Book Description
This companion book to the HBO documentary of the same namesheds light on the hidden American epidemic of addiction. Blendingcompelling personal narratives with statistics and expert opinion, allgleaned from over two years of research and reporting, ADDICTION offers acomprehensive and provocative look at the impact of chemical dependency onaddicts, their loved ones, society, and the economy. Breaking the stigmathat addicts are simply weak and immoral, it delves into new brain researchproving that drugs and alcohol change the chemical composition of addicts'brains, making it veritably impossible for them to quit. The nation's topexperts persuasively argue that the time has come for the blame to stop andthe healing to begin.

ADDICTION also features material not included in the documentary:testimonials, original graphics and images, additional elaboration ontheories and treatments of addiction, and more. Featuring a foreword bySheila Nevins, the president of Documentary and Family Programming at HBO,an afterward by the best-selling author Susan Cheever, and the writing ofDavid Sheff, this book is essential reading for anyone who has beenimpacted by what is now realized to be a very real and widespread disease. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent Book!! Highly recommended!!
The book reviews the newest treatments of a really complex disorder. It also has some of the most recognized experts that work with addiction. It helps you understand addiction and it is a great source to help addicts.

Very educational
This book was very informative and educational.I even earmarked a couple pages that I will reference in the future.Highly recommended for anyone who is looking to understand substance addiction, it's causes, effects and treatment options.

Highly recommended.

You'll understand that addict and know what to do!
This book and DVD set were so informativeand they help the person or persons that have an addict in their life understand the decisions that the addicts make.

Does this documentary come in VHS Video?Addiction:Why Can't They Just Stop
If possible, I need to order (1) copy of the old VHS Video cassette in"Addiction:Why Can't They Just Stop".

Please e-mail me if available.

Thank you for an opportunity to respond.

very good information
Very good information given in a simple way.Important for anybody who needs to know facts about this disease. ... Read more

Book Description
A step-by step personal recovery program that works. The authors describe the addiction process, its effects, and the recovery process. Includes positive real-life stories from members of Cocaine Anonymous. ... Read more

Product Description
A positive and encouraging book about recovery, addiction, and maintaining sobriety.It also deals with CPS and how to work with them and not against them.It also covers the magic of the AA 12-Step programs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Reality Book....
I purchased this book for myself as I have met the author.It was fantastic so I purchased a copy for my sister who is going through her own recovery.Although my sister doesn't have children as this author does, there is so much in this book that hits home and is real that I believe it to be a great support system for recovering addicts and their family and friends.

Awesome
This book makes you want to dig deep and find out who you really are.
It's a good read for anyone doing a little sole searching or great for recovery. ... Read more

Book Description
Second Edition
This guide examines addiction and recovery as a cultural phenomenon and describes the cultural aspects, organization, key cultural roles, and milestones that most addicts share. It examines how to move clients out of their drug-using culture into a new world that promotes abstinence and healthy ways of living. A comprehensive look at the drug-using culture including concerns for intervention and treatment.

William L. White, M.A., Senior Research Consultant at the Lighthouse Training Institute in Bloomington, Illinois, has nearly three decades of experience in the substance abuse field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Anthropological Study of Addictions Made Easy
This work is essential reading for both substance-abuse treatment professionals and all others who have an interest in addictions. The ability to understand the addict, recovering or not, is simplified inWhite's work. White divides the addict into three easy-to-understand groups(Acultural, Bicultural and culturally enmeshed), providing an importantinformational tool for assessment and treatment planning. Just as thetreatment professional should understand the ethnic and religious cultureof the patient, so too should he understand the culture of addiction andrecovery within which the substance abuser "resides." Knowingthat there is a "cultural" difference between inner-city heroinaddicts and codeine dependent nurses, for example, it follows thattreatment for each group should also be different. What makes White's workparticularly important is the scientific foundation from which it wasresearched and written. It is an anthropological work in lay-person'slanguage. ... Read more

Book Description
In the tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, High Bottom Drunk: A Novel...and the Truth about Addiction & Recovery melds three stories (what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now) together into one extraordinary tale of addiction and recovery.

