Alcoholism Books

A very intense story of a family's history. The author told everything, she did not hide any of the family problems. It was very hard to put this book down once I started to read it. What it was like in Alaska before any real public services were available. The depth of drinking and diseases that came with the white man. And the other social problems that existed because of no government or social structure to help the people deal with these problems.

All I can say is that it was hard to put down. I enjoyed learning about her life's experiences and her "coming of age" as a Native in the "modern" culture. Highly recommended read.

This is Velma Wallis' third book. Her previous works, "Two Old Women" and "Bird Girl & the Man Who Followed the Sun," deal with traditional stories told by the Gwich'in people of Fort Yukon. Her latest, "Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in Coming of Age Story from the Yukon River" is an autobiographical account of her growing up in Fort Yukon, Alaska. The book offers a very open and candid look inside not only the community of Fort Yukon, but also into the intimacies of her immediate and extended families.

For thousands of years, the Gwich'in people lived semi-nomadically along the Yukon, Porcupine and Black rivers until, within the course of two generations, they found themselves settled into a static community surrounded by evidence of modern day life. Wallis represents this "lost generation" caught between wanting to move forward into the modern world and yet yearning to retain the traditional ways of hunting, trapping and other forms of traditional knowledge. Through her, an outsider can see the struggle within the village and it's people as they are forced to adapt and evolve to the new ways.

The major issue that strikes the reader squarely between the eyes is the epidemic of alcoholism in Fort Yukon. It is not something that only affects the adult community, but as Wallis points out, teenagers and even children in some cases. One paragraph in particular brings the issue home:

"After days of drinking and fighting came the slow, painful task of sobering up. My mother's swollen face would gradually heal. My father's face would go blank as if nothing had happened. That was an emptiness about our cabin as in the aftermath of war - a war no one had won." (p. 107)

As a result of her parents' almost continual drunkenness, Wallis and her siblings were forced to quite literally raise themselves as best they could. Relying on their ingenuity, and each other, she and her fourteen siblings managed to make it to adulthood (a fifteenth child had been killed in a tragic accident).

"Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in coming of Age Story from the Yukon River" paints a fantastic story about growing up in bush Alaska. Descriptions of children cutting firewood, hauling water by the bucket from the river to the cabin, and even the family outhouse hold the reader's attention and keep the pages turning.

Wallis herself paints a picture of being a self-reliant, rebellious individual who, right from the start knew that she would have to take on the world on it's own terms. Somehow she managed to avoid many of the pitfalls through her own tenacity, and win. In the end, the book is obviously an attempt to deal with not only her past but that of her people as well, to begin the process of breaking away from the demons and healing the wounds of alcoholism.

I can't really say anything else. Just Thank You. My mother grew up during the "Great Depression" here in the USA. She raised several children alone. Your story is very much like hers. My oldest sister doesn't "read books" (????!) but I made her read the book jacket on this book, and she cried.

Oh the trials and tribulations we go through as human beings. And all the feelings we share. I look forward to more stories from you, and THANK YOU AGAIN, lovey. Thank you.

This story reminded me of my own growing-up years, not in Alaska, but on a reservation, nevertheless. It is a powerful book and reminds me of the strength our people have to survive, despite the odds, and interference of another culture. Velma, thanks for sharing in an honest and sensitive way, and letting us know we were not alone.

The Anonymous Disciple is for anyone struggling with an addiction of if they have a family member who is addicted. My brother has ALS and has been in AA for many many years. I taped this book for him including my laughter and my tears. He loved it and his care giver loved it. I want to thank the author for writing such a moving story of MAN.

Mary M. Shanks

Excellent book, and though it stands alone, it may be best to read after reading "Father Fred and the Twelve Steps: A Primer for Recovery" since Father Jim followed fellow Jesuit Father Fred through the doors of AA recovery.

