Addiction & Recovery: Books

A groundbreaking, "timely and well-written" (Booklist, starred review) guide to addiction from a psychiatrist and public health doctor, offering practical, proven solutions for individuals, families, and communities dealing with substance use and abuse. Written with warmth, accessibility, and vast authority, The Addiction Solution is a practical guide through the world of drug use and abuse and addiction treatment. Here, Lloyd I. Sederer, MD, brings together scientific and clinical knowledge, policy suggestions, and case studies to describe our current drug crisis and establish a clear path forward to recovery and health. In a time when so many people are affected by the addiction epidemic, when 142 people die of overdoses every day in the United States, principally from opioids, Sederer's decades of wisdom and clinical experience are needed more than ever before. With a timely focus on opioids, Sederer takes us through the proven essentials of addiction treatment and explains why so many of our current policies, like the lingering remnants of the War on Drugs, fail to help drug users, their families, and their wider communities. He identifies a key insight, often overlooked in popular and professional writing about addiction and its treatment: namely, that people who use drugs do so to meet specific needs, and that drugs may be the best solution those people currently have. Writing with generosity and empathy about the many Americans who use illicit and prescribed substances, Sederer lays out specific, evidence-based, researched solutions to the prevention and problems of drug use, including exercise, medications, therapy, recovery programs, and community services. "Comprehensive...well-informed and accessible" (Kirkus Reviews), The Addiction Solution provides invaluable help, comfort, and hope.

A groundbreaking, science-based approach to addiction that addresses it as the chronic brain disease it is and offersa proven lifelong treatment plan. In The Anatomy of Addiction , readers will discover information and advice on: - normal vs. problem drinking - new medications that are now available - medical and psychiatric complications of different addictions - the importance of treaing a dual diagnosis (such as addiction and borderline personality disorder or depression) - maintenance therapy - when and how to seek treatment, and the roles family members should play - effective strategies for treating the teenage addict - inpatient and outpatient treament services Using proven research and methods, top addiction professional Akikur Mohammad, MD, addresses how to understand and treat multiple types of addiction, from heroin and opiates to alcohol and prescription pills. As engaging as it is informative, The Anatomy of Addiction is a crucial, science-based action plan to help addicts—and their families, friends, and caregivers—conquer addiction once and for all.

Everyone suffers when there's an addict in the family. Written by an expert in alcohol and drug addiction and recovery, this no-nonsense guide will help you understand the causes of addiction, end enabling behaviors, support your loved one's recovery, and learn how to cope with relapses. If you're the family member of an addict, you may feel confused, guilty, and scared of doing the wrong thing. And when you don't know how to help, you may find yourself in a codependent role, trying so hard to keep your addicted loved one alive, out of jail, or emotionally appeased that you may actually prevent them from realizing they need help. Drawing on her own personal experience with her brother's addiction, Addict in the House offers a pragmatic, step-by-step guide to dealing with a loved one's addiction, from accepting the reality of the disease to surviving what may be repeated cycles of recovery and relapse. You'll learn how to encourage your addicted loved one to get help without forcing it, and finally find the strength to let go of codependence. With this revealing and straightforward book, you'll have the support you need to take an honest look at how addiction has affected the family, cope with the emotional hurdles of having an addicted family member, create and maintain firm boundaries, and make informed decisions about how to best help your loved one.

An inclusive, research-based guide to working the 12 steps: a trauma-informed approach for clinicians, sponsors, and those in recovery. Step 1: You admit that you're powerless over your addiction. Now what? 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) have helped countless people on the path to recovery. But many still feel that 12-step programs aren't for them: that the spiritual emphasis is too narrow, the modality too old-school, the setting too triggering, or the space too exclusive. Some struggle with an addict label that can eclipse the histories, traumas, and experiences that feed into addiction, or dismisses the effects of adverse experiences like trauma in the first place. Advances in addiction medicine, trauma, neuropsychiatry, social theory, and overall strides in inclusivity need to be integrated into modern-day 12-step programs to reflect the latest research and what it means to live with an addiction today. Dr. Jamie Marich, an addiction and trauma clinician in recovery herself, builds necessary bridges between the 12-step's core foundations and up-to-date developments in trauma-informed care. Foregrounding the intersections of addiction, trauma, identity, and systems of oppression, Marich's approach treats the whole person—not just the addiction—to foster healing, transformation, and growth.

