From highflying Playboy editor to pathetic homeless alcoholic addict, Dystopia charts James Siddall's Icarian fall from grace. It's the sobering tell-all tale of a young, successful, hubristic, hard-drinking journalist who in his meltdown becomes the scourge of pubs and shebeens around the country. Regularly found comatose, collapsed in a puddle of his own excesses, Siddall became a frequent patient in lock-down psychiatric wards. He finally confronted himself after being ordered by court to two years in rehab. Dystopia punches hard in the solar plexus and in a world awash with so-called misery memoirs and vic-lit (victim literature) provides a new take on addiction. But far from being a mere account of sordidness and degradation - or "war story" - it also peels away the misconceptions about this disease. Dystopia delves deeply into the myths and misinformation surrounding addiction, a condition that's been dubbed "the most democratic and painful of all diseases." Above all Dystopia is a story of triumph where a broken man finds his way home to become a functioning human being again and a working journalist. Written by the brilliant and award-winning James Siddall, this is the book James Frey could have produced if he told the whole truth.

A mid-level drug trafficker and self-proclaimed low-life with a big vocabulary comes to terms with his actions and his mental health. Andrew Brobyn's relationship was in shambles before he took the terrible acid that sent him on an almost decade-long journey seeking redemption. His immediate plans following university were to liquidate his illicit assets, sell his client list, pack up shop, and retire to his parents' home in Toronto while he figured out what to do with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a quarter million in cash. As his drug use and bipolar disorder spiral, his situation gets stranger and stranger, taking him from his university campus to strip clubs, psych wards, and the slammer. Equal parts hilarious and terrifying, Babble On is a psycho-philosophical memoir that tracks Brobyn as he navigates the consequences of his eccentric choices and struggles with profound ambivalence toward his own health and well-being. A RARE MACHINES BOOK

"At last, a meditation book that shows why and, more importantly, how recovery works written in no-nonsense language by a "hard case" who's been there -- and been there, and been there."

Barry L. has been clean and sober for more than 14 years, but there was a time when his multiple trips through relapse, detox, and treatment made sobriety seem an impossibility. Now he's written a meditation book especially for "hard cases" like himself; those who struggle with the spiritual side of the program and have had a hard time staying sober. Here is blunt, bare-knuckle writing that tells it like it is.

Know a few hard cases who just don't seem to get the program? They'll benefit from this book.

Journalist Jenny Valentish takes a gendered look at drugs and alcohol, using her own story to light the way. Mining the expertise of 35 leading researchers, clinicians and psychiatrists, she explores the early predictors of addictive behaviour, such as trauma, temperament and impulsivity.

Drawing on neuroscience, she explains why other self-destructive behaviours – such as eating disorders, compulsive buying and high-risk sex – are interchangeable with problematic substance use. From her childhood in suburban Slough to her chaotic formative years in the London music scene, we follow her journey to Australia, where she experiences firsthand treatment facilities and AA groups, and reflects whether or not they are meeting the needs of women.

Woman of Substances is an insightful, rigorous and brutally honest read. In Australia it was nominated for a prestigious Walkley Book Award.

'Employing expert interviews and research, each rich personal episode is contextualised within the under-examined issue of women's substance abuse. Detailed, insightful and told with a feature writer's narrative flair' Bookseller and Publisher.

'Engages readers with storytelling while presenting scientific findings and theories in a way that is accessible to a broad audience' Broadsheet.

'Part monograph, part memoir, part Ginsbergian howl of outrage at a culture in which gender bias is a tenet. It is a work of compellingly articulate anger' The Australian.

'In straightforward, lively prose she relates even her darkest moments without self-pity or aggrandisement, and often with a streak of gallows humour, leading to more laugh-out-loud lines than you might expect' The Saturday Paper.

'We need books like this, and writers like Valentish, to give voice to our frustrations and concerns, to help legitimise and mobilise' Kill Your Darlings.

'Valentish's passion lies in exploring the underlying causes and their effects and, in the most female of ways, offering companionship and reassurance for her readers' The Monthly.

'Doesn't mince her words' Sydney Morning Herald.

