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

Two decades after Songs About Jane, Maroon 5's original drummer presents an unflinching examination of fame, anxiety, mental health, and recovery In the nineties, Ryan Dusick and his friends Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael dreamed about making it big . . . and against all odds, they did. This inside story recounts Maroon 5's founding and their road to becoming Grammy-winning megastars, told through the eyes of former drummer Ryan Dusick. He takes readers behind the scenes of the band's meteoric rise to success-and the grueling demands that came with it-as well as his personal struggles with anxiety and addiction after his departure from the band. For Maroon 5, fame came with a platinum debut record, jam sessions with Prince in his own living room, and encounters with celebrities such as Jessica Simpson, Justin Timberlake, John Mayer, and Bono. For Dusick, stardom came to an abrupt halt with the devastating loss of his ability to play drums due to chronic nerve damage. Alongside Maroon 5's story of camaraderie and pressure, Dusick interweaves his own narrative: a decade lost to liquor and antianxiety medication, his ferocious commitment to recovery, and his current perspective as a professional counselor. With a candor that will speak to anyone who has struggled with mental health, Harder to Breathe moves beyond celebrity to examine the nature of human heartbreak and resilience, and to buoy anyone currently facing similar challenges. Ultimately, Harder to Breathe is a roller-coaster memoir about how making it to the top sent Dusick to the bottom-and how he let go of the past and embraced a new future, one breath at a time.

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."

The virtually universal popularity of caffeine, together with concerns about its potential pathogenic effects, have made it one of the most extensively studied drugs in history. However, despite the massive scientific literature on this important substance, most reviews have either focused on limited areas of study or been produced in popular form by individuals with surprisingly little relevant scientific background. Caffeine and Activation Theory: Effects on Health and Behavior brings together the leading experts from seven different countries to provide researchers and clinicians with the most comprehensive and balanced review of the scientific literature on the effects of caffeine found anywhere. It devotes unprecedented coverage to the impact of caffeine on cardiovascular functioning and pathology, details the pharmacological properties and neurophysiological effects of the drug, and thoroughly reviews literature concerned with the role of this powerful stimulant in mood, task performance, and psychopathology. This important new book is also the first source to provide an integrative scientific treatment of the effects of caffeine consumption on menstrual endocrinology and pathology, as well as on reproduction. Rounding out the coverage is a thorough review of emerging research on the possible benefits of caffeine and catechins in green and black teas. The highly integrative final chapter provides a clear understanding of what is known about the effects of caffeine, identifies specific areas in which further research is needed, and provides important methodological guidelines that promise to optimize future research endeavors. Filling the need for a current comprehensive resource, this volume provides extensive reviews of the major bodies of literature on caffeine, stimulates and guides future research, and provides clinicians with the information they need to understand, diagnose, and treat the effects of caffeine consumption in their pati

26-year-old Akash Amin has everything he ever wanted, but as he tries to kickstart his songwriting career and commit to his boyfriend, he is haunted by the painful memories of the first boy he ever loved. When his mother tells him she is selling the family home, Akash returns to Illinois, hoping to finally move on. Renu Amin always seemed perfect: doting husband, beautiful house, healthy sons. But as the one-year anniversary of her husband's death approaches, Renu can't stop wondering if she chose the wrong life thirty-five years ago . Together, Renu and Akash pack up the house, retreating further into the secrets that stand between them. When their pasts catch up to them, Renu and Akash must decide between the lives they left behind and the ones they've since created. By turns irreverent and tender, filled with the beats of '90s R&B, Tell Me How to Be is about our earliest betrayals and the cost of reconciliation. But most of all, it is the love story of a mother and son each trying to figure out how to be in the world.

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.

"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.

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!

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.

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.

