Most drinkers are convinced that it's almost impossible to stop drinking and to free themselves from addiction; they also feel unable to solve any of the widespread problems drinking causes. The wonderful news is that this book shows them how to stop immediately, painless and permanently.

As a psychiatrist-in-training fresh from medical school, Carl Erik Fisher came face to face with his own addiction crisis, one that nearly cost him everything. Here, he investigates the history of this age-old condition. Humans have struggled to define, treat, and control addictive behaviour for most of recorded history, including well before the advent of modern science and medicine. The Urge is a rich, sweeping history that probes not only medicine and science but also literature, religion, philosophy, and sociology, illuminating the extent to which the story of addiction has persistently reflected broader questions of what it means to be human and care for one another. Fisher introduces us to the people who have endeavoured to address this complex condition through the ages: physicians and politicians, activists and artists, researchers and writers, and of course the legions of people who have struggled with their own addictions. He also examines the treatments and strategies that have produced hope and relief. The Urge is at once an eye-opening history of ideas, a riveting personal story of addiction and recovery, and a clinician's urgent call for a more expansive, nuanced, and compassionate view of one of society's most intractable challenges.

Millions of people enter or seriously consider entering alcohol or drug treatment each year. In their understandable state of urgency, most first-time treatment seekers and their loved ones may rush to the first treatment option they encounter. They are unlikely to be aware of why one form of intervention would be a good choice for their particular problem or why some approaches may, under some conditions, actually be harmful. Lacking reliable information, they are unable to make informed choices.

Recovery from Addiction offers a concise, reader-friendly guide for substance dependent persons, their families, and friends to help make sense of the full range of available treatment options.

Cloud and Granfield introduce readers to their options, from inpatient and outpatient programs and today's major pharmacological approaches to alternative therapies including strategies for using the Internet to access support meetings and approaches which do not call for life-long abstinence from the substances now causing the problem. They outline the underlying principles of each program, its pros and cons, and what a participant can expect when entering that type of treatment, guiding readers in choosing the approach likely to be best for them or their loved one. They also provide specific strategies for addicted individuals who wish to consider recovery on their own, without groups or treatment.

A vital resource for addicts wishing to recover and their loved ones, Recovery from Addiction is also a valuable tool for health care professionals, from social workers to school counselors, responsible for referring clients to drug and alcohol recovery programs.

We live in a world obsessed with drinking. We drink at work events, lunches, book clubs and weddings. Yet no one ever questions alcohol's ubiquity. In fact, the only thing ever questions is why people don't drink. It is a qualifier for belonging. As a society, we are obsessed with health and wellness, yet we uphold alcohol as some sort of magic elixir. It is anything but.

When Holly Whitaker started to look for a way to recover, the support systems she found for recovery where archaic and patriarchal. Urging drinkers towards a newfound humility is great if you're a man, but if you're a woman and not in a position to renounce privileges you never had, a whole other approach is needed.

She embarked on a journey that led not only to her own sobriety, but revealed the insidious role alcohol plays in our society and in the lives of women in particular. What's more, she could not ignore the ways that alcohol companies were targeting women, just as the tobacco industry had successfully done generations before.

Honest, witty and trenchant, Quit Like a Woman is at once a ground-breaking look at drinking culture, a call to arms, and a celebration of learning how to claim everything life has to offer.

Preventing Drunk Driving shows what is being done today, in research and practice, to reduce impaired driving and the fatalities and injuries it produces and to curtail the spread of this tragic social epidemic. In this informative book, you'll discover how current research and prevention programs are increasing the success of designated driver programs. You'll also find out how communities, friends, and experts are making drinkers aware of their levels of intoxication and discouraging them from driving to keep the roads safer. You'll see when intervention works, when it doesn't, and how you can be most effective as a citizen in the fight against impaired driving deaths along your own stretch of the world's highways and city streets. In Preventing Drunk Driving, you'll get up-to-date data on how researchers are identifying the most dangerous drunk driving recidivists. Also, you'll see how increased study and research have led to theoretical models of intervention, assessments of the usefulness of vehicle interlock programs, and the use of mapping to target offenders most at risk. Most importantly, you'll learn: the results of experiments designed to test methods of increasing designated driving how census-tract mapping can target communities prone to DWI offenses the benefits and limitations of vehicle-interlock devices for the prevention of recidivism how interveners may improve their chances of stopping an impaired person from getting behind the wheel ways that blood alcohol concentration (BAC) feedback stations can reduce DUI incidents"Give me the keys." "Friends don't let friends drive drunk." These are all sayings we've heard--but what are the scientific facts about impaired driving and its prevention in our local communities and neighborhoods? Preventing Drunk Driving analyzes the societal ill of driving under the influence of alcohol and its related death toll from a wide variety of angles.

