Addictions Books

Raw and moving, this book was so inciteful into the inner workings of the minds of many whom have travelled the path of drug addiction & crime. It gives a better understanding of the disease and gives very useful information in how to become accountable for your own destiny- it lets the reader know THERE ARE LIFE CHOICES- its never too late- look to GOD!AWESOME..I cannot say enough. Every young male especially should read this.

BEVERLY TILLMAN- BRENTWOOD NY

This was a powerful and encouraging book. Readers will not want to put this one down! The author takes us on a journey from blissful childhood innocence through the moral corruption, suffering and confusion that ultimately results from drug abuse, and finally to redemption. I was both touched emotionally and intellectually enlightened.

This was a really great book. It was very infomative, and exciting. It really helped me out while writing my term paper on drug addiction. If you would like to read an informative, as well as an exciting and intriguing book, this is the book for you!

When people grow up with spiritual abuse, they woould definately benefit from this book.

Faith That Hurts, FaithThat Heals is an excellent guidebook to
understanding what healthy faith is and is not.

So many books of this type seek to destroy or eliminate the
element of faith in a person's life or they are, in fact, taking
aim at one or more specific "ministries." Arterburn and Felton offer a view of religion that is liberating without insisting on unbelief. They encourage the reader to use the sense God gave
them to compare the gospel message to what they are experiencing
in a church, fellowship, friendship, class, or marriage and family situation. They encourage the reader to question and reason. Jesus always questioned and always reasoned and never
accepted that he should accept whatever was preached just because
someone said he should. In the spirit of Christ, these men encourage the reader to "come, let us reason."

The authors address the claims of popular religion and encourage
the believer to understand that "grace is free but it ain't cheap." They also warn of the dangers of religious addiction and
how easy it is to focus on religion while avoiding what are the
real issues of a person's life.

While all these issues and more are addressed, the good news of the book is that a person can recover from harmful addictive
behaviors and become a healthy person with a healthy faith.

_Faith that Hurts, Faith that Heals_ should be required reading
for every believer.

Donna Reagan at Warden Memorial Library

This book provides tremendous insight into an addiction: addiction to religion. Particularly helpful is the description of the structure of addictive religious groups. Read this book for a glimpse into the world of angry and power-grabbing religious leaders, steeped in denial; their hurting and victimized followers...and the ensuing results. The similarity between the illustrations in the book, and actual situations commonly found today will be clear. Not for the queasy or timid reader. This book will help you to clarify the distinction between faith and addiction. Challenging, informative, and highly recommended. For those who have been trapped in a destructive religious group of any kind, including an abusive church, this book will facilitate understanding and healing.

I'm a recovered drug addict that went through 12-step programs and feel that without them, I would still be drunk and high on cocaine. I'm also an author and someone that did not continue to go to AA meetings, nor am I convinced that I had a physical disease and that one drink would take me back to where I was when I got there.

All that having been said, this is a solid and proven discussion about 4th-step work. The fourth step -- the one that tells the person doing the steps to perform a "Searching and fearless moral inventory of themselves" is truly on of the four 'critical' steps in the collection of 12. There are a lot of people who could stand to do a moral inventory that don't drink, don't do drugs, and have never been arrested. They could still use this book.

I was really into this booklet. I did all it said and got a lot out of it. I go back to it daily to read alot. I am looking for the next one. ??? the Fifth step guide. do you have any suggestion? Journey into growth........what a one day at a time that is.......thanks, sandy,

First things first:

Another reviewer of this book, the "drug addict author" should figure out which disease he's got and then treat it. Meanwhile, if he's going to continue his writing career, he might consider finding out what the word "clarity" means and then spend some time moving in that direction.

That reviewer declares himself a "drug addict" and then goes on to say that he does not consider himself to be someone with a physical disease, which may or may not be consistent with drug addiction, but is definately NOT consistent with alcoholism. Then he refers to "not believing one drink will take him back where he was," which again may or may not be consistent with drug addiction, but is absolutely NOT consistent with alcoholism.

And finally he references having attended AA meetings, which is, in a rather confusing turnaround for him, absolutely consistent with treating alcoholism, but is NOT consistent with treating pure drug addiction. That's what NA is for. I can't tell whether he's a confused drug addict or an alcoholic in denial. He's surely one of the two.

