Overcoming Problematic Alcohol and Drug Use is a workbook for use with clients in treatment, informed by the most current research and literature in the substance abuse field. Offering a field-tested alternative to the disease model of addiction, the book introduces a six-session curriculum for treating persons with substance abuse issues and can be used as a self-help resource for persons with substance abuse issues, or as a practice guide for human service professionals. Drawing on years of research on cognitive-behavioral therapy, the stages of change model, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused therapy, the author has put together a comprehensive and effective guide to change.The book provides up-to-date information and interventions for treatment, as well as questions for thought and personal reflection, specific and concrete examples, and session assignments and worksheets to assist in the implementation of change. Readers are encouraged to put the information they learn into active practice, in order to set personalized goals and implement strategies that are proven to work. The combination of research-based approaches makes this workbook unique and easily adaptable for individual use or as a curriculum for treatment. Both those seeking help for alcohol or drug problems and counselors looking for resources to enhance clinical effectiveness with their clients will find this to be an invaluable guide.

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.

A member of the USA's stellar 1984 Olympic boxing team, Paul Banke then scaled the heights as a professional to become world champion in 1990. Unfortunately, throughout his career, he was at the mercy of his secret mistress - drugs. As part of the celebrity slipstream, Banke often had free access to heroin, crystal meth and cocaine. Best remembered for his epic trilogy with Daniel Zaragoza, drugs overtook him and Banke soon became a forgotten champion. Shortly after retiring in 1993, he was homeless and destitute. Having not eaten for three days, Banke found himself lying in a dumpster in Vegas, ecstatic at finding a partially consumed cheeseburger. Arrested for grand theft auto in 1995 he was urged in jail to take an HIV test, due to sharing needles. He had contracted full-blown AIDS. Miraculously, after three decades of drug abuse, Banke turned his life around in September 2014 and became clean and sober. Now once again warmly embraced by the boxing fraternity, he shares his story to inspire and deter those on a similar path.

Living Sober in an Industry Ravaged by Addiction

As a child, Steve Palmer never belonged―not in school, not in his troubled home, not with friends. After his father and grandfather passed away, he was sent to a series of rehabs and halfway houses before ending up on the streets. Drugs and alcohol soon became a way of life. Eventually, he would go on to a career running some of the country’s most celebrated and innovative fine dining establishments. But first, he had to learn how to be sober in an industry awash with alcohol and drugs. Thanks to coworkers that were able to love him when he couldn’t love himself, Steve got sober. He escaped addiction alive. Many in the industry do not. No other industry has higher rates of alcohol and drug abuse. People are losing careers and families. They’re losing their health. They’re losing their lives. This is the story of one man who found healing and recovery in the industry that enabled his addiction―and he’s on a quest to help others do the same.

Since 1954, Twenty-Four Hours a Day has become a stable force in the recovery of many alcoholics throughout the world. With over nine million copies in print (the original text has been revised), this "little black book" offers daily thoughts, meditations, and prayers for living a clean and sober life. A spiritual resource with practical applications to fit our daily lives.

"For yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision" is part of the Sanskrit proverb quoted at the beginning of the book which has become one of the basic building blocks for a life of sobriety. In addition to a thought, meditation and prayer for each day of the year, this handy, pocket-sized volume also contains the Serenity Prayer and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.

It is a simple, yet effective way to help us relate the Twelve Steps to everyday life and helps us find the power not to take that first drink each day.

The phenomenon of "legal cannabis" is instigating a great deal of new research, political intrigue, and social change. The Politics of Marijuana: A New Paradigm explores the socio-political dimensions of cannabis as the world transitions from Harry Anslinger's Reefer Madness prohibition to an as-yet-to-be-defined future. This book brings together a wide variety of perspectives on the past, present, and fast-changing future of cannabis.

Do you feel trapped by alcohol?
Do you find yourself thinking about drinking too often?
Do you put alcohol ahead of the most important things in your life?

If so - here's some good news. You can quit drinking, and it's not as difficult as you think.

