Inspired by the 12-step saying, 'Life is simple, it's people who are complicated', Barb Rogers points out in "Keep It Simple and Sane" that it's pretty easy to tell ourselves lie upon lie as we explain away bad behaviour associated with drugs, alcohol, food, sex, work whatever, in an attempt to feel better about our complicated lies. And of course, we can't do anything to simplify our lives because we're too busy keeping up with our complicated lives, so we drink, smoke, or shoot, to seek release in inappropriate ways to relieve the complications. But we never do. Through the telling of her own story and those of fellow travellers, Rogers encourages readers to wait, stop, and hold the phone!Start with Mentally Simple (the opposite of Stinking Thinking) and just do it. Start small. 'Grab a mental flashlight' and follow her lead to discover what you were thinking and how you might think differently. Offering 24 simple ideas in four sections (mind, emotions, spirituality, physicality), along with strategies and exercises to introduce them into your daily life, this book is for people on the simple path to wellness, for people who simply want to take charge - to change the things they can change, accept the things they cannot change, and learn to know the difference without an operatic, addictive song and dance.

Barb Rogersa book begins with the tragic death of her teenage son, Jon, and delves into the horror that was her life to that point. Due to a home life fraught with substance and emotional abuse, Barb found herself bottomed out more than once, and homeless along the way.
aWhen asked in early recovery if I knew any prayers, the one I could think of was the childas nighttime prayer, aNow I lay me down to sleep.a As I thought of it, I recalled the long nights when I simply wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.a
Barb learned most of her life lessons through pain, tragedy, and addiction. This is not a glamorous book, it is real and it is raw. It is not about survival of the fittest, but the weak, the hopeless, the helpless, the truly addicted, not only to substances, but to drama, anger, excuses, and justifications.
She describes how she got to her lowest point, just what it was, and how and why she finally reached out to a 12-step program for help. She shows the reader what itas really like to survive, to stay clean and sober, and find a way to the other side. Recovery was one of the most difficult things she ever did, but aworth every effort I put out.a
Barb Rogers would be the first to tell you sheas not special--sheas led a hard life, and she tells her story well and with humor--readers--addicts or not, but especially addicts--are going to find the kind of gritty inspiration, that if Barb can do it so can they, that will inspire life changes.

Working a 12-step program helps keep many recovering addicts and alcoholics sober, but not necessarily happy. They are often left with unresolved feelings of fear, anger, and grief about their lives.

"Addiction and Grief" looks at the emotional "bottom" of recovery. Just as one needs to hit bottom with drinking or using in order to begin recovery, eventually one will also hit an emotional bottom of fear, anger, and grief.

Recovery author Barb Rogers challenges readers in recovery to investigate the unresolved grief and loss in their lives; negative emotions that can lead back to using if not resolved.

She begins with a "Grief" list, that helps readers understand where, when, and how fear and anger took control of their lives; then she asks a set of questions to identify how these negative emotions continue to hold them back in recovery.

"Addiction and Grief" shows that authentic recovery is more than an attitude; it is based on emotional work that involves an honest appraisal of one's life, and the willingness to change.

Enter the fascinating world of conversion costuming! Make your own theatrical costumes for less than a day's rental price and make them your way without any conventional sewing using patterns. Included in this book are more than 110 ingenious costume designs with photos and diagrams. Great costumes for standard theatrical characters like: Princess, Prince, Clown, Devil, Witch, Medieval Lady, Elves, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Pinocchio and many more. Also, costumes for the leading characters in popular shows: Camelot, Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, King and I, Pirates of Penzance and more. These conversion ideas will save you time, money and deadline disasters and give you precisely the costume you want. Section headings: Materials, Theatrical Costumes, Christmas Costumes, Storybook Costumes, Quick and Easy Costumes, Appendix.

Why spend a small fortune to rent expensive period costumes when you can create them yourself for less than a day's rental price? Make them the easy way from cast-offs without sewing! Included in this book are over 65 ingenious costumes designs with photos and diagrams for many period characters from Egyptian, Greek and Roman all the way to Punk. These conversion costuming ideas will save you time, money and deadline disasters and give you precisely the costume you want. Sample section headings: Gothic, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Restoration, Old West, Bustle, Turn-of-the Century, WWI, '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s.

Transform common people into superheroes, movie stars, knights, witches -- whatever illusion you want to create. Creative costuming is all in the details. One garment can take on many totally different looks depending on how you accessorize it. Over the years Barb Rogers has learned all the tricks about how anyone can turn leftover clothing into fabulous costumes. This book's numerous drawings explain in detail the costuming process of "turning straw into gold." It shows you how to design illusions that you never thought possible. Yes, you can easily do all this -- and at a minimum expense! This is another Barb Rogers "must have" book for your library of costume ideas.

Barb Rogers has been clean and sober for a long time. And she knows that doesn't make a difference. What makes a difference is that she's clean and sober today. Much of Barb's time goes to conducting meetings and to writing about a simple programme that she and countless men and women around the world credit with not only saving their lives, but helping them reclaim or claim for the first time peace, serenity, and happiness. So what is this programme that people love and praise or loathe and fear? That they avoid or come back to time and time again? Rogers begins by asking, rhetorically: a cult? a curse? a cure? None of the above, though it may feel like it to the addict and his or her family and friends. Rogers speculates that the programme works, at least in part, because it applies to anyone with any kind of addiction problem - pointing out that it's only in Step 1 that people name what they are powerless over - alcohol, marijuana, food, etc. It works because it's ongoing. It works because of its dual focus inward and outward. It works because people recognize that their lives are better for it. It is, as the saying goes, simple, but not always easy. There is no perfection, there is no process, there is only walking the talk, one day at a time.