"What it was like" chronicles Steve Campbell's downward slide toward his alcoholic/addict "bottom." Along the way, this so-called "golden boy" loses his Midas touch, but not his staunch denial.

"What happened" patiently watches Steve hit that bottom hard enough to crack his denial and offer him an honest look at himself. Steve hitting bottom is not a pretty sight, but it's very, very real.

"What it's like now" follows Steve's upward climb toward recovery and spiritual redemption. Though rocky and painful in spots, his journey is remarkable and quite beautiful.

Because High Bottom Drunk does not fit neatly in any particular writing genre, it has been given many labels. Of those, "Historical Self-help Fiction" best describes this exceptional work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent reading on alcoholisms impact
I really enjoyed beginningto read this book. It was very informative and made smooth easy reading. However, evidently some other drunk needed to read it more than me and stole my damn book. Will have to order another one because it is definitely worth finishing!

High Bottom Drunk
A good read!
Recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject matter.

Worth a look
If you poke around in the introduction, you'll find that this book, all 464 pages, actually started out as a case study. More accurately, Roper is used to writing case studies about his mostly alcoholic an addictedclients, and his academic background shows through, which can make forheavy going.

What it shows, however, is what it's like to be a highbottom drunk - someone who hasn't lost all before they begin recovery. Allthe muddled thinking is there - all the rationalizations - all theself-pity along the choppy road to success.What it lacks is the tensionand plotting I, at least, have come to expect from a book labeled 'novel.'Instead we have the rambling story of Steve, our drunk, coupled withRoper's rather heavy prose.

Steve's difficulty with some AlcoholicsAnonymous meetings and love of other AA groups will be recognizable toanyone who has attending such meetings - and this too is worth knowing.But, and this is important, High Bottom Drunk gives an accurate andcomplete picture of what actually goes on in the head of a young manstruggling with sobriety.

As a woman, I found this fascinating andsometimes discouraging, but worth wading through.

I also suspect anynon-addict trying to understand an addict would benefit from reading this -if not every word, than scanning.

Of course, anyone who is going throughthe same struggle will be relieved to find they are not alone - and that'sworthwhile too.

Readable for everyone
Dr. Roper has not only thoroughly covered the subject, as the expert thathe is, but he has made it effortlessly readable for everyone.Reading andlearning about alcoholism and addiction has never been easier.With notext book jargon to wade through, this is an insiders view for everyone. ... Read more

Book Description
Enough Already! is an easy read that educates alcoholics and addicts on precisely what to do to get and stay sober.After learning about the disease of alcoholism/addiction and time-tested tools of recovery, the reader is introduced to relapse prevention strategies, the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 Step programs, and coping skills to deal with uncomfortable emotions that often lead to drug and alcohol use.This is followed by specific instructions on how to get started in recovery and a final inspiring chapter entitled "The Miracle."Having years of sobriety and experience in the field of chemical dependency, Bob presents the information in this book drawing from personal and professional perspectives.Therefore, the reader learns the principles of sobriety and how to apply them in daily living through Bob's candid self-disclosure - a unique quality of this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent primer on AAs 12 steps, relapse prevention and personal experience.
I read this book today.I have been "sober" since 1987 and working in the Recovery Treatment Profession since 1989.This is THE BEST book offering 12 step recovery, personal anecdotes and a thorough but easy to understand explanation of "relapse prevention" on the market! This is a MUST for the library of all persons effected by addictions.Whether you are a seasoned therapist, student, recovering person or a family member, buy two (2) of these wondeful texts.Buy one for yourself and one for a friend, family member or colleague!

Enough Already!: A Guide to Recovery from Alcohol and Drug Addiction
As a student in a drug and alcohol counseling program, I have found Mr. Tyler's book to be extremely useful. His explanation of the twelve-step program process is comprehensive and insightful; and I believe it would be invaluable to anyone entering the field who has not yet participated in one of the many 12-step programs out there. I am on my second reading of this book already; and I am sure it will become a major tool for me upon graduation and entry into the substance abuse counseling field.Well done, Mr. Tyler! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (11)

Overcoming Ice and Helpful hints to STAY clean
As a 30 yr old straight male, I thought this book was very informative. This is the best book I've read yet on Crystal Meth. I have been clean for 7 months and was looking for some good books to help me stay clean. Obviously only time will tell but I found this book very helpful. It is a down to earth, realistic approach to helping both users and former users identify with the core issues of meth addiction. From what it does to the brain to why sex is so amazing on ice. Most of the books I've read have been spiritual and judgmental and I was about to give up on them until I found this one. If your interested in knowing the facts and what to do to help yourself this is the book you want!