Simon Chapple is a Certified Alcohol Coach who has helped thousands of people change the way that alcohol features in their lives. In How to Quit Drinking in 50 Days he'll give you a structured way to find complete freedom from alcohol - for now, or forever.

This 50-day journey to freedom is split into two parts. Days 1-25 will ask you to take an honest look at the impact alcohol has had on your life, to examine the reasons for your drinking, and will arm you with the best strategy for quitting alcohol successfully. Days 26-50 will ask you to make the commitment to taking a break from alcohol - taking each step with one chapter a day, and answering the questions that come up.

There are strategies for dealing with challenges and setbacks, and a wealth of resources for finding support and inspiration. Above all, there is a genuine passion for the sober adventure, and the huge rewards of an alcohol-free life - a life of freedom that's waiting for you.

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)

At the age of 44, renowned comedian Richard Lewis found himself on a gurney in the ER, toxic with alcohol, and hallucinating from excess cocaine use. The same neuroses and dysfunctions that had been the basis for his successful stage persona and inspired his best material had, it seemed, turned on him.
How he got there, how he finally got on the road to recovery, and how he copes with being Richard Lewis sober on a daily basis are the subjects of this very funny, deeply honest, inspiring, but very untreacly book. "USA Today" called it "candid and inspirational.... A journey through Lewis' personal Inferno to eventual salvation."

The Message in the Bottle helps those who feel alone in their struggle with the drinker in their life find peace and hope. Is the drinker in your life making you crazy? Do you find that your thoughts and free time are consumed by ideas and plans to fix things so they won't want to drink? Do you feel like you can't talk with anyone about what's really going on, because they won't get it or because you can't believe the situation you're in? Stephanie McAuliffe shares her journey of growing up in a family where cocktails started by 5:00 p.m. She reveals her marriages to two alcoholics, and shows how she navigated life being surrounded by alcohol and alcoholics-and broke an unhealthy family cycle that went back at least four generations. Full of stories of survival, The Message in the Bottle is packed with support to help children and spouses of alcoholics find peace amidst the chaos.

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.

Should marijuana be legalized? Since 2012 four US states have legalized commercial for-profit marijuana production and use, while Washington DC has legalized possession, growth and gifting of limited amounts of the plant. Other states, and even cities, have decriminalized possession, allowed for medical use, or reduced possession to a misdemeanor. While marijuana is forbidden by international treaties and by national and local laws across the globe, polls show that public support for legalization has continued to increase steadily over time. So why does the issue of marijuana legalization continue to be so controversial? One short answer is that it is an extremely complicated business, with approaches toward legalization just within the United States varying widely. What's more, not all supporters of "legalization " agree on what it is they want to legalize: Just using marijuana? Growing it? Selling it? Advertising it? If sales are to be legal, what regulations and taxes should apply? Different forms of legalization have demonstrated very different results. This second edition of Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know (R) provides readers with a non-partisan primer covering everything from the risks and benefits of using marijuana to what is happening with marijuana policy in the United States and abroad. The authors discuss the costs and benefits of legalization at the state and national levels and explore the "middle ground " of policy options between prohibition and commercialized production. The book also considers the personal impact of marijuana legalization on parents, heavy users, medical users, employers, and even drug traffickers.

"The Pastoral Clinic" takes us on a penetrating journey into an iconic Western landscape - northern New Mexico's Espanola Valley, home to the highest rate of heroin addiction and fatal overdoses in the United States. In a luminous narrative, Angela Garcia chronicles the lives of several Hispano addicts, introducing us to the intimate, physical, and institutional dependencies in which they are entangled. We discover how history pervades this region that has endured centuries of material and cultural dispossession, and we come to see its heroin problem as a contemporary expression of these conditions, as well as a manifestation of the human desire to be released from them. Lyrically evoking the Espanola Valley and its residents through conversations, encounters, and recollections, "The Pastoral Clinic" is at once a devastating portrait of addiction, a rich ethnography of place, and an eloquent call for a new ethics of care.