If addicted to a drug or alcohol, one probably doesn't want to face the reality of it even when they know, deep inside, that they are. The shame and guilt associated by not being able to stop is due to society's perception that an addiction is a character disorder. This is because of all of the crazy things people say and do when under the influence. They are not their real self. They are their drugged selves. Their thoughts and behaviors are those they wouldn't have if their brains hadn't been drugged all these years. Every person who has had an addiction has fully believed that if their use was causing problems, they could stop drinking or using on their own. What they eventually realize, if they haven't died first, is that while everyone else could see the problems, they could not. And now it has progressed to the point that there is no stopping without a specific plan that consists of more than, "I can do this on my own." This is not a stand-alone program for recovery. It serves to set the stage for getting started and taking control of one's life. Leave Me Alone - I Don't Have An Addiction is a starter kit for those who have the mind-set that they can stop drinking/using on their own. It is direct and full of Reality Points designed to get the reader to face facts and the truth about their addiction. It offers several steps and directives to get the addict/alcoholic on the road to recovery.

Choice Theory takes a look at the abuser/addict's behavior and deals with the client's unhappiness as the cause of their use and reliance on a substance to deal with stress and unwanted emotions. Constant use ultimately leads to eventual dependence as a result of the body's adjustment to living with a drug that is continuously being introduced into the body and brain. Michael emphatically states: "A mental illness? NO A character disorder? Not a chance Substance abuse/dependence is no more than an individual's desire to satisfy an uncomfortable situation with a more comfortable state of mind, physically and mentally, and as a result, the body has become accustomed to it and has adjusted to it's prevalence in the body and brain." The Choice Theory approach deals with creating new or reconnecting relationships with the important people in one's life as well as learning new methods to deal with unhappiness instead of trying to satisfy it with short term pleasure from a drug.

For the most part, unhappiness is the result of not having the relationship that you want to have with the important people in your life. It has nothing to do with a chemical imbalance of the brain as claimed by TV advertising, doctors, or psychiatrists. No medical tests exist that can determine if there is a chemical imbalance in your brain. Happiness is Just a Bowl of Choices will help you understand the manner in which your brain functions; why you experience unhappiness; and how you can be your own therapist to resolve your unhappiness without the use of brain drugs. You will discover three choices to resolve your unhappiness, any one of which will lead you to happiness. This is a book is about mental health and not mental illness and what you can do to help yourself acquire and maintain happiness in your life.

Getting along with others, especially the important people in our life has the ability to bring happiness to our lives, to end wars before they even start; to maintain a two parent home for our children; and to put a serious damper on crimes committed against others. This is a book on how to establish relationships and maintain them. By improving the quality of the relationships with those important in your life, you can overcome most of the conflict that you will experience in your day to day contact them and as a byproduct you will enjoy happiness.