I found this book difficult to put down, as it started by introducing some "unknown" speaker at an AA meeting (Fr Jim) through the eyes of a "newbie" third party, and and then immediately took the reader back many years to a desperate Fr Jim in a near-hopeless situation. The book takes us through his struggle in recovery, Fr Jim's work among the "disposables" (institutionalized alcoholics and addicts) and how together they became healthy, both in mind and spirit. A really inspirational true tale.

You will not regret reading this book.

I have been in recovery for many years, and have always thought that sober alcoholics (and drug addicts) have much to offer. This book, "Anonymous Disciple," is a triumph of the human spirit. There is hope for even those who are near death with their disease (addiction). The book renews my faith in God and in humanity.

My daughter gave Anonymous Disciple to me as a gift on my 12th sober birthday. Never in my life have I read a book that has had such a tremendous personal impact. This is much more than a book on recovery; it's a journey of one man's life, which was willing to be used for the benefit of others. This book will definitely create personal introspection, and cause the reader to think, "What is my commission, and how can I be used to help others?"

This was really a beautiful book about a Jesuit priest (Father Jim) getting sober. I think anyone in recovery, regardless of their religious beliefs, would be touched by it. I had so much gratitude after reading it!

This book helps to understand the dynamics of not just the dependent's role in addiction but the family as a whole, and what roles they play. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a family member struggling with any addiction or grew up in an abusive family.

This is one of the author's early, classic books. Families of alcoholics need this---and need so much information to help them deal with the craziness of living with alcoholism. I recommend this book, and "Under the Influence" by James Milam (his book so well explains the entire physiological disease of alcoholism) Under the Influence: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism . These are but two of the books that make up the still-too-little information for the tens of millions of families of alcoholics that need urgent help.

This book shares how alcoholism is a disease that penetrates the whole person and the whole family. Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse goes through the different roles that people act out in an alcholic family and how each breaks down unity and supports the addictive behavior of the alcoholic. Then, she gives practical ways this system can begin to heal and recover such trauma to the soul. Samuel Oliver, author of, What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living

Yes, there is hope and understanding. Wegscheider-Cruse gives a very detailed account of how we play out our birth roles and act them out in dysfuctional situations. Reading this book gave me the best insight of why I displayed certain behaviors. It also gave me an understanding of the roles other people play. Down right insightful! A must read.

I first read this book in 1991 for a substance abuse counseling class. It does a great job of looking at alcoholism from a family systems perspective. The text even discusses issues such as codependent/enabling counselors within the profession.

Beyond it's professional usage is the fact that from the moment I started reading the book, I felt like I was reading about my own family. Finally, someone had put words to every stupid, miserable, confused feeling I had in the family I grew up in. Yes, it is a great intro text if you're planning on becoming a substance abuse counselor. But it's an even better text if you suspect that things in your family of origin weren't so normal after all. This was the book that got me started on my journey towards recovery from codependency. Since family system problems tend find their way into non alcolic families as well, this text is applicable to all kinds of people that may have found themselves growing up in the proverbial "dysfunctional family"

This was eye opening. I am the family member of an alcoholic and this book tells the truth about addiction!

This book is written in a simple question and answer format. This helps make important information very understandable. The book covers both alcoholism and drug addiction and basically, they are the same disease since alcohol is a drug. What Dr. West makes clear is that addiction is a life long battle. Even after years of recovery, relapsing is possible. Accordingly, it is essential to attend AA meetings or NA meetings even after years of sobriety. If you learn only one thing from this book, it should be that recovery never ends and that, therefore, the alcoholic must never again have a drink and that the addict must never again try any kind of mood altering drug, regarless of whether that drug is legal or not.

In the answer to one question, Dr. West sets forth the outwardly visible symptoms of addiction. What he had to say was uncanny. I have a family member who is a recovering addict and Dr. West could have been describing him. The family member had mood swings, lowered grades and eventually nonattendance at school, different friends than he used to have, he lied, stole, and basically fit Dr. West's description perfectly. I thank God that due to therapy of the type advocated by Dr. West, my loved one is in recovery and has a new, positive attitude. Seeing this description and learning that people fitting the description can and do remain in recovery has given me hope.