If you are struggling to help a loved one recover from addiction--and to cope with the devastating impact on the whole family--you are not alone. But until now, there has been no single book that gives the millions of families like yours the comprehensive, unbiased information you need. This expertly written guide addresses the painful questions that spouses, parents, and grown children face every day. Why do addicts make such bad choices? How can you find (and afford) treatment that works--and convince your loved one to try it? Can relapse be prevented? When does being supportive cross the line to enabling? Providing science-based answers and resources, the authors cover crucial emotional, financial, and legal issues that simply aren't discussed in other books. The more your family knows about the myths and realities of addiction, the better equipped you will be to overcome it.

Circuit Breaking presents a paradigm shift from traditional forensic and medical treatments for psychoactive substance abuse. This new paradigm teaches therapists and students that a three-stage neurocircuitry of psychoactive substance abuse is the etiological cause of psychoactive substance abuse. Therapists learn how to teach people in treatment to change neurocircuitry within their brains enabling a sustained and successful recovery. This neuroscience-informed, non-disease-oriented treatment approach, inspired by evidence-based research, indicates that positive neuroplastic changes within one's brain and cognitive change within one's mind creates an opportunity for people to cease abusing psychoactive substances. An example of improper and moralistic treatment for impoverished people and people of color occurs when jail or prison becomes their treatment. For middle and upper-class people, mental health practitioners ascribing to the medical model view them as having a disease that causes their abuse of psychoactive substances. These people are propagandized that they have a lifelong chronic illness needing episodic stays in rehab facilities, intensive outpatient treatment programs, detox facilities, and/or attendance in 12-step programs. Circuit Breaking provides a step-by-step guide on how to track daily frequencies of wanting (craving) to reveal activity of an underlying three-stage neurocircuitry of psychoactive substance abuse. By combining cognitive-behavioral interventions, mindfulness-based interventions, brief motivational interviewing techniques, and harm reduction interventions a therapist enables people to learn how to achieve a recovery process that culminates in being recovered. This occurs by extinguishing the underly neurocircuitry driving abuse of psychoactive substances. Using this integrative approach, therapists select techniques and interventions based on individual needs rather than a generic psychotherapeutic approach applied equally to all people being treated. Case vignettes throughout Circuit Breaking show the various ways different people experience neuroscience-informed psychotherapy and harm reduction interventions.

An eye-opening tour of the addiction treatment industry explores the gap between what should happen and what does. What happens inside drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and how rehab works are a mystery to those outside the industry - and sometimes even to those inside it. Anne M. Fletcher is a trusted New York Times bestselling health and medical writer who visited 15 addiction treatment centers--from outpatient programs for the indigent to famous celebrity rehabs; from the sites of renowned Twelve-Step centers to several unconventional programs--to find out what really happens. What she reveals ranges from inspirational to irresponsible, and, in some cases, potentially dangerous. Real Stories: As always with her books, Fletcher gets the inside story by turning to real people who "have been there," interviewing more than 100 individuals whose compelling stories illustrate serious issues facing people in rehab and endemic in the rehab industry today. Connected Writer and Researcher who has earned the respect (and cooperation) of experts throughout the fields she's taken on. Inside Rehab is no exception--Fletcher has interviewed more than 100 professionals working in the field, including a mix of rehab staffers and administrators as well as leading academics. Rehab is constantly covered in the media, as celebrities battle their drug and alcohol issues in the spotlight and reality TV puts recovery in prime time. Addiction is no longer only a personal struggle--it's a pop culture phenomenon. Myth Busting: Fletcher exposes twelve supposed facts for the falsehoods they are, including "rehab is necessary for most people to recover from addictions;" "highly trained professionals provide most of the treatment in addiction programs;" and "drugs should not be used to treat a drug addict." Fletcher's most important finding is the alarming discrepancy between the treatments being employed at many rehab centers and the treatments recommended by leading experts and supported by scientific research. Guidance and Practical Solutions: Inside Rehab also highlights what is working, spotlights state-of-the-art programs and practices, and offers advice and guidance for people seeking quality care and treatment for themselves or those they care about. Inside Rehab is the first book to give readers a thoughtful, sensitive, and bracingly honest insider's view of the drug and alcohol rehab industry in America. For people seeking quality care for themselves or a loved one, Inside Rehab is essential reading, offering a wealth of accurate information and wise guidance.