'Invaluable' SUNDAY TIMES 'Beautifully written, utterly relatable' JUNO ROCHE 'An act of love' PLANNINGTOROCK My name is Rhyannon, and I'm an addict. In 2012, Rhyannon Styles began her gender transition, and attended her first 12-Step meeting - beginning two journeys which changed the course of her life. Using her personal narrative as a springboard for exploring addiction, recovery and LGBTQ+ mental health, Rhyannon writes with searing honesty about the complexity of her experiences. The book spans a range of addictions including alcohol, food, sex and relationships, the internet and narcotics, and highlights the ways in which addiction and the transition process can overlap. A first-of-its kind narrative, and a powerful account of recovery, this book offers advice, hope and support for those struggling with addiction in its many forms.

The book includes research on multi-dimensional aspects of problems related to alcohol. The chapters cover a wide range of topics on the theme of Alcoholism, ranging from reasons and factors that induce alcoholism, to health risks and finally possible medical, psychological and alternative remedial measures. Various factors such as genetics, childhood influences, antisocial behaviour, and personality traits contribute to this menace of alcoholism. Cultural values, beliefs, and childhood experiences to govern thought process are indirectly related to earlier stages of alcohol addiction. Family history and life stress have implications on an individual's susceptibility to alcohol addiction. Personality traits influence the addiction in individuals. The treatment of alcoholism involves different therapies besides medicines for comprehensive and smooth recovery of the person. The important inducing factors, impact on society, individual, brain, family, nutritional deficiency and possible therapies such as body psychotherapies, herbal and natural therapy have been covered in the book in hope of a comprehensive solution. Note: T& F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

'Hazardous drinking' in the UK is widespread: 1 in 4 according to a recent government survey. More severe 'alcohol dependence' affects nearly 6% of the UK population - that's 1.8 million people. But for each alcoholic there is usually a family - estimates suggest that at least 3 people per alcohol abuser suffer on this account. The loved ones of alcohol abusers are a neglected group, and this book is aimed at equipping them to care for themselves so that they can survive the difficulty before them. Written by a husband-and-wife team of an alcohol abuse expert and former alcoholic (John) and a former carer for an alcoholic (Lou), this helpful book is not only academically sound but also written with an empathy that flows from experience.

Hurt: Chronicles of the Drug War Generation weaves engaging first-person accounts of the lives of baby boomer drug users, including the author Miriam Boeri's own knowledge as the sister of a heroin addict. The compelling stories are set in historical context, from the cultural influence of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll to contemporary discourse that pegs drug addiction as a disease punished by incarceration. Boeri writes with penetrating insight and conscientious attention to the intersectionality of race, gender, and class as she analyzes the impact of an increasingly punitive War on Drugs on a hurting generation.

Alcoholics Anonymous has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. This special edition contains new, powerful, and inspiring personal stories for 2007.

A TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR. An undercover investigation into the synthetic-drug epidemic. A new group of chemicals is radically transforming the recreational-drug landscape. Known as novel psychoactive substances (NPS), they range from so-called 'legal highs' like Spice, to synthetic opioids - most famously, the deadly fentanyl. Designed to replicate the effects of established drugs like cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, and heroin, NPS are synthesised in laboratories. They are cheap to produce and easy to transport. They are also extremely potent and often deadly. Originally developed for medicinal purposes, and then hijacked by rogue chemists, who change their molecular structures to stay ahead of the law, these chemicals' effects can be impossible to predict. What we do know is that they have triggered the biggest drug epidemic that America has ever seen, and which is now spreading internationally. In Fentanyl, Inc., award-winning journalist Ben Westhoff goes undercover to investigate the shadowy world of synthetic drugs - becoming, in the process, the first journalist to infiltrate a Chinese fentanyl lab. He tracks down the drug baron in New Zealand who unintentionally helped to start the synthetic-drug revolution; prowls St. Louis streets with a former fentanyl dealer to understand how the epidemic started; and chronicles the lives of addicts and dealers, families of victims, law enforcement officers, and underground drug-awareness organisers in the US and Europe. Fentanyl, Inc. is essential reading on a global calamity we are only just beginning to understand.