I highly recommend this book. Although it was written several years ago, it is in no way dated and remains completely relevant. It is a truly essential resource for addicts and their families.

During Family week at the BFC I sat in a lecture conducted by Dr. West. It was during this informal lecture that I came to the reality that I had all of the characteristics of an alcoholic and was in need of help to save my life just as much if not more than the family member I was there for. The main item in the "Book of Answers" that made me realize this, among other things, is listed on pages 20-21. Dr. West reviewed them and realized I had most of the attributes of an alcoholic.

I've been clean and sober for over 10 years. BFC and Dr. West literally "SAVED MY LIFE". I only pray that many other lives as well as relationships can be saved and mended by reading this "Book of Answers". Thank You Betty Ford Center and Dr. West.

This book is a compendium of multiple newspaper columns written over several years. In it Dr West shares practical knowledge, insights, and compassion that is rarely seen in medical texts. As a medical oncologist I have occasion to work with many people with varying stages of alcoholism. I have found this book very helpful for practical points of view that are not seen often in medical literature. I recommend this easy to read useful book by this authoritative source to all in the healthcare profession.

A clear, easy to read but thourough treatment of substance abuse and it's effects on the victims and their families. Dr. West is able to explain many types of substance abuse, their origins and then make practical suggestions for recovery.

Consider this book if you are in a marriage/deep relationship and you are seeking to learn more about the disease of alcoholism. Perhaps you are in a 12 step program, if so, that is great. Either way, this will help you begin to understand the disease or advance your knowledge. The chapters are organized in a way that are simple and easy to read, skip around.

THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN FOR THE FAMILIES OF ALCOHOLICS AND ADDICTS. FOLLOW THIS PATH AND GET SOMEWHERE. PLAIN SPOKEN AND EASILY UNDERSTANDABLE. A HOW TO.

This book is for you:
- if you feel depressed because you emotionally can't leave
- if you have left and gone back
- if you're scared that if you leave, he'll get sober, and then you'll be sorry you left
- if you are separated and your anger has cooled down and you miss him.

This book tells EXACTLY what keeps us attracted to alcoholics; HOW to detach; HOW to make decisions about separation; what makes us keep going back to alcoholics.
This book is a God given must read for all. To read free excerpted book chapters you can visit Toby's website at GettingThemSober. It is winner of AOL's best website for families of alcoholics. The best information for families who suffer from this HORRIBLE disease is on this site.

I have been married to an alcoholic 28 years. My deceased father was an alcoholic and now my 37 yr old son is an alcoholic. After reading numerous books over the years I finally found one that made sense. This book gives practical advice to the person living with an alcoholic. I thank God for the insight provided by Toby Rice Drews! I strongly recommend this book for everyone that has been or will be involved in the life of an alcoholic!

Toby Rice Drews is in a class by herself. She is an absolute sanity saver and a restorer of health and equlibrium. I have been blessed with knowing Toby, and she is in person as she appears in all of her books--warm, gentle, loving, and a true giver. I have given her books to friends and family and they have found them indespensible. One slept at night with her Bible on the pillow next to her and Toby's books on top.

I saw your book in the bookstore a few days ago. I did not buy it right away because after reading it in the store I thought it was not for me due to my recent arrival back into AA. Your approach is radicle but after a few days I thought about it and decided to buy this book. I have been battling this disease for years now and I decided I had to give it another chance. I will apply all the tools I could find because after many attempts to stay clean, I kept returning back to the bottle. I am optimistic about this attempt to stay clean because I do like the realtity of this concept. Even though it is not oriented on a twelve-step approach it does allow the freedom for me to incoropate my current tools and enhance them with the exercises and more importantly ERP.

Thank you and keep the information coming.

