As we recover from an eating disorder, these 366 meditations will help us find the power to develop and deepen our spirituality. Daily positive thoughts offer insight and ideas for meeting the challenges of ongoing recovery from eating disorders.

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.

We live in a time of more physical freedom than ever before in history and yet so many of us are limited by our lack of inner freedom - the freedom to create and believe that we can have the lives we want to live. Alena Chapman has explored her own self-imposed prison and journey to freedom. She shares the tools, insights and lessons she has learned so that others may experience the life changing power of loving life again. The Prison Effect offers the tools, insights, truths to crash through any of our obstacles and walk out of our prisons to freedom.

Part recovery, part self-help, and all real, raw stories of waking up for the sake of yourself and your children, "Mommy Doesn't Drink Here Anymore" follows one mother's journey from cocktail mama to sober mama. The loving mother of twins and a newborn, Brownell used alcohol to maintain a sense of her adult self and be more than 'just mummy'. It didn't take long before her drinking spiralled out of control, consuming her life and marriage, and she realized that she needed serious help. Both heart-wrenching and inspiring, this is Brownell's true-life story, from the first thirty days to the year mark. "Mommy Doesn't Drink Here Anymore" is not a book that preaches or simply takes the reader through the Twelve Steps. It provides hope and motivation to get into a programme and balance your life as a mother and a recovering alcoholic.

The child of an alcoholic develops patterns of behavior during childhood which carry over into adult life. As children they were taught to cover up the family secret and suppress their feelings. No matter what is going on, as adults, when asked how she or he is doing your partner will likely answer "fine." Distrust, fear of abandonment, and sensitivity to criticism are all major issues for your adult child. Recognizing these patterns and changing the ones that cause problems will help you and your partner enjoy a deeper relationship.

Find The Love, Patience, and Insight to Take Your Life Back What does it look and feel like to be a Mother of an Addict? How does a Mother's unconditional love help her child's addiction? Sandy Sherman is a Mother of 2 addicts - a Daughter and a Son. For 5 years she felt her life was spiraling down into a pit of despair, fear, helplessness, grief that was consuming her life. She felt alone and humiliated and the dreams she had for her kids were all gone as she witnessed their addictions take over their bodies and souls. Sandy learned to live her life by deciding to take her life back. Through educating herself about the disease of addiction by reading, talking with other Mom's, helping to counsel others and sharing her story, she has written Stronger in hopes of inspiring Mom's to take action.

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.

One of the first psychiatrists to describe alcoholism as a disease rather than a moral failing or criminal activity, Harry M. Tiebout was also one of the first to wholeheartedly endorse Alcoholics Anonymous as an effective force in the struggle against compulsive drinking. This volume brings together, for the first time, some of Tiebout's most influential writings. Many of these pieces--from explorations of the therapeutic approach to alcoholism to instructive discussions of the act of surrender so crucial to recovery--are seminal documents in the history, treatment, and understanding of alcoholism. Together, they represent the significant contribution of one man to the countless lives shaken by alcoholism and steadied with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous, psychiatric intervention, and the foresight and commitment of doctors like Harry Tiebout.

A former alcoholic turned tutelary for other wayward drinkers explains the steps to identifying and overcoming alcohol abuse Drawing on the author's extensive experience--both professionally as a university lecturer in substance abuse and personally as a former alcoholic--this work explains, with passion and effectiveness, how a "problem drinker" can turn their life around for the better. It shows how to tell when drinking becomes a problem, the seriously adverse effects this can have on a problem drinker's life and health, and how it's never too late for them to shake free from addiction and change their lives for the better.

As a teenager, Victor Torres was a gang warlord and heroin addict on New York City's violent streets. Through the ministry of David Wilkerson and Nicky Cruz, Victor had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ and came to realize that God had a purpose for his life. Victor has spent the last forty-five years helping tens of thousands of young men and women find freedom from drug addiction and gang life. Now, he answers your toughest questions about your addicted loved one. Without pulling punches or promising easy answers, Victor provides wisdom and expertise that can lead you toward success. Some of the questions Victor addresses are...