With drug education for children more important than ever, this nonfiction book draws on the experiences of the NY Times bestselling father/son team of David and Nic Sheff to provide all the information teens and tweens need to know about drugs, alcohol, and addiction. From David Sheff, author of Beautiful Boy (2008), and Nic Sheff, author of Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines (2008), comes the ultimate resource for learning about the realities of drugs and alcohol for middle grade readers. This book tells it as it is, with testimonials from peers who have been there and families who have lived through the addiction of a loved one, along with the cold, hard facts about what drugs and alcohol do to our bodies. From how to navigate peer pressure to outlets for stress to the potential consequences for experimenting, Nic and David Sheff lay out the facts so that middle grade readers can educate themselves.

Don't Forget Me is a survival manual and a lifeline for those whose lives have been touched by substance use and addiction. With the pervasiveness of drugs today and death by overdose as the leading cause of death for people under 50 in the US, almost everyone has been directly or indirectly affected by this drug epidemic. Loving someone with substance abuse can be terrifying. Steve Grant shares what he learned during his own difficult journey to encourage and guide other parents who are living with children who are struggling with substance abuse. Don't Forget Me tells the story of Steve's two sons, Chris and Kelly, who took distinctly different paths to the same outcome: death by overdose. Steve reveals not only a highlight reel of the things he got right but takes an honest look at the mistakes he made along the way to help other parents avoid those same mistakes. Don't Forget Me offers time-tested, practical suggestions to assure family members of those struggling with substance abuse they have not lost their mind and encourages them to find hope--even on the darkest days.

An authoritative, illuminating and deeply humane history of addiction -- by a therapist who has reached the depths of addiction himself. Even in the midst of a period of staggering drug abuse that we can confidently call a crisis, questions about the fundamental nature of addiction, its origins, and its ideal treatments abound. This absence of consensus is the latest plotted point on a centuries-old historical arc: as humans have struggled to define, treat, and control addictive behaviour, stigma and controversy have been the only constants. With uncommon empathy and erudition, Carl Erik Fisher draws on his own experience as both a psychiatrist of addiction and a recovering alcoholic as he traces the history of a phenomenon that, centuries on, we hardly appear closer to defining -- let alone addressing responsibly. A rich, sweeping history that probes not only medicine and science but also policy, literature, religion, and sociology, A War Within illuminates the extent to which the story of addiction has persistently reflected broader questions of what it means to be human and to take care of one another. Fisher introduces us the physicians, activists, politicians, researchers, and writers who have struggled to understand and solve this complex condition. He also examines the treatments and strategies that have produced positive results for many addicts -- himself included -- lighting the way forward for those whose lives addiction threatens to destroy. A War Within is at once an eye-opening history of ideas, a riveting personal story of addiction and recovery, and a clinician's impassioned call for a more expansive, nuanced view of one of society's most intractable challenges.

Assess, Rebuild, Connect is the comprehensive resource that guides individuals and their loved ones through the three phases of addiction recovery and into a life of sustained sobriety. Featuring reflection questions and room for written responses, plus real-life success stories to inspire and encourage, Assess, Rebuild, Connect provides a trusted companion through pre-treatment, treatment, and aftercare. Readers will be empowered to: ASSESS their issues and obstacles and set realistic expectations about the journey ahead. REBUILD the most important parts of their lives: trust in themselves and in the process; self-respect and confidence; and coping skills for tasks such as finding a safe place to life, getting a job, or returning to school. CONNECT with the real world outside of addiction, repairing relationships and managing the challenges of maintaining lifelong sobriety. Based on decades of clinical experience, Assess, Rebuild, Connect is a down-to-earth tool for creating a new life beyond addiction--the life everyone deserves.