Had enough of repeatedly giving up booze only to keep returning to the old cycles? Want to end the anguish and give yourself the chance to be the best you can? Do you know that group healing won't work with you? Beat alcohol on your own is a new approach to combating drinking made even more necessary, right now, from its increase due to greater home working. The method ensures the reader's drinking will reduce towards zero in a personalised, safe, controlled way. Central is the strategy of Planned Relapses, which give a sturdy staff on which to lean as overall drinking is managed downwards through the following of three simple Oaken Rules. The realpolitik of the difficulties in stopping drinking is faced square on as every scenario where temptation may arise along the path is mitigated by the deployment of an arsenal of tactical interventions. Ultimately the goal - Mundus in claritate! - is attained.

In Drinking Up the Revolution, James Wilt shows us why alcohol policy should be at the heart of any socialist movement. Many people are drinking more now than ever before, as already massive multinationals are consolidating and new online delivery services are booming in an increasingly deregulated market. At the same time, public health experts are sounding the alarm about the catastrophic health and social impacts of rising alcohol use, with over three million people dying ever year due to alcohol-related harms. Exposing the links between the alcohol industry and capitalism, colonialism and environmental destruction, Wilt demonstrates the failure of both prohibition and deregulation, and instead focuses on those who profit from alcohol's sale and downplay its impacts: producers, retailers, and governments. Rejecting both the alcohol industry's moralizing against individual "problem drinkers" and the sober politics of "straight-edge" and wellness lifestyle trends, Drinking Up the Revolution is not another call for prohibition or more governmental control, but is instead a cry to take back alcohol for the people, and make it safe and enjoyable for all those who want to use it.

i newspaper 'What We're Reading This Week' December 2017 'Elizabeth's courage in speaking out is moving, and her ability to move others is impressive. This is a story that needs to be told, and needs to be heard.' - Theresa May, Prime Minister 'Elizabeth [is] someone who had the courage to tell her family's story and to challenge attitudes. Elizabeth has already made a difference and I am sure that all those who read this book will be both challenged and inspired.' - Chief Constable Sara Thornton, National Police Chiefs' Council 'I cannot praise this book highly enough . . . Born out of personal pain and tragedy, this story will lead you to the birth of DrugFAM . . . It is truly inspiring and wonderful what has been and continues to be achieved through this story.' - Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham 'I would urge all parents, teachers and pupils to read this heart-rending book.' - FT Magazine 'A book that is moving and ultimately, inspiring.' - Waterstones Books Quarterly Elizabeth Burton Phillips was a teacher, an ordinary mother who had always tried to do the best for her children; she never imagined that her identical twin sons, who had been doing so well at school, would become involved in drugs. She was shocked when they were suspended from school for smoking cannabis; but this was just the start of a terrible descent into personal and family heartbreak. The painful journey ended in the way Elizabeth had always dreaded - a knock on the door in the middle of the night by the police. They gave her the devastating news that her son Nick had killed himself in despair at his heroin addiction. Since his death, Elizabeth has campaigned tirelessly to make parents aware of the pain and suffering caused to families by drug addiction; and her surviving twin, Simon, now drug-free, has contributed his own thoughts to this inspiring and gut-wrenching story that will shake every reader to the core. This new edition brings Elizabeth's story up to date, sharing the inspiring achievements of the author - awarded an MBE in the Queen's 2017 Honours List - and her charity DrugFAM, giving hope to families impacted by addiction.

A revelatory, moving narrative that offers a harrowing critique of the war on drugs from voices seldom heard in the conversation: drug users who are working on the front lines to reduce overdose deaths Media coverage has established a clear narrative of the overdose crisis: In the 1990s, pharmaceutical corporations flooded America with powerful narcotics while lying about their risk; many patients developed addictions to prescription opioids; then, as access was restricted, waves of people turned to the streets and began using heroin and, later, the dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl. But that's not the whole story. It fails to acknowledge how the war on drugs has exacerbated the crisis and leaves out one crucial voice: that of drug users themselves. Across the country, people who use drugs are organizing in response to a record number of overdose deaths. They are banding together to save lives and demanding equal rights. Set against the backdrop of the overdose crisis, Light Up the Night provides an intimate look at how users navigate the policies that criminalize them. It chronicles a rising movement that's fighting to save lives, end stigma, and inspire commonsense policy reform. Told through embedded reporting focused on two activists, Jess Tilley in Massachusetts and Louise Vincent in North Carolina, this is the story of the courageous people stepping in where government has failed. They are standing on the front lines of an underground effort to help people with addictions use drugs safely, reduce harms, and live with dignity.