How can I know if my loved one has a substance abuse problem?

How can I tell the difference between helping and enabling?

What if my loved one refuses to get help?

When should I call the police?

What should we look for in a treatment program?

What can I expect when my loved one comes out of treatment?

How do I prepare for relapse?

God did not create your loved one to be an addict or a loser. On the contrary, God created him or her for a better life. Although, for the moment, it may seem like you are losing your loved one, they still have a God-given destiny and a purpose. No matter how bad the picture may look now, there is always hope.

In Changing Course, the best-selling sequel to It Will Never Happen to Me, Claudia Black extends a helping hand to individuals working through the painful experience of being raised with addiction in the family. ""How do you go from living according to the rules - Don't Talk, Don't Trust, Don't Feel - to a life where you are free to talk and trust and feel?"" Dr. Black asks. ""You do this through a process that teaches you to go to the source of those rules, to question them, and to create new rules of your own,"" she explains. Using charts, exercises, checklists, and real-life stories of adult children of alcoholics, Dr. Black guides readers in healing from the fear, shame, and chaos of addiction.

When "retired party girl" and popular therapist Amanda White admitted she was an alcoholic, it wasn't because she'd done something outrageous while under the influence, like land herself in jail or get married in Vegas. It was because she realized three things: 1. Alcohol was making her life worse. 2. Moderation wasn't helping. 3. She could not be a therapist if she continued to use alcohol to numb her life. Something needed to change-not just her relationship with alcohol, but her relationship with herself. Choosing not to drink can be daunting. It's everywhere in our culture, our socializing, and our destressing. And it can seem black or white: you drink, or you don't (and if you don't, people ask why). That's where Not Drinking Tonight comes in. Judgement-free and relatable, Amanda helps you unpack your relationship with alcohol by showing you how to: 1) Find out why you drink. Whether it's a glass of wine after work or a weekly bar crawl, your drinking habits can be the result of everything from biology to trauma. 2) Heal your relationship with alcohol. Understand how your relationships have been affecting your life, and learn how to set boundaries and create true self care. 3) Build the sober life you love. Learn what comes next-how to maintain your social life, navigate sex and relationships, and love yourself. Not Drinking Tonight isn't a program to stop drinking. It's the first book to help you address the root issues that cause you to reach for a drink, and create a life you love-one that is not perfect, but is messy and real and one you are fully present for.

Substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs) have been documented in a number of cultures since the beginnings of recorded time and represent major societal concerns in the present day. The Oxford Handbook of Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders provides comprehensive reviews of key areas of inquiry into the fundamental nature of substance use and SUDs, their features, causes, consequences, course, treatment, and prevention. It is clear that understanding these various aspects of substance use and SUDs requires a multidisciplinary perspective that considers the pharmacology of drugs of abuse, genetic variation in these acute and chronic effects, and psychological processes in the context of the interpersonal and cultural contexts. Comprising two volumes, this Handbook also highlights a range of opportunities and challenges facing those interested in the basic understanding of the nature of these phenomena and novel approaches to assess, prevent, and treat these conditions with the goal of reducing the enormous burden these problems place on our global society. Chapters in Volume 1 cover the historical and cultural contexts of substance use and its consequences, its epidemiology and course, etiological processes from the perspective of neuropharmacology, genetics, personality, development, motivation, and the interpersonal and larger social environment. Chapters in Volume 2 cover major health and social consequences of substance involvement, psychiatric comorbidity, assessment, and interventions. Each chapter highlights key issues in the respective topic area and raises unanswered questions for future research. All chapters are authored by leading scholars in each topic. The level of coverage is sufficiently deep to be of value to both trainees and established scientists and clinicians interested in an evidenced-based approach.