For those of you in recovery, I invite you to take it from someone who has broad experience, strength and hope to share in this field, and suggest that you seek the advice and counsel of AA for alcoholics, NA for drug addicts, and forget you ever read that other review. If you're both alcoholic and an addict, it might be a good idea to simply declare yourself one or the other, get actively in that fellowship and then work with a sponsor who'll help you with both issues for a year or so. At that point in your recovery you can decide for yourself what's best.

I'm not an authority however; there will be differing opinions. A smart guy once told me that just because a bear chases someone up a tree, that does not make that person an authority on either bears or trees. Pray and wait and then do what feels right to you. Having said that, allow me to address the disease of alcoholism.

Alcoholism is a fatal, progressive, incurable illness of the mind, BODY and spirit. We are told this by Alcoholics Anonymous, the single fellowship in the history of the world that has sobered up millions of alcoholics and inspired scores of similar programs for (perhaps) not-so-similar maladies. If you are alcoholic, you ignore their wisdom at your peril.

An alcoholic's BODY is alcoholic; probably always was, and surely always will be. Once a pickle, never again a cucumber, that's for sure. And no amount of new information, or shiny new approach to booze can ever change that. There is no spot on the planet upon which an alcoholic body can stand where will NOT be alcoholic, nor any point in the future in which an alcholic body will CEASE to be alcoholic.

I know there are tons of people out there trying to be the exception to The Rule, and that they're looking for offhand comments by foolish or ignorant people in order to help justify that choice. I know lots of those folks. I've buried some of them. I've watched many lose their homes and marriages and freedom and health and dignity and anything that was ever good or sweet.

For those folks looking for long-term sobriety, I would go to the experts and do as they suggest. You may be able to do this thing on your own for a while, even a long while, but an alcoholic mind is patient. It knows that FOREVER IS A LONG TIME, and it'll wait you out; trust me on that.

About this Hazelden guide. It's very helpful in yanking some of the mystery out of the Fourth Step. It's not Conference-approved, but I highly recommend it anyway. I'm delighted to find it available on Amazon.

Good luck.

A medical doctor recommended that I (a statistician) use generalized additive models on a project that he was involved with. We were pleased with the results of the modelling as they gave us some new insights on his topic and it was very rewarding

Because we were so impressed with the results, we both took the above book out of the library to read. I started the book with some trepidation as I feared it was going to be a complex topic and in some respects I was right. However, right from the encouraging quotes in the preface and into the text itself, I felt the authors were making a great effort to make the book readable.

The medico found that the explanations and examples were well written. His comment was that even a non-statistician could grasp what was going on but that there was enough theory that a statistician would be happy too!

Believe it or not this important topic in applied statistics was developed by Hastie and Tibshirani when they were graduate students, a sure sign of greatness to come. After their graduation this highly acclaimed book came out explaining both the theory and pratice of generalized additive models in a clear and concise way. Generalized additive models are similar to generalized linear models in their additive structure but the form of the additive functions is much more general.
Both Hastie and Tibshirani are now Stanford professors in the Statistics Department and both have written other excellent books including their joint publication with Jerry Friedman "The Elements of Statistical Learning" and Tibshirani along with Efron wrote an excellent monograph on bootstrap.

Believe it or not this important topic in applied statistics was developed by Hastie and Tibshirani when they were graduate students, a sure sign of greatness to come. After their graduation this highly acclaimed book came out explaining both the theory and pratice of generalized additive models in a clear and concise way. Generalized additive models are similar to generalized linear models in their additive structure but the form of the additive functions is much more general.

Both Hastie and Tibshirani are now Stanford professors in the Statistics Department and both have written other excellent books including their joint publication with Jerry Friedman "The Elements of Statistical Learning" and Tibshirani along with Efron wrote an excellent monograph on bootstrap.