Isn't it time you got off the diet treadmill? In The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook, physician Carolyn Coker Ross offers the proven-effective Anchor Program to help you curb cravings, end body dissatisfaction, manage stress and emotions without food, and truly satisfy your soul. When it comes to addiction, abstinence isn't always the answer--and with food addiction, this is especially true. And yet, for decades nutritional experts have dissected the problem of obesity, and the result has been a series of recommendations about what and how much to eat. When "eating too much fat" was thought to cause obesity, grocery store shelves exploded with low-fat products. Next came the low carb craze that led us to fear eating all carbohydrates, and with it came another assortment of fad products and diets. This pattern has repeated numerous times--and it never seems to be helpful! If you're struggling with obesity or food addiction, you've probably been told that you must deprive yourself of certain foods in order to lose weight. You may have also been convinced--by the media and by our culture--that if you finally become thin your life will be better, you'll be happier, and your suffering will come to an end. The problem is--it's not all about the food. It's about how food is used to self-soothe, to numb ourselves against the pain of living or to cope with stress and unresolved emotions. Even as your waist whittles away, the problems that caused your food addiction won't disappear. The Anchor Program approach detailed in this workbook is not about dieting. It's about being anchored to your true, authentic self. When you find your unique anchor, you will relate better to your body, you will know intuitively how to feed your body, and you will reach the weight that's right for you. Anyone who's been on the diet treadmill--losing and regaining lost weight--will admit that losing weight doesn't instantly bring health or happiness. That's because losing weight is a red herring for the real issue, the misuse of food to solve a problem that has nothing to do with food. This book offers a whole-person approach that blends practical information on managing stress and regulating emotions without relying on food. If you're ready to uncover the true cause of your food addiction, you'll finally be able to embrace a balanced diet and reach the weight that's right for you.

This evidence-based, user-friendly guide presents a 30-day digital detox plan that will help you set boundaries with your phone and live a more joyful and fulfilling life. Do you feel addicted to your phone? Do you frequently pick it up "just to check," only to look up forty-five minutes later wondering where the time has gone? Does social media make you anxious? Have you tried to spend less time mindlessly scrolling--and failed? If so, this book is your solution. Award-winning health and science journalist and TED speaker Catherine Price presents a practical, evidence-based 30-day digital detox plan that will help you break up--and then make up--with your phone. The goal: better mental health, improved screen-life balance, and a long-term relationship with technology that feels good. This engaging, user-friendly guide explains how our smartphones and apps are designed to be addictive and how the time we spend on them is increasing our anxiety and damaging our abilities to focus, think deeply, form new memories, generate ideas, and be present in our most important relationships. Next, it walks you through an effective and easy-to-follow 30-day plan that has already helped thousands of people worldwide break their phone addictions and feel more fully alive. Whether you need help for yourself or for your family, friends, students, colleagues, clients, or community, How to Break Up with Your Phone is the ultimate guide to digital detoxing. It's guaranteed to help you put down your phone--and come back to life.

Mindfulness is a quality of attention that combines full awareness with acceptance of each moment, just as it is. Mindfulness is tremendously useful in the addiction recovery process, Dr. Lawrence Peltz explains, because at the heart of addiction is the fear of painful emotional states-addicts compulsively seek drugs and alcohol to avoid or escape emotional pain. Mindfulness, on the other hand, helps us develop greater acceptance and ease with life's challenges, as well as greater self-compassion. Drawing on his experience as an addiction psychiatrist and on the techniques of mindfulness-based stress reduction, Dr. Peltz, who is the medical director of the Bournewood Caulfield Center, a drug and alcohol treatment facility in Woburn, Massachusetts, has written an informative and inspiring book about how mindfulness can be a critical component in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. This book is for recovering addicts, their families, and the professionals who treat them. It explores the fundamental dynamics of addiction and the stages of the recovery process, including patient stories. Dr. Peltz also explains what mindfulness is and how to use it to support recovery, including practical exercises and techniques. He reviews the recent scientific research on the benefits of mindfulness for mental health in general and for addiction recovery specifically.