No matter what happens, you dont have to pick up a drink or drug today. These words tend to strike fear in the hearts of many alcoholics and addicts who are new to recovery, because just one day without booze or drugs may as well be an eternity. It can seem like an impossible task to get through twenty-four hours, never mind a week or a month so just how do we get that proverbial monkey off our back? This book is full of suggestions that can work for anyone who is new to recovery or trying to get clean and sober again. The author has drawn on her own experiences and that of others in early recovery to determine the Fifty Things Every Alcoholic and Addict Should Know, including: The First Thirty Days What to expect and how to get through it Things to Avoid Protecting your recovery and coping with stress Relapse Warning signs and moving forward if it happens Family How to include them and re-build relationship Dating in Recovery - The not so good, the bad and the ugly Dry Drunk How not to be one Twelve Step Programs How they work and what you should know If you have a substance abuse problem and want to quit or are new to sobriety and dont know what to expect, read this book. Its different, down to earth and a very easy read. 'Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down is not your typical recovery book. Tom Chenault, Radio Talk Show Host and Recovering Alcoholic.

'A masterclass in understanding' ANNIE GRACE, author of This Naked Mind Ten questions to ask yourself, right now: * Do you have a sense that something is wrong, but you don't know what it is? * Do you have a feeling that you are hollow inside, that you are empty or have a void within? * Do you react badly to rejection? * Do you often feel sad, unhappy or down for no obvious reason? * Would you describe yourself as highly sensitive? * Do you have problems with relationships and intimacy? * Do you engage in addictive behaviour - alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, food, sex, work, exercise? * Do you have low self-esteem or self-worth - are you not 'good enough'? * Do you have a sense of being numb to your feelings? * Do you rarely experience true joy and happiness? If you have answered 'yes' to most of these questions, there is a strong chance you have experienced emotional neglect or trauma as a child. An emotionally neglected child may struggle to form strong and secure attachments as an adult. They may feel hollow or empty, worthless (or overly important), judge themselves harshly and struggle with addictive tendencies - drinking, eating or exercising too much, for example. If this describes you, Heal Your Inner Child will change your life and give you back the love, compassion and authenticity you needed as a child, and deserve as an adult. Fomer heavy drinker turned sobriety coach Simon Chapple is - like you - a survivor of childhood trauma. His unique brand of straight-talking, practical yet reflective and relatable advice has helped thousands of people quit drinking, and he can help you now to move on from childhood emotional neglect to a place of happiness free from past trauma. How to Heal Your Inner Child is a stepped and safe approach to confronting your past, with space for reflective and supportive strategies that will help you to foster self-compassion and break free from the destructive behaviours that have blighted your life. Clinically endorsed and verified by a psychotherapist, this deeply personal, unflinchingly honest exploration is designed to unlock your own epiphany and support you as you journey to a happier, less troubled and more authentic self.

This book is written for a truly general medical audience. Clinicians, researchers, residents, and students will find Al cohol a direct treatment of the major drug problem in Amer ica. Along with the first volume in this series on marijuana, Alcohol is timely and relevant. The subject is presented with clarity in an effort to provide professionals and interested readers with a basic background in the field of alcohol studies. The emphasis is on what is known and can be coun ted on as fundamental knowledge on the various aspects of history, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism. Because drugs other than alcohol are such an important feature of the contemporary alcoholic, they are covered as a part of the natural history of alcoholism. Change and progress are essential to knowledge; past and current research in the alcohol field, as well as detailed discussions of what further needs to be investigated, are in cluded in the volume. The student as well as the practitioner vii viii PREFACE will find the contents useful for didactic purposes as well as a clinical reference. We believe that the researcher will also profit from the comprehensive coverage of the subject. The chapters are organized in sections to highlight important topics and are arranged in a sequence to ensure a logical de velopment of the subject, alcohol. Throughout the book we combine our clinical and research experiences to provide a synthesis that we hope will have widespread clinical usefulness. N.S.M."