AAs seem to crave "meditation" books, "reflection" books, devotional "guide books," and the like. Consequently, there are hundreds of books, pamphlets, and guides published in the last couple of decades. Yet there has been none suited to the AAs' taste for what the founders did. Dick set about gathering the precise books--like the Upper Room, The Runner's Bible, The Greatest Thing in The World, As a Man Thinketh, The Soul's Sincere Desire, My Utmost for His Highest, and many others--that were used by the pioneers. In fact, their quiet times were a must. They were required. And Bill Wilson remarked that he always felt something was lost in the program when the quiet time periods were abandoned. Well, they are not abandoned now. This book has been used by many of my friends as a real assist in their fellowship with God. It describes what a real quiet time was. It tells who did what, how, and why. And it provides an excellent resource for those who set aside time each day to read their Bibles, pray to God, ask the Creator's guidance, and study further.

A Key Work on Morning Meditation and Prayer
Early on, Dick B. discovered that there were plenty of meditation and prayer books, but practically none that showed what early AAs were doing with their Quiet Times. This is an excellent help to me in following the sequence of 'meditation' events: a new birth, Bible study, prayer, seeking God's guidance, studying a devotional like The Upper Room, The Runner's Bible, and My Utmost for His Highest. It's actually a guide in my own daily prayer life, and can be for anyone who wants to be in touch with God each day - just as AA pioneers were

Also recommended: The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous by Dick B. New Light on Alcoholism by Dick B. That Amazing Grace by Dick B.

Those of us who observe a morning quiet time (that means Bible study, prayer, thanks to God, asking for His guidance, and sometimes the use of collateral materials)welcome this nifty review of quiet time and the morning watch through the ages. It shows the real biblical roots of morning prayer and "meditation" and provides an excellent guide, not only as to what early AAs did, but what we can do today. It is a guide for morning watch and also for seeking God's help throughout the day, followed by a hefty vote of thanks to Him at night.

As a clinician, group facilitator and human being, I find grief and loss difficult but essential to address.Fran Zamore and Ester Leutenberg provide activities and worksheets that help clients recognize the initial shock, face the reality of loss and rebuild a satisfying, but different life, "The New Normal". Clients are encouraged to experience grief in their own unique ways. The book is a "must" for clinicians: as a resource regarding grief and loss; to use with individuals/families; to promote introspection and interaction among bereavement group members.Homework assignments, "Mourners' Rights, beautiful prose, poetry, quotes in the "Readings" Section, and references for facilitators and participants lead us through the journey to recovery.

This manual is clearly written, well-thought out and a first-rate source of worksheets for grief counselors and other clinicians. I've used some of them and find clients respond well to the format(s) and content. A terrific way to avoid reinventing the wheel! Barbara F. LISW, IMFT

GriefWork: Healing from Loss is a resource that offers helpful information for professionals who offer grief and bereavement counseling and support. Authors Fran Zamore and Ester Leutenberg use their professional and personal knowledge to help therapists, group leaders and grief counselors help grieving people heal from their losses.
Anyone who reads this important, valuable resource will undoubtedly come out all the more empathetic, understanding and supportive to the grief-stricken.

If you had asked me a few years ago about Henrietta B. Seiberling of Akron, Ohio, I would have drawn a complete blank. I hadn't heard of the famous Seiberling rubber tycoons. I hadn't heard of Congressman John Seiberling. I hadn't been to Akron and seen the street name Seiberling. And I certainly didn't know about Henrietta. Yet she lived in the Gate Lodge at the foot of the huge Seiberling estate--the largest in Ohio. She lived there and raised her three kids alone. She persuaded Dr. Bob of A.A. to turn to prayer for help. She responded immediately when help arrived in the form of the "rum hound from New York" who said he was with the "Oxford Group." And she went to great effort to introduce the still-drinking and drunk Dr. Bob to Bill Wilson at her home. Six hours later, the two founders had hit it off. She put Bill Wilson up at the Portage Country Club, and then Bill went to live with Dr. Bob and his wife in the summer of 1935. From that point forward, Henrietta taught, counseled, loved and helped the early AAs and their Christian Fellowship. And this new book by Dick tells details I had never heard before; and they are a rich part of the early A.A. legacy of healing and victory. It's a fine piece of reading. Try it.

Henrietta Seiberling has been vilified in recent AA-related biographies as a sort of cancer to AA's history. One writer (Francis Hartigan) suggests that Seiberling was jealous of Bill Wilson because Bill "succeeded where she had failed." Others have relegated her legacy to being nothing more than a door greeter, the woman who "happened" to bring together Bill and Dr. Bob Smith. It seems that anyone who spoke out against certain facets of Bill W.'s style has been thrown under the revisionist bus. [Any doubts? Reference Clarence Snyder, Father Ralph Pfau, Jerome Ellison, and Hank Parkhurst.]