If you're recovering from addiction, The Gift of Recovery offers quick, in-the-moment tips and tricks to help you cope with daily stress and stay firmly on the path to wellness. With this gentle, easy-to-use guide, you’ll learn how to navigate relationships, take time for self-care, and build a mindful, sustainable, and joyful recovery. Deciding to get help for addiction is the first step toward recovery. But addiction recovery doesn’t happen all at once—it’s something that must be worked for, every day. Sometimes, it will be easy. When things are going well, you may not be tempted to give in to your cravings. But when life is stressful, you’ll need strategies to help you cope. Written by the authors of The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction, this on-the-go mindfulness guide offers fifty-two powerful and effective meditations to help you manage the stress, depression, and strong emotions that can get in the way of a full and lasting recovery. You’ll also find skills based in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you stay grounded, as well as links to online resources. Deciding to overcome an addiction can feel like leaving a relationship. It’s hard and sometimes lonely—but it is truly an act of courage. This book will help guide you as you continue making courageous steps toward peace, joy, and fulfillment.

The Recovery Book provides a direct and easy-to-follow road map to every step in the recovery process, from the momentous decision to quit to the emotional, physical, and spiritual issues that arise along the way. Its comprehensive and effective advice speaks to people with addiction, their loved ones, and addiction professionals who need a proven, trusted resource and a supportive voice. This new edition features the revolutionary Recovery Zone System, which divides a life in recovery into three chronological zones and provides guidance on exactly what to do in each zone. First is the Red Zone, where the reader is encouraged to stop everything, activate their recovery and save their life. Next is the Yellow Zone, where the reader can begin to rebuild a life that was torn apart by addiction. Finally, the reader reaches the Green Zone, where they can enjoy a life of recovery and help others. And the Recovery Zone ReCheck is a simple and effective relapse prevention tool. The Recovery Zone System works hand-in-hand with the 12-step philosophy and all other recovery methods. The Recovery Book covers new knowledge about addiction mechanisms and neuroplasticity, explaining how alcohol and drugs alter the brain. The authors outline a simple daily practice, called TAMERS, that helps people to use those same processes to "remold their brains" around recovery, eventually making sobriety a routine way of life. Written by Al J. Mooney, M.D., a recovery activist who speaks internationally on recovery, and health journalists Catherine Dold and Howard Eisenberg, The Recovery Book covers all the latest in addiction science and recovery methods. In 26 chapters and over 600 pages, The Recovery Book tackles issues such as: ·Committing to Recovery: Identifying and accepting the problem; deciding to get sober. ·Treatment Options: Extensive information on current options and how to choose a program. ·AA and other 12-Step Fellowships: How to get involved in a mutual-support group. ·Addiction Science and Neuroplasticity: How alcohol and drugs alter pathways in the brain, and how to remold the brain around recovery. ·Relapse Prevention: The Recovery Zone ReCheck, a simple new technique to anticipate and avoid relapses. ·Rebuilding Your Life: How to handle relationships, socializing, work, education, and finances. ·Physical and Mental Health: Tips for getting healthy and handling common ailments. ·Pain Control: How to deal with pain in recovery and avoid a relapse if you need pain control for medical care. ·Family and Friends: How to help a loved one with addiction, and how to help yourself. ·Raising Substance-Free Kids: How to "addiction-proof" your child. ·The Epidemic of Prescription Drugs: Now a bigger problem than illegal drugs. The Recovery Book will help millions gain control of their mind, their body, their life, and their happiness.

Recovering addicts are faced with many challenges, and these challenges can often extend to their romantic partners. During the recovery period, couples often struggle with overcoming feelings of betrayal and frustration, and may have a hard time rebuilding trust and closeness. While there are many resources available to recovering addicts, there are limited resources for the people who love them. In Loving Someone in Recovery, therapist Beverly Berg offers powerful tools for the partners of recovering addicts. Based in mindfulness, attachment theory, and neurobiology, this book will help readers sustain emotional stability in their relationships, increase effective communication, establish boundaries, and take real steps toward reigniting intimacy. The material in this book is drawn from the author's successful Conscious Couples Recovery Workshop. With more than 25 years in the field, she has developed a unique set of exercises that address the issues faced by couples in recovery. This book addresses the roles that both partners play in recovery, and aims to help readers develop a new appreciation for one another and improve self-confidence and acceptance. The road to recovery is never an easy one, but by building a strong support system, the chances of success are exponentially greater. For more information on Berg's work, visit consciouscouplesrecovery.com