At some point in our lives, we all engage in behaviors that are risky, irrational, or unwise. We might find it exciting and temporarily rewarding to gamble on the lottery or impulsively buy an expensive gadget. But just as substances like alcohol and narcotics have the potential to become addictive, so do certain behaviors. A person addicted to gambling, shopping, the internet, food, or picking at their skin may suffer shame in the shadows while their behavior consumes time and energy and disrupts their life. Some people with behavioral addictions lose their family, job, savings, and home. With a physical basis in the brain, behavioral addictions are serious illnesses-but simply willing yourself to stop is usually not enough. Why Can't I Stop? is for anyone who has a behavioral addiction, as well as their supportive families and friends. Examining seven of the most common and serious addictions-gambling, sex, stealing, internet use, shopping and buying, hair pulling and skin picking, and food-the authors bring together cutting-edge research to describe behavioral addiction, its causes, and how it can be diagnosed and treated. Featuring patient stories of behavioral addiction and recovery, as well as information about treatment centers, this compassionate guide will help readers better understand the complicated issues surrounding these addictions and teach family members how to help the addicted person while helping themselves.

Ruby Warrington's 2019 book Sober Curious was an illuminating conversation-starter that asked her readers to consider, 'Would life be better without alcohol?' thus sparking a global wellness trend of 'curiosity' on how to gain one's genuine confidence and happiness without the crutch of alcohol. In The Sober Curious Reset, Ruby goes a step further by inviting her readers into a 100-day process of radically rethinking their drinking. Each 'day' features observations, exercises, and insights, offering a more profound process of self-discovery than common month-long programs like Dry January or Sober September. Ruby's friendly, honest, and totally non-judgmental tone helps readers unmask the deeper 'whys' behind their drinking, understand why 100 days is so transformational, and how to create a truly sustainable shift in habits-- and on to living a life with more presence, focus, and satisfaction. The Sober Curious Reset is not about preaching total abstinence--rather, it's about empowering people to make the right drinking choices for them, whether that means moderation or cutting out alcohol entirely. Ruby's 100 days is all about changing one's relationship to alcohol to lead a life with more clarity, confidence, and connection.

Acclaimed author and screenwriter William G. Borchert explores the life and times of Lois Burnham Wilson, the spirited creator of Al-Anon and wife of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson. From her privileged childhood in turn-of-the-century New York City to her socialite status as the 'Wall Street Wife' of the charismatic Bill in the roaring '20s to the couple's audacious crosscountry motorcycle excursions in the 1930s, Lois was every bit the adventure-seeker. But nothing could have prepared her for the chaos, anguish, and loss caused by Bill's seventeen-year descent into the depths of alcoholism.
In this moving story, Borchert reveals how the couple rose from a life of despair to institute one of the twentieth century's most important social movements, and how Lois created a legacy of hope for millions of families devastated by addiction through her uncommon love and unshakable faith.

Borchert drew from a series of exclusive personal interviews with Lois Wilson to write this definitive biography.
"Bill Borchert came into my life during our astounding screen collaboration in "My Name is Bill W." What a joy to revisit this friendship in his new achievement, "The Lois Wilson Story." Bill Borchert will always be a seminal part of my life and now millions of others will get to appreciate his selfless devotion to the woman who founded Al-Anon and her mesmerizing story. Bravo, my friend."
Emmy A ward-winning actor ("My Name is Bill W.") James Woods
"Bill Borchert shares the intimate recollections of Lois Wilson in an authentic and powerful tale of helplessness, hope, and fulfillment. This view of Lois' life with Bill Wilson and the birth and nurturing of the Twelve Step movement is awesome and rewarding. It is a page-turning read and a tribute to Lois, cofounder of Al-Anon, and her passion to bring healing to everyone affected by the family disease of alcoholism."
Johnny Allem, President/CEO
The Johnson Institute

Make the journey from addiction to recovery From a dependence on narcotics, alcohol, or gambling, to food, tobacco, or sex, addiction is a life-draining condition that can seriously damage physical and mental health and destroy relationships. But whatever the cause, whatever the level, it is possible to free yourself from this debilitating disease and regain control of your life. Through recording, exploring, and expressing your thoughts and feelings about your experiences, as well as discovering invaluable recovery information and resources, this guided journal and workbook will help you reach a uniquely personal, healing understanding of your addiction, your life, and your choices. Above all, The Healing Journey Through Addiction will help you figure out for yourself how to best deal with your dependence. Acclaim for The Healing Journey Through Addiction … "Drs. Rich and Copans have written a comprehensive and creative book on recovery from addictive disorders, addressing the many emotional, interpersonal, and spiritual facets of recovery. This book is full of useful information and provides a sense of hope for change and growth. The journal exercises will increase self-awareness and understanding, which are so necessary for change to occur." — Dennis C. Daley, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, and Chief, Drug and Alcohol Services, Western Psychiatric Instiituute and Clinic Other books in The Healing Journey series include: The Healing Journey, 208 pp,, Paper (0-471-24712-X) The Healing Journey for Couples, 288 pp., Paper (0-471-25470-3) The Healing Journey Through Divorce, 264 pp., Paper (0-471-29575-2) The Healing Journey Through Grief, 264 pp, Paper (0-471-29565-5)