"Henrietta B. Seiberling: Ohio's Lady with a Cause" is a gem. Presented at the dedication of the opening of the Stan Hywet Hall's Gate Lodge, Henrietta's residence, this syllabus blends the efforts of Seiberling the teacher, supporter, and believer with the Akron laboratory as led by Dr. Bob. Henrietta was one of several non-alcoholic friends of early AA who were so vital to the movement's infancy. She helped with the first program's spritual structure and understanding. She counseled the alcoholics and helped them look to the cure: God Almighty. And she was weary of AA's eventual transformation into what she termed a "rotary club" conglomerate. Henrietta knew what worked for the early AAs. She was more than simply a witness to the successes of the Akron "alcoholic squad."

This work covers the main ingredients of the Akron legacy of Alcoholics Anonymous and adds key information as to the real Seiberling role. [Dare I say it, Dick's found a real niche with the syllabus format.] It is amazing to see the true picture develop when all agendas are swept aside. If nothing else, the reader will come away with the understanding that Henrietta was by no means a failure with Dr. Bob. Without her aid, we may not be studying the Alcoholics Anonymous story today. That fact in itself warrants a look into this intriguing piece of history.

-Richard K.
Author, Researcher
Haverhill, MA
February 2005

This little book (which is now the 4th edition)is one of the later additions by author Dick B. to the family of Akron A.A. founders about whom he has written. And it almost seemed as if Henrietta Seiberling had slipped through the cracks since you rarely if ever hear her name mentioned or hear anything about her A.A. role in fellowship meetings. Yet she played such an important part in getting our society under way. She had befriended Dr. Bob and his wife Anne. She had her own problems and knew what the Smiths were going through because of Dr. Bob's drinking situation. When the Oxford Group came to Akron in 1933 to attest to Russell Firestone's conversion and release from alcoholism, Henrietta jumped at the chance to hear the story. She persuaded Dr. Bob's wife Anne and two other ladies to go to the big meeting at the Mayflower Hotel. Hearing the deliverance that was available through Christ, she urged Anne and soon Dr. Bob to attend an Oxford Group meeting regularly. And soon Henrietta, Bob, Anne, and Oxford Groupers T. Henry Williams decided to form a "rump" meeting and hold it at the Williams home. It was unlike the Oxford Group meetings in several ways and certainly because it was a little group of OG people, alcoholics, and families who were meeting primarily to overcome their problems, and soon Dr. Bob's drinking problem. It was Henrietta's revelation from God that impelled her to caution Bob that God had told her by revelation that Bob must not take one drink. But Dr. Bob continued to drink--because he wanted to. Then Henrietta convened a special meeting to deal with Dr. Bob specifically. At the conclusion when Bob had admitted to his alcoholism, she asked him if he would like to join the group in prayer. And, on their knees, they prayed with Dr. Bob for his deliverance. Yet he continued to drink--because he wanted to. And then the miracle happened. Out of the blue, Henrietta received a call from Bill Wilson, an alcoholic and Oxford Grouper, who announced that he needed to talk to a drunk. Understanding the "pass it on" principle of witnessing, Henrietta exclaimed that Bill was "Manna from heaven." He was, to her, the real answer to the group's prayers. And she quickly brought Bob and Bill together at her Gate Lodge home. The men talked for six hours, hit it off well, and decided to start helping drunks. And this, of course, was not an Oxford Group agenda item; so they called the Akron meetings a "clandestine lodge" of the Oxford Group. Henrietta continued to particpate in leading the weekly meetings during the summer of 1935 and long thereafter. She counseled Bob and Bill in Bible matters. And she helped distribute biblical literature that Dr. Bob was reading and recommended. And it was the little band of three (Bob, Anne, and Henrietta)who, along with T. Henry and his wife, developed the program that worked. And they kept at it until Wilson and Smith counted 40 people who were maintaining complete sobriety and that they had developed a cure which could be passed along to others. I love the book, and I love Henrietta's special role as a non-alcoholic woman of compassion and love who helped to found our great society.