A disturbing look at meth addiction
This is a book that takes you into the dark side of meth addiction. If you are a parent of a meth addict, you could be very upset and disturbed by what you learn. He talks about the lifestyle and damage from meth use. He doesn't offer a whole lot of hope. If you are looking for support for yourself or the addict you know, this is not a book that is going to provide that type of information. It will tell you the kind of damage it does to the body, the family, and the community.

book
good book but the book i got it for was a recovering for over a year now and she said the book would of been better if she had when she was still using.

Disappointing
I felt the doctor who wrote the book concentrated more on usage of crystal meth by gays.I cannot relate to that aspect.Also he was very lenient in his thinking about quitting.According to his rationale you can cut back on crystal meth, an option that I don't think hard-core users could be successful at doing.In my opinion it was more a handbook for users who will continue to use than a method to quit using immediately and for good.

This book saved my life
I was a crystal meth addict for 5 1/2 years.I've been to rehab, NA meetings, counseling etc. and always relapsed. I found that you cannot quit until you are really ready to quit for yourself. This book has everything you need to do so. Dr. Lee's book is non-judgemental and very accurate in explaining meth's appeals and consequences. This book is helping me stay clean right now, and i recommend it to anyone who is an addict or has a family member or friend who is an addict. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The real victim is the reader!
There is no way to tell if this book is any good because it is written with such complicated language that it is incomprehensible.We would be greatly served by Dr. Mercadante if she were to write on the same topic inlanguage that at least a college graduate could understand.I couldn'thelp wondering whom Dr. Mercadante was trying to impress in choosing herwords; I say this because the book is advertised for everyone, includingthe layman.Unless you want to spend weeks in your dictionary (and it hadbetter be a good one) in an attempt to understand this book, I suggest youpass.On the other hand, anyone with a strong education in theology mayappreciate whatever it is that this book is saying. ... Read more

Book Description
Offers clear and practical techniques for couples and families who have faced the issue of addiction and are now striving to bring health and vitality to their relationships. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

great read on how to relate
This book consistently helps people identify and change their relationship life. It is easy and sensible to read.It is also worth re-reading every once in a while. Some thing new will appear in the re-read.

Great life management guide
Earnie Larsen is timeless in his insight and understanding about how habits (both good and bad) drive our lives.Highly recommend this book to anyone struggling to understand why mistakes are repeated over and over again in their life.

Stage 11 Recovery: Love Beyond Addiction
This isn't just a book for people who have been addicted. I read it and I found it invaluable because I wanted a simple book on communication that gets to the point. It's humorous and makes me think what a better world it would be if we just applied these skills to our everyday lives. I think all couples should read this book before they get married or decide to live together. I learned that human kindness coupled with honesty is a very powerful thing.

Don't even think about not ordering this book!
Out of all of the books I have read on relationships, this book, although small, packs a big wollup!The title is a bit misleading, in that it doesn't just apply to the love addict.This book is great for the new couple and the couple who has been together for years... or even a single person looking to get into a healthy relationship.

I truly believe this book should be read by every person attempting this thing we like to call a relationship.

You won't be sorry you bought this book. ... Read more

Book Description
With compassion and encouragement, this book helps us to begin and strengthen our recovery from our addictions and emotional or psychiatric illnesses. A gentle, spiritual and supportive approach to bolster our recovery, The Twelve Steps and Dual Disorders provides an adaptation and discussion of each of the Twelve Steps of Dual Recovery Anonymous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What a gentle way to recover!
I love this book! Can't say enough good things about it. I would highly recommend it to anyone recovering from dual disorders or any professional working with clients with dual disorders.The book offers real hope forrecovery from both illness, is writen in a very gentle tone and iswonderfully supportive. I especially like the way the authors deal withthe definition of 'sanity' and the Higher Power aspect of the 12 StepProcess.Sanity is defined as 'sound judgement'-how simple is that!Whata relief from guilt for the person with mental illness.They discribe HPas a circle of helping resources-psychiatrist, case worker, family,friends, sponsor, others in recovery in addition to a spiritualrelationship.