"To Hell and Back" chronicles the life of Dr. Steven B. Heird and his battle with addiction, putting his loving family, booming medical practice and years of education at risk. After a spiritual awakening in the rehabilitation hospital, he began to see light and love in all places, finally able to identify the things that made him experience true happiness. The book concludes with twelve unique prescriptions to guide a path to awareness.

Before you were ever earth born, you were 'Bliss Full'-perfect and perfectly loved. Then came 'Bliss Fall'-life on earth began. Relax on Impact brings the reader through a journey many share. Well-meaning, imperfect parents offer imperfect love. Addictions, power struggles and emotional unavailability build walls that block true vision. Each generation seems doomed to teach past mistakes. Marriages built between the disempowered who seek their 'other half' create repeated divorces and added pain, rather than increased intimacy, love and spiritual clarity. Expressed in parable form, Jill Haire describes and guides relationship communication while supporting various Twelve Step recovery programs. Inner children and teachable adults will discover the solid connection between body, mind and spirit.

Many people struggle with substance abuse in the shadows feeling ashamed, alone, and inadequate. You are not alone. Many of us keep up appearances while at the same time kicking ourselves every time we stumble into bed drunk out of our minds. Many of us say, 'never again,' only to drink again at 5:00pm. You are not alone. There is a way out of this. After Party is the story of how one person, Drew Charles, dug his way out of the spiral of drug and alcohol excess. While doing so, he discovered that sobriety is not the impossibly boring state of living so many of us fear but is filled with joy and excitement in ways we can't predict when we are stuck in the loop of drinking and drug taking. After Party is the honest account of Drew's first year of sobriety, how he did it, and more importantly, why he did it. Drew's hope is that anyone who battles with alcohol and drugs, or just feels curious about sobriety, can take solace in knowing that life not only exists beyond alcohol, but that it sings with a clarity and depth of emotion many of us would never have thought possible.

Can I Keep Drinking? How You Can Decide When Enough is Enough is for the 90-million-plus people who struggle with alcohol in the United States. Most will avoid getting help for fear of being labeled an alcoholic, forced into treatment, made to attend 12-step meetings, and have to stop drinking completely. Only about 6 percent of the population is alcoholic yet more than 80 percent of treatment programs require total abstinence from alcohol. Cyndi Turner challenges this traditional belief and teaches you how to have a better relationship with alcohol. As if you and Cyndi were sitting in her office, she provides you with easy-to-follow tools, checklists, and quizzes to guide you through the process of answering the crucial question: can I keep drinking? Included throughout are experiences of people who have struggled with drinking. The "How Do I Know If I Can Keep Drinking? Quiz" gives you positive and negative predictors for whether you are a candidate for moderate drinking and prepares you to develop and implement a Moderate Drinking Plan. Take the quiz and get the tools to get balance back in your life!

Have you ever wondered what an artist is thinking when they create a work of art? What music whispers through the trees in the background...? Behind the Black is the true story of an artist and her struggle to look deep into the lost chronicles of the human spirit to search for what drives us most. From finding her way out of a darkly destructive alcohol addiction to the search for a soul mate, Colleen holds nothing back-baring her soul and utter truth to the core, conveying an artist's view of creativity and its very source, down to the elements that make up the world we live in. On the road to becoming a professional artist, Colleen almost lost her studio and home after an ill-fated business deal with a couple of big bad wolves. Yet she survived to tell the tale, traveling the world on a block of ice, slaying dragons and kissing frogs. Behind the Black is filled with intriguing true-life characters as a lifetime of experiences magically transform into works of art, all explained in intimate detail. "We are the artists of our own worlds, but everyone has a paintbrush, and the canvas is left to unfold and transform...," writes the author. Behind the Black leads you to see through the darkness in a land where you'll confront your own dragons and find miracles. Pay no attention to big bad wolves, and listen closely to little burnt marshmallow-looking minions, for it is always what lies within that matters most.