Dr. Phelps makes such a brilliant and provocative case for the biochemistry of addiction. You either have the "bad" genes or you don't. It removes the stigma of alcoholism etc. and brings the issue down to understanding your biochemistry and managing it appropriately. Although I don't smoke, drink or use drugs, I discovered through the questionnaire that I am a High Addictor (based on family patterns of addiction). Sure enough, when I removed seemingly harmless foods from my diet, (sugar, white rice, white flour, caffeine), my focus sharpened dramatically, I lost over 15 pounds, and my emotional mood swings stopped. I managed to maintain this "eatting program" for over a year. Regrettably, I fell back during the Holidays and have yet to fully re-establish the discipline that made me feel so MUCH BETTER! You'll be glad you read this book, and like me you will recommend it to countless people. A companion book that has a similar content, though for weight loss is Mastering the Zone by Barry Sears, Ph. D. Good luck! Linda Schiller-Hanna

the outstanding book here is a must for every person who is addicted to:caffeine,nicotine,alcohol, sugar,marijuana,antidepresants,sleeping ppills, and much more. this book is dealing with a true self expirience alcohol addict that beat it with her wisdom as a m.d. who also backed it up with orthomolecular-nutrition method that described in details in this book in every specific addiction you may have. the psycological aspects of the addiction is also described very wisely in this book, and the book is written in a very easy to follow and in organised way. i must add that from my expirience i can tell you (the reader)that i treated alcohol,caffeine,nicotine,sugar,and sleeping pills in almost exactly the same way as the author of this book did. this book is very relevant in his knoledge and strategies, and practically, i do recommand it with all my heart to every addict,physician, and the lay person.the only addiction that this book didn't help is the addiction to that book. buy this book today!.

I have treated over 15,000 addictive patients with the program in this book. After 15 years the book is still as valulable as the day it was published by Little, Brown, INC. I created the qustionaire and score sheet to help interested people to learn about Genetic Addictiveness and to determine if they indeed are addictive. The self-treatment program was drawn from standard Medicine and Holistic Medicine over many years in my practice. This plan enabled me to get sober and become physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually free! It works much better than any other method I have ever seen. This program is approximately 60% to 70% successful "long term"---far beyond the 3% to 10% of in-patient treatament centers. It is a self-motivated plan with strong support from Mega-Doses of Vitamin and mineral and herbal supplements, as well as many support activities. I am available for consultation by phone or mail (below) or E-mail KayleeK@micron.net

Freimuth does an extraordinary job of speaking to both the inexperienced individual with an interest in learning more about addiction and the seasoned professional who treats addiction regularly. The prose is rich and informative, yet easy to read and entertaining. For those who would like to learn more about addiction, this book will teach you. For those who already know about addiction, this book will fill in gaps and answer questions you didn't even know you had. I recommend it to clients who would like to learn more about addiction as well as colleagues who work in addiction treatment.

The book is enjoyable, thoughtful, informative, and offers an array of clinical examples. Dr. Freimuth does a nice job of addressing varying theoretical perspectives, diagnostic and clinical ambiguities, and therapeutic process/relationship factors. The information provided is helpful in developing case conceptualizations and considering various treatment interventions.

Kudos to the author for this wonderful clinical resource.

"This book is as academic as a serious textbook needs to be
but it is also very readable, practical and persuasive. Its
purpose is to help professionals and graduate students
who work in the mental health field to uncover and deal
with those addictive behaviours that are hidden behind a
mountain of other problems....The book should move a
pre-contemplative psychotherapist
through contemplation to action with just one
bound; but why only psychotherapists? This book should
have a wider readership. Uncovering and dealing with
hidden addictions would improve the practice of most
health professionals and social workers." Quoted from Addiction,101, 2006, p.1369 Reviewer Ray Hodgson

A very genuine, thoughtful insight into the troubled world of a young girl's life. Inspirational and educational to all living with memories of childhood pain. Offers hope and resolution, while staying true to life.

This thoughtful, uplifting story of a young girl coping with the problems of living in an alcoholic home offers inspiration and encouragement to young readers who must endure similar difficulties.

This book is an invaluable tool for children with the misfortune of having an alcholol or drug addicted parent .
It gives hope and solutions for dealing with the problem.
The story is interesting and has fine characters and also some suspense and excitement. It shows tolerance and love as well.