Interesting Books
Books
We thought we could list some interesting reading for you here. If you have read a book or article or found an online document you think our visitors would be interested in, please send us the information via the contact us page and we will be happy to list it here:
What to Look for in Winter
Author: Candia McWilliam
If you want to read a gripping addict’s memoir, and you have not yet read this new book, then I strongly recommend Candia McWilliam’s What to Look for in Winter: A Memoir in Blindness. The book deals with this Scottish novelist’s failing eyesight, a result of blepherospasm, a condition which forces the eyelids shut. But she also tells, in parallel, the story of her alcoholism and subsequent recovery.
Alcoholics Anonymous – Big Book
Author: A.A. World Service
The Big Book-has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. First published in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease. With publication of the second edition in 1955, the third edition in 1976, and now the fourth edition in 2001, the essential recovery text has remained unchanged while personal stories have been added to reflect the growing and diverse fellowship. The long-awaited fourth edition features 24 new personal stories of recovery.
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Author: A.A. World Service
Originally published in 1952, this classic book is used by A.A. members and groups around the world. It lays out the principles by which A.A. members recover and by which the fellowship functions. The basic text clarifies the Steps which constitute the A.A. way of life and the Traditions, by which A.A. maintains its unity.
Daily Reflections: A Book of Reflections by A.A. Members for A.A. Members
Author: A.A. World Service
This volume had its beginning in an Advisory Action of the 1987 General Service Conference, and fulfils a long-felt need in the Fellowship for a collection of reflections that moves through the calendar year – one day at a time. At the top of each dated page is a quotation from such sources as Bill W. in “Alcoholics Anonymous, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, A.A. Comes of Age, As Bill Sees It, and The Best of Bill”; Dr. Bob from “Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers”; and other A.A. Conference-approved literature.
Following each quote is a personal reflection, by an individual A.A. member, on the quotation. The A.A. members selected are not professional writers, and speak, of course, not for the Fellowship but for themselves – one A.A. member writing to other A.A. members.
Living Sober
Author: A.A. World Service
An extremely informative book which does not offer a plan for getting sober but does offer us sound advice about how to stay sober. Basic, essential information from Alcoholics Anonymous. As the book states, “Anyone can get sober. . .the trick is to live sober.”
Living Sober
Author: John Coats
Drug addiction, alcoholism, anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, compulsive gambling, sex-addiction, compulsive overspending, smoking, compulsive overworking, compulsive risk-taking, compulsive helping and compulsive controlling are here discussed as among the many different manifestations of addictive disease.
These apparently disparate behaviours share the characteristics of being excessive, of being mood-altering and of having increasingly negative consequences in the lives of those who are enslaved to them. The damage caused by addictive disease usually extends to parents, partners, children, spouses, friends, relatives and colleagues.
Beat the Booze: A Comprehensive Guide to Combating Drink Problems in All Walks of Life
Author: Edmund Tirbutt, Helen Tirbutt
Reclaim your life Beat The Booze is an inspirational, easy to read and highly practical book aimed at those who wish to cut down or cut out alcohol and at those who wish to help someone else who has a drink problem. It can help both problem drinkers and individuals who wish to reduce their alcohol intake simply for lifestyle reasons, and contains all the assistance the authors could find from interviewing leading experts in the field of alcohol addiction and case studies who have successfully cut down their drinking or given up alcohol altogether. It includes many new and previously little publicised sources of help, and the Appendix contains contact details for a vast range of organisations that can provide professional help and further information.
Slaying the Addiction Monster – An All-Inclusive Look at Drug Addiction in America Today
Author: Sheryl Letzgus Mcginnis
This book is an in-depth look at the rampant drug epidemic in the USA. It includes personal interviews with leading cocaine researchers. Also included is advice from parents for other parents on how to cope with living with an addicted person. The book also takes you into the world of the drug addicted person and includes advice from children from beyond the grave, told by their parents’ recollection of events. The book offers signs to look for if you suspect your child is using drugs.
There is information on how to perform an Intervention and a compelling section on the Teen Brain. Also included are snippets from stories from I Am Your Disease (The Many Faces of Addiction), compelling synopses of the heartbreak experienced by the death of a beloved child. There is advice from NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) and the DEA and other agencies.
There is a section listing grief support websites, something that is sorely needed especially in the first awful days, weeks, months and years of mourning. Everything you need to know about addiction, grief, bereavement and mourning is included here. The book also offers a success story from one who has beaten the Addiction Monster. Keep it close by, you will refer to it often.
The Addiction Monster and the Square Cat
Author: Sheryl Letzgus Mcginnis
The Addiction Monster and the Square Cat informs children of the perils of drug abuse through a charming story told through the voice of Pumpkin, The Square Cat. Honest and real without being gruesome, SQUARE CAT can speak to juveniles from age 8-10 through the teenage years, and offer parents and teachers a launch-pad for discussion.
Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternative to Nagging, Pleading, and Threatening
Author: Robert J. Myers, Brenda L. Wolfe
Co-author Dr. Robert Meyers spent ten years developing a treatment program that helps Concerned Significant Others (CSOs) both improve the quality of their lives and to learn how to make treatment an attractive option for their partners who are substance abusers. Get Your Loved One Sober describes this multi-faceted program that uses supportive, non-confrontational methods to engage substance abusers into treatment. Called Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), the program uses scientifically validated behavioural principles to reduce the loved one’s substance use and to encourage him or her to seek treatment. Equally important, CRAFT also helps loved ones reduce personal stress and introduce meaningful, new sources of satisfaction into their life.