Wrestling with the disease of alcoholism for most of his life, Jack London tells all in his autobiography John Barleycorn. Beginning with a discussion of the prohibition movement and its effects, London explores the ways that alcohol affects daily life in the Victorian era. Because there were not many forms of affordable entertainment or reliable communication, bars were the perfect spot for social activity. People were able to sit and drink, enjoying themselves while hearing the gossip and news from the other townspeople. However, this social practice can quickly deteriorate into a disease that infects every aspect of life, damaging those at home, threatening financial security, and even risking their safety. From personal experience, London explains what being an alcoholic is like with stories of humor and shame delivered with sharp accuracy. While doing so, John Barleycorn includes tales of London's interesting and numerous careers, such his time as a sailor, oyster pirate, and gold miner. Set to the vivid backdrop of the California Bay Area, he discloses his wildest stories and paints a portrait of his stomping grounds. Featuring themes of masculinity and friendship, John Barleycorn possesses a duality of lauding the social power of alcohol while warning against falling for its addictive qualities. The fine line between enjoying a drink and struggling alcoholism is characterized in clear prose and demonstrative narratives as London both brags about and laments his personal experiences with the substance. Employing thoughtful, honest, and exceptional prose, Jack London's John Barleycorn made a debut as one of the first intelligent and empathetic narratives about alcoholism. With both emotional and historical significance, London explores the unfortunately common disease while also explaining the cultural impact of alcohol in the 19th century, bleeding even to modern times. Both original and profound, John Barleycorn has earned a reputation for leaving audiences stunned by its emotional and frank narrative. This edition of Jack London's John Barleycorn features a new, eye-catching cover design and a readable, stylish font, crafting a perfect and approachable experience for the modern reader.

A worship disorder: this is how Edward T. Welch views addictions. "Will we worship ourselves and our own desires, " he writes, "or will we worship the true God?" With this lens the author discovers far more in Scripture on addictions than passages on drunkenness. There we learn the addict's true condition: like guests at a banquet thrown by "the woman Folly, " he is already in the grave (Prov. 9:13-18). Can we not escape our addictions? If we're willing to follow Jesus, the author says we have "immense hope hope in God's forgiving grace, hope in God's love that is faithful even when we are not, and hope that God can give power so that we are no longer mastered by the addiction." Each chapter concludes with "Practical Theology, " guidance "As You Face Your Own Addictions" and "As You Help Someone Else."

A deadly secret. A horrifying discovery. A daughter tells the devastating true story her mother tried to hide... Growing up in a chaotic home on Merseyside, young Joanne raised herself and her brother and sister, while her mother lapsed into a downward spiral of drinking and casual sex. But the consequences of her mother's messy lifestyle turned out to be far worse than Joanne could ever have imagined. In Silent Sisters, the daughter who was falsely accused of murdering her own baby sister tells the full story for the first time since exposing her mother's crimes.

Many people believe that everyone who uses heroin is addicted. In fact, this is true of only about 20 percent of heroin users. By clearing up common misconceptions like these, this book provides information that can save the lives of people using the drug. The author recounts heroin's history, details its chemistry, tells what users need to know to avoid addiction, and demystifies the life of a user: from buying to administering to detoxing and staying clean.

Heroin is a fascinating drug to most people. It is often referred to as the "hardest drug." By this logic, people might start with alcohol, work up to marijuana and maybe LSD. Then they reach to cocaine or methamphetamine. And finally, at the end of the journey is heroin. But like most things about heroin, this is more myth than reality. For non-users, this mythic power is exciting. And writers for the last century have been more than willing to pander to such readers in pulp and art novels all the way up to television crime novels. But it is rare for the most people to get a real look at what is, after all, the very core of what heroin is about for its users. To users, the interest is obvious. But ignorance of the the details of drug use among heroin users is rife -- usually based on what the author calls "old junkie tales." The difference between such folklore and the truth is often the difference between life and death. Heroin User's Handbook reveals the largely hidden world of heroin use based upon actual work with users and countless scholarly books and articles. And it does it in an extremely readable, non-technical manner -- even while providing detained and accurate information. The book discusses all aspects of heroin use: the acquisition of drugs, the administration of them, health risks, legal issues, social aspects, and addiction and detox. It provides the non-heroin world with a detailed look inside a very rarefied subculture. But it also provides the those in the heroin using world life-saving information.

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)

Learn how to manage your alcohol use simply and effectively For many, drinking can be a pleasurable, acceptable and harmless social activity. However, if you regularly drink more than is sensible you may find that it impacts on your health, emotional wellbeing, relationships and your ability to work. There are many reasons why we drink and this self-help guide uses clinically proven cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to help you to work out your own reasons and to start taking control of your alcohol use: Understand what is sensible alcohol use Build the motivation to change your habits Tackle thoughts about drinking Manage setbacks

'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.

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

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.