This book was great. The concept is so realistic and simple but the actual sessions seem unbelievable. I would love to experience them myself. If you have any trainings. let me know, I want to tell my therapist about ERP.

Thanks,

This book was intense. I heard about it from a friend so I bought it. The idea was rightv on, the exercises so real, but the pictues and session, WOW!!!. It seems very intense but after reading more and doing more, I realized just how real ERP is. I like the idea of choices along with the concept of not being dictated by the addiction, but moreso giving the person power over their addiction. Nice concept. Thanks again for the ideas and help. I highly reccommend this book to anyone with a addiction.

I saw your book in the bookstore a few days ago. I did not buy it right away because after reading it in the store I thought it was not for me due to my recent arrival back into AA. Your approach is radicle but after a few days I thought about it and decided to buy this book. I have been battling this disease for years now and I decided I had to give it another chance. I will apply all the tools I could find because after many attempts to stay clean, I kept returning back to the bottle. I am optimistic about this attempt to stay clean because I do like the realtity of this concept. Even though it is not oriented on a twelve-step approach it does allow the freedom for me to incoropate my current tools and enhance them with the exercises and more importantly ERP.

Thank you and keep the information coming.

I had to write and tell you that I bought the book and found it very provactive. As a substance abuse counselor, the book was right on the money. It talks about the reality of the addiction and makes clients look at how their drug use encircles all aspects of their lives. Nice job! I reccommend this book to anyone working in the field who has an open mind to change. ...

Thanks You;
TM

I'm an AA. My former wife was an Al-Anon though she is now deceased. I've devoted 19 years to researching the spiritual roots of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Steps, and the early program. Making Known the Biblical History and Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous: A Sixteen-Year Research, Writing, Publishing, and Fact Dissemination Project. One of the first books I was given by an A.A. oldtimer was Lois Remembers. And I hustled out and bought two Al-Anon books. I believe all of us in the recovery movement should have the perspective of both A.A. and of Al-Anon. My former wife and her sister (both married to alcoholics) believed they never could have made it without Al-Anon. And whether we recover, reconcile, or just make amends, we need to know this family program. I also think Al-Anons and AAs need to know how much the two programs were alike at the beginning. Early A.A. in Akron dealt with families--fathers, mothers, children.Real Twelve Step Fellowship History. They all attended. Dr. Bob's wife Anne Ripley Smith dealt with the wives, and actually counseled Lois Wilson with some frequency.Anne Smith's Journal, 1933-1939: A.A.'s Principles of Success. Henrietta Seiberling was prominent in early A.A. development, and so was Clarace Williams, wife of T. Henry Williams, at whose whom the family meetings were held.Henrietta B. Seiberling: Ohio's Lady with a Cause, Third Edition. Anne Smith started a woman's group a year after A.A. was founded. And Lois herself wrote that Al-Anon people should never forget the important role that Anne played. In one sense, we are all in this together. For those of us who are believers, God is the One with whom we relate and seek to establish a relationship.By the Power of God: A Guide To Early A.A. Groups and Forming Similar Groups Today . And the Biblical principles of early A.A. were applied alike to women and family members. The Good Book and the Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible (Bridge Builders Edition), and The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook. Excellent reading. Important!

You want recovery? Work the Steps and Traditions. This is the book that will help you do it if you have been affected by someone else's drinking, thinking and/or behavior. As one other reviewer has already stated, if I could have only one Al-Anon book, this would be it. This book is truly a blessing.

If you are working the steps, this book is a great guide. It offers Insight on the steps, members Experience, Strength and Hope, and some guiding questions.

This is the basic text of the Al-Anon program, and in it you will a new freedom and a new happiness in your life. If you were raised in a home affected by alcoholism, or in a home affected by depression or co-dependency, where you were unable to form healthy boundries, then this book will help you So Much.

I love what someone said in it when they commented on the 2nd Step "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." Someone wrote, "Restore me to sanity? How about introduce me to it!" The book is filled with other such gems. Get it today...

