically you end up just paying the shipping which is $3.99, so ends up 4 bucks a book.
I'm just a little unwell
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 2,219
member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,433
Wheeeeee, books!!
I'm reading My Recovery: A Personal Plan for Healing by Charles Whitfield, who also wrote the (in)famous Healing the Child Within in the 90s. It's very good, the author outlines three different stages of recovery that cover all the areas that usually need attention: physical, emotions, the mind and spirituality. The stages can be applied to addiction as well as other problems, such as depression. The first two stages concentrate more on the "now", and the third stage deals with ongoing life changes - aka recovery.
Actually, I'm quite thrilled because I can relate to the author's ideas regarding the Fellowships and addiction. I have noticed that a lot of people who don't care for AA are weary of the concept of a Higher Power. That's fine and understandable but, personally, my one qualm regarding AA is the notion of alcoholism as a disease. I never managed to grasp that idea. Whitfield's third stage is heavily based on the 12 steps but he reformulates the disease thing into psychological/social/emotional aspects of addiction (traumas, childhood, self esteem, etc), always emphasizing the importance of a spiritual awakening - which is very much in tune with my own experience so far.
Another good read is The Easy Way to Stop Drinking by Allen Carr. Yes, the title is dorky and even controversial, but the content is very good. Carr basically counter-brainwashes the reader off drinking by exposing alcohol for what it really is: poison. He challenges each and every idealization a person may have taken for granted regarding booze, illusions such as "it makes me feel good" or "one drink won't harm me". That book showed me that, though not necessarily "easy", sobriety is something that I actually WANT. It sure de-romanticized drinking for me.
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