Discover how facing your underlying pain will allow you to overcome it and move forward. With practical insights and biblical teaching about what it takes to break the cycle of addiction and shame, Reframe Your Shame will set you on the path to freedom. Irene Rollins knows what it means to walk through shame, especially as a leader. She enjoyed a seemingly perfect life as a wife, mom, and leader of a megachurch while she hid a secret addiction to alcohol that almost destroyed everything. With vulnerability and wisdom, Irene offers strategies and biblical teaching to break free of the suffocating cycle of sin and shame. Many people aren't even aware that they live in an addiction cycle, unaware of how unmanageable their lives have become. Their relationships feel distant, difficult, or dysfunctional, but they often don't know why. Reframe Your Shame provides awareness and resources to help readers recognize the warning signs of toxic shame and addiction; accept truth and take responsibility for their own journey of emotional healing and growth; find freedom from shame, self-defeating hurts, hang-ups, and habits; learn to communicate, connect with others, and resolve both internal and relational conflicts; and discover practical tools to live with purpose, free from the baggage of the past. Perfect for those fighting a personal battle, or for family members and counselors walking with them, Reframe Your Shame sets them on a path to freedom.

***2020 winner of the Christopher Bland Prize*** "Beautifully crafted and written, filled with darkness and light, compelling... She fights addiction with honesty and humour. And, like her, [we] come away changed forever." Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, RSL Christopher Bland Prize When Michele Kirsch's father is killed in a train crash, her mother gets the vapours and Michele gets extremely nervous. By her mid-teens, she has found salvation in valium. Her favourite words on the prescription sheet are "Take As Needed", which she interprets as Take All The Time. Later, as a wife and mother, she adds alcohol into the mix, and before long her life is spinning out of control. Leaving home "for the sake of the family", she takes the scenic route to rehab, redemption and reinvention. But this is no misery memoir. Clean is a darkly comic tale about the difficult choices we have to make as we navigate our lives. While working as a domestic cleaner in her 50s, Michele finds herself living vicariously through other people's messes, tidying her way through early sobriety. As the Duster of Large Things, she taps into her natural nosiness to reveal the absurdities of a seemingly banal job. This is a remarkable, powerful, and often unbearably funny story in which cleaning and getting clean lead to a strange and magical form of redemption.

Your partner's addiction takes a toll on both of your lives. That doesn't mean you should turn your back on the person you love. We've been told that staying with a partner who struggles with addiction--whether it be with drugs, alcohol, or addictive behaviors--means that we're enabling their destructive behavior. That wanting to help them means we're codependent, and that the best thing for both of us is to walk away from the relationship entirely. But is that true? When Your Partner Has an Addiction challenges the idea that the best chance for recovery--for the addict and their partner--is to walk away. Instead, it makes the revolutionary claim that you, and the love you have for your partner, can be a key part of his or her journey to recovery. Together, addiction activist and bestselling author Christopher Kennedy Lawford and psychotherapist Beverly Engel, MFT, take a fresh look at addiction and codependency--the latest research on what causes them and what the two have in common. Rather than treat addiction or codependency as disease or weakness, When Your Partner Has an Addiction honors the trauma and shame that often lie at their source and shows you how to use your love to combat that shame, allowing you to more effectively support your partner and heal yourself. The research proves that, while you cannot "fix" your partner, you can have a positive impact on their recovery. Whether you suffer from codependency, and whether your partner is already in recovery, When Your Partner Has an Addiction provides you with proven techniques and strategies to drastically improve your relationship and help get your partner the help he needs--without leaving and while taking care of yourself in the process.