Michael Z, author of The Wisdom of the Rooms "A Year of Weekly Reflections"

Pathways to Recovery is an excellent book for recovery from living with an Alcoholic or just help with having healthy relationships.

you were very easy for a computer novice (me) to order, pay, confirm, and deliver. thank you so much. look forward to more business with you. rosie

This book offers easily understood explanations of addiction and the relapse process. The book was offered to me through an out-patient rehabilitation program and has been an invaluable tool on countless occasions since. The book offers examples that you can apply to your own experiences. By fully understanding the cycle of addiction can the addict most successfully break the cycle. I strongly recommend this book to anyone suffering from the disease of addiction, the sober family coping with a drug addicted member, or those offering education on the subject.

This book is a great resource for understanding and working on relapse prevention. I personnally used it within my recovery as well as with clients I worked with in treatment. It includes a great overview of addiction as a disease, relapse prevention skills, post acute withdrawal syndrome, stages of recovery and much more useful and necessary information. Recommended for those in recovery from addiction and those working with the recovering population.

This is an excellent foundation to understanding the complex causes of relapse and their early indentification. It gives good information on indentification of relapse warning signs and constructive ways to abort another sprial into relapse. This book is written to supplament your 12 step program and is most useful when coupled with a relapse prevention support group that is not AA. If you can find or found a relapse group this book will be invaluable and rated 5 stars. Only relapse prone alcholic's need read this.

While I was in Inpatient Rehab I was given this book to read. It is like a bible to me now. Everything you need to know about staying clean and sober is in this book. Along with AA, sponsors, numbers, support groups, this book gives you some soild tools to stay sober. I highly suggest it!

This is the second best book that I have ever read. The first is Karen Day's next book (No Cream Puffs) coming out in May.

I happened to get into bed late the night I read Tall Tales, intending to read a bit, get a taste for the story, and put it down until the next night. Karen Day is responsible for my night of not enough sleep - I actually didn't put it down until it was finished. Tall Tales is one of those rare books that take you gently but firmly by the hand and don't let go until you reach the end. I read with trepidation and hope, waiting to see what would happen.

The beauty of this book lies in its realism. Meg and her family could be your neighbors or perhaps even your own family. Karen Day is a master of creating characters who rise from the pages and seem to have life and breath of their own. You will continue to think and wonder about them after you have closed the book. Isn't that the hallmark of a great book?!

As an adult who also reads novels for young adults, I found the book's utter lack of the cloying sentimentality which can creep into the genre so refreshing. People of any age will enjoy this story and I highly recommend it.

Kudos to Karen Day for writing such an accurate and upbeat book about a family struggling with alcoholism! Tall Tales is not preachy or showy and that's what's so brilliant about it. The power of the story lies in its understated and subtle wisdom. How challenging to write a book for middle schoolers which includes a dysfunctional family without making it "a downer". And how refreshing to see a nurturing mother trying her best without being blamed. As a child psychologist, I love how accurately Day portays the ways that Meg copes with her family's secrets. Day's hypnotic message that its OK to want more out of life and love comes through loud and clear. I hope that young teens read this book and see how empowering it can be to enlist others to find a way out of family pain.

Karen Day's TALL TALES tells of Meg, starting sixth grade in yet another new school, and determined to find a best friend. When she meets Grace she believes she's finally found that friend - but Meg has family secrets, and must invent some big lies to hide them. A moving story of what makes for friendship - and what's involved in lying - evolves.

"Tall Tales" isn't flashy. It doesn't leap off of the bookshelf and start screaming about how necessary it is for you to buy buy buy. There are no sparkles, flashy lights, or marauding dragons in evidence. It's slow. Soft. A book manages to tell its tale in a supremely careful fashion. I'll level with you here: It's good but it doesn't stick in your brain the way a gaudy Clique novel might. If you're looking for fireworks and lightshows, direct your attention elsewhere pronto. If, instead, you want a well-written title about friends, lies, and family secrets "Tall Tales" is a decent way to go. A good book.