I use it in a recovery group in an institutional settingand my clients love the material.Its an open-minded view of recoverywithout all the 'God Stuff' found in the original 12 Steps. ... Read more

Book Description
Renowned therapist, eating disorder specialist and recovering food addict Kay Sheppard helps countless individuals win their battles over food addiction-people for whom diets, pills and purging have become a way of life.In 1993, her groundbreaking book, Food Addiction: The Body Knows, explained the illness of food addiction from the physiological origins through recovery. Today, obesity is on the rise.In addition to the 300,000 overweight people in this country, millions more who may not look overweight are unable to control their eating. Sheppard's follow-up book, From the First Biteoffers the latest medical insights into food addiction coupled with time-tested, practical advice.Unlike other books that are very dry in nature, this book includes compelling personal stories and do's and don'ts from other recovering and relapsed food addicts, including the author herself, who began her own recovery in 1967.The book explains how to avoid the physiological and situational triggers that lead to relapse; how to confront the emotional issues behind food cravings; how to establish a balanced food plan that eliminates cravings; and how to avoid hidden dangers in cleverly packaged foods.The book also includes a handy Twelve-Step workbook. Just as Sheppard's first book broke new ground, her latest work offers a critical first step for food addicts on the road to physical, emotional and spiritual recovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Hope for the hopeless
This book opened my eyes to realize I had a Disease and that I was not crazy. I realize that it wasn't because I didn't posess the willpower to conquer a diet program and win, it explains so well how the disease progresses eventually to death.No one wants to be called an "Addict"that sounds so harsh.But in reality, it is a matter of LIFE or DEATH.Very in depth to the truth of food addiction with a plan of recovery and hope for the "hopeless"

Life Saver to say the least
Oh my God! What can I say about this book. Kay's first book is a good introduction to the Food Addiction subject but From the First Bite is much more than a complement. Is a must have if you related to Food Addiction. Everytime I read it, and I read it all the time like a survival of life kind of book, I feel renewed and strong enough to continue with my new way of eating and of life. Everyday I feel recovered from a disease that had devastated me. I am so thankful that a book like this one came to my attention. I am even thankful with Amazon for making it easy for me to have it!!! Thanks Kay Sheppard reading your words is getting hugs, love and approval on a regular basis.

From someone who has both read the book AND worked the food plan...
I have been a binge eater for years, I have read this book from beginning to end, I have science/medical coursework as part of my education, and I have used this as my plan of eating.Given all that, I believe that this is a valuable book for anyone who is desperate to find a better way than living with food addiction/compulsive overeating/binge eating.

To be fair, it's really better that you do read Kay's other "The Body Knows" book to fully know what kinds of food issues she is directly addressing with this book - this book is the "what to do", the other book is more the "why".If you don't know why you're doing something, you're not going to be motivated; unless, of course, nothing else has worked and you're willing to try anything.In any event, it is a plan based on sound nutrition that is formulated to fix your mind while you fix your physical/chemical issues with food.

Not everyone who has food issues has to cut out everything that Kay suggests.That said, if you work this plan AS WRITTEN, you'll more than likely remove all of your trigger foods, remove the mental dance around volume eating and gorging, and actually eat healthy.More than that, you'll change your lifestyle, which is what most health experts say you need to do anyway.

So if something else works well for you, I'm very happy for you - congratulations!But if you've suffered from food addiction and issues surrounding compulsive eating and/or binge eating, then try this program for 90 days.If you're not completely satisfied, your misery will be fully refunded.

Completely Ridiculous
It's obvious that all these glowing reviews are by a small band of loyal groupies from the Kay Sheppard Yahoo group.