Finally, there is a cure for alcoholism. This is the first step. Featuring new and updated information and studies, including an introduction by actress Claudia Christian, the second edition of The Cure for Alcoholism delivers exactly what millions of alcoholics and families of alcoholics have been hoping for: a painless, dignified, and medically proven cure for their addiction. Backed by 82 clinical trials and research that extends back to 1964, The Sinclair Method deploys an opiate-blocking medication in a very specific way--in combination with ongoing drinking--to extinguish the addictive "software" in the brain. The de-addiction process rolls back the addictive mechanism in the brain to its original pre-addicted state--before the first drink was consumed, making this program an actual cure for alcoholism. Drs. Roy Eskapa and David Sinclair of The Sinclair Method have put together a sound scientific book that proves that with this particular method, alcoholism can be cured in more than 78 percent of patients. What's more, the treatment avoids the dangerous withdrawal symptoms, allowing patients to detox gradually and safely while they are still drinking. This removes the need for expensive and unpleasant inpatient rehabilitation programs. Actual drinking levels and cravings automatically decrease until control over alcohol is restored. The bottom line is that patients can control their drinking or stop altogether with the simple yet powerful process outlined in The Cure for Alcoholism. Including a new introduction by actress Claudia Christian about The Sinclair Method's impact on her life, updated trial information, and a letter explaining the treatment that can be given to doctors by patients, The Cure for Alcoholism is a revolutionary book for anyone who wants to gain control over drinking.

The medicalisation of alcohol use has become a prominent discourse that guides policy makers and impacts public perceptions of alcohol and drinking. This book maps the historical and cultural dimensions of the phenomenon. Emphasising medical attitudes and theories regarding alcohol and the changing perception of alcohol consumption in psychiatry and mental health, it explores the shift from the use of alcohol in clinical treatment and as part of dietary regimens to the emergence of alcoholism as a disease category that requires medical intervention and is considered a threat to public health. -- .

Turning down a drink isn't easy. Not only do you have to deal with your own desire for that chilled and glistening glass of white, you also have to tackle the: "Why aren't you drinking?" "Are you pregnant?" "Go on... just one!" And the worst one of all: "You're no fun without a drink!" Well here's the thing: you are fun! And this book shows you how and why you can still be the life and soul of the party, keep your friends, and be sober. Through a broad range of tips and tricks, you'll feel empowered to take on those trigger moments (stressful work day; challenging family life; break ups), as well as classic big occasions (the wedding toast; the bachelorette party; the Christmas lunch). Through the tips, you'll learn more about yourself (why you're giving up/cutting back), how to keep your relationships tight (with your partner, colleagues and friends) and ways to enjoy your new found sobriety, from understanding the benefit to your health to appreciating the improvement in your bank balance.

With an easy three-step plan, Mindful Drinking: How To Break Up With Alcohol is here to help the 64% of Brits who want to drink less without giving up completely. Discover how to cultivate a new, healthy and more mindful relationship with alcohol. Journalist Rosamund Dean combines scientific expertise with practical advice in a game-changing three step guide: The Problem, The Incentive, and The Plan. By following this guide you will learn the benefits of drinking less - drinking less will improve your mood, your skin, your sex-drive, your bank balance and your body as well as reduce stress and anxiety. Whether you are sober-curious, or just want to cut down - Mindful Drinking: How To Break Up With Alcohol shows not only why you should, but also how you can, in a way that will change your life forever. What readers have been saying about Mindful Drinking: How to Break Up With Alcohol: 'Brilliant book; realistic and creating real positive change' 'Would highly recommend for anyone who is concerned about the amount they drink, but doesn't want to completely stop.' 'A brilliantly straightforward and realistic approach to cutting down sensibly.' 'Really broke a cycle for me of just drinking every weekend.'

Growing up poor in an abusive home, Bob Beckel learned to be a survivor: to avoid conflict, mask his feelings, and to lie--all skills that served him well in Washington, where would become the youngest-ever Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and manage Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign. But Beckel was living a double life. On January 20, 2001--George W. Bush' second Inauguration Day--he hit rock bottom, waking up in the psych ward. Written with captivating honesty, Beckel chronicles how his addictions nearly killed him until he found help in an unexpected ally, conservative Cal Thomas, who helped him find faith and get his life back on track. Now sober, Beckel has been enjoying his life's surprise "second act" as a co-host of a breakout hit show on FOX News Channel, The Five.