Meg wants a friend. Badly. Desperately, you might say. When she and her family move to Lake Haven, Indiana it isn't the first move Meg's had to put up with. It's not even the second, third, or fourth. With a father that continually claims to have stopped drinking, Meg and her siblings learned long ago that having friends meant keeping them as far away from their home life as possible. Meg's gone one step further, though. She's come up with elaborate lies to fill in the unassuming or embarrassing gaps in her life. When she begins to grow close to a girl in her class by the name of Grace, it's like she's found her other half. But how long will Meg be able to cover for the fact that much of what she's been telling Grace is a lie? Soon enough she could learn that sometimes the most outrageous tales you come up with are the ones you tell to yourself.

It takes a while to figure out that Meg's a liar. When you first hear her spout off a whopper about her dad being a doctor from Tasmania, you go for it. I mean, it wasn't so crazy a lie that I didn't believe it myself. So convincing was the lie, in fact, that I thought that Chapter One was narrated by one girl and Chapter Two by another. I actually had to flip back and forth for a while to better determine what was going on. So maybe a little clarification would have helped the writing at the start. For example, the first time we meet Meg's little sister Abby she isn't necessarily introduced. It's one of those narrative techniques where a character just gradually comes into focus as the story continues. The fact that this book acknowledges the truly slow nature of change can either be seen as the story's strength or weakness. Nothing here happens too quickly. Make of that what you will.

With the veritable plethora of broken families in children's literature, it's funny that I can't come up with another children's title containing an alcoholic family member to compare to this book. I don't really have to, of course. Day has a good handle on the situation and presents it accurately here. You can watch the charm of the alcoholic and his heartfelt apologies post-abuse. Every antagonist should display multiple sides if a children's book is going to carry any weight at all. It's all the more effective, then, to have the father dancing giddily with the mom one moment and then shaking the daughter violently for dropping some hamburgers the next. The writing is nice as well. Certain descriptions will sometimes catch the eye unawares. Sentences like, "Her shoulders fill her sweaters until there doesn't seem to be one millimeter of space left."

By the way, as a former resident of Kalamazoo I was amused that the town was (in a sense) one of the final straws in finally deciding to try to get away from the dad in this story. All that aside, "Tall Tales" isn't necessarily forgettable, but it does demand a bit of hand selling and word-of-mouth. Consider it subdued and supremely readable.

Read this book in college, and the story and characters touched my heart. I still read it and it's still the same poignant, beautiful story I remember. I feel for Carl and his plight. he is a likable character. I felt sorry that his mother was a drunk and sexually promiscuous so Carl, age 16, had to escape by inventing a dream life and a fantasy sweetheart, and cheered when he moved up north with his farm-boy cousin and the cousin's folks, and he and his cousin became great pals and he even found a real girl to love -- the athletic blonde country beauty next door.
This should be a made for TV movie starring Cody kasch -- DanaZack on "Desperate Housewives" as Carl, David Gallagher -- Simon on "7th Heaven" -- as Robert, Carl's cousin, and Hilary Duff as Signa, carl's sweetheart

^^ I really would... I mean, the thoughts and feeling are so real and thought out to what a real sixteen-year-old boy in that situation of having and alcholic/protisute mother... I can really relate to how he's acting and feeling... I would tell anybody to add this book to their collection!!!! :)

I used to not like books this book changed my mind! a must read. Very touching and a great wake up call to life!

I read this book for an 8th Grade book report, and I have read it over and over again. Everytime I read it I get the same feelings I had the first time I read it. Carl Staggers feels what a real 16 year old boy would feel if he were in that same situation and it amazes me how well the auther expressed that.

Up Country is probably one of the most treasured books I own. I can relate to Carl's feelings and emotions, and every time I read it, the same situational segments of the story still make me laugh out loud. I would recommend Up Country to anyone, based on it's superb characterization and thought.