It's about time to start asking some questions here.Like, if Kay Sheppard is an "expert", then where did she get her training?What university?Where is her research?Where was it conducted?What exactly do these so-called credentials she uses mean?Where is ANY science to back up or give credence to anything she states?If you can't eat white rice, but you can eat white potatoes, where in the science of biochemistry does that seeming contradiction support itself?

The book and the entire premise that it's based on is entirely made up out of folk lore, oral tradition, junk science and food quackery, and it capitalizes on the sad and lonely search for something, anything, to help dysfunctional eaters stop eating destructively.

For all the book's claims, there is zero evidence that the 'food plan' works, or that any statistically relevant number of people ever achieve "abstinence" beyond short and sporadic episodes.Since Sheppard has no peer-reviewed research or any documentated legitimacy to the claims promoted by the book, it has to go to the same junk pile that every other diet book goes.

Unhelpful for binge eaters
I have been a food addict for years now, and I was looking for a step-by-step recovery plan to help me.This book is terrible and the suggestions are completely ridiculous.For example, Kay Sheppard says not to use iodized salt because it contains sugar.This is blatantly untrue--check the label of any salt container yourself.Furthermore, her "abstinent" meal plan recipes include potato salad and blueberry muffins--total binge foods for just about anyone! ... Read more

Book Description
>Are you a food addict?Do you gain more weight than you lose after every diet?Can one cookie destroy all your good intentions?Do you eat when you are disappointed, tense or anxious?Since its publication, Food Addiction has become a primary resource for food addicts and compulsive eaters.Now it is updated and presented in a revised and expanded edition, with a new chapter on relapse.For a food addict, relapse is an ever present danger which begins in the mind before reaching for that cupcake or other trigger food.Here food addiction is defined, trigger foods are identified and consequences of food addiction are revealed.A lifetime eating plan demonstrating how to stick with a healthful food plan for the long term is also provided. "For some people, foods can be as addictive as alcohol," Kay Sheppard explains. "Gummy bears and marshmallow chicks can be vicious killers whose effects can lead to depression, irritability and even suicide.The terrible truth is that for certain individuals, refined carbohydrates can trigger the addictive process.This book is an effort to help you understand and solve the problems of compulsive eating." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

food addiction help
Terrific book for those serious about thier recovery.A heavily recommended book for your journey!

These back is changing my life!
If you are truly suffering from food addiction then this book will change your life. I only gave it 4 stars because I have had to modify the food plan to fit my life, but the concepts and facts in this book are things I have never heard before. And the way she describes food addicts describes my life.

A severe program for a person with a severe problem
I think the maximum benefit of this book comes to a person with a serious binging problem.The first part of the book describes the nature of food addiction and gives many examples.The second part of the book descibes the recommended food plan for people with a food addiction.The food plan is extreme - but probably appropriate for treating a severe problem.

For the sort of people who sometimes fluxuate between being 30 pounds overweight to being in the normal, healthy BMI range (like me), I found the first part very interesting and could relate to some of it.However, since I don't consider my weight problem to be severe, I would be unwilling to follow such an extreme food plan.Perhaps some would say I am in denial, but I would have to be very desperate and have a very large problem to want to follow a food plan which is so restrictive.

This is an interesting read, whether your weight problem is large or small.I will keep this book around in case my food addiction ever becomes unmanageable, then I will need to try the restrictive food plan.Until then, Weight Watchers seems to be a better solution for me.

This book improved the quality of my life.
I grew up crying myself to sleep for overeating: hating myself wondering why I couldn't stop forcing food in my face even though I was horrified by any extra weight and my stomach was beyond full. Why didn't the threat of being heavy stop me? Why was I eating when I was way past full? Why could I not stop myself when what I really wanted was to stop myself?

After reading this book, I am happy to say that now I understand what is going on with my system. After reading this book, and then having binged, I could see (a revelation of sorts) that my behavior was a completely 'out of control' addiction. I would be in a euphoric state where I couldn't even focus on things I loved. I had to find more food. And nothing or no one could get in the way. But now, armed with the book, I am very well-equipped to help keep myself from bingeing.

The book talks about abstinence from those foods that trigger the overeating. And when you avoid trigger foods, you wouldn't believe how free you become. Totally free from the addictive, obsessive behavior that is caused by these foods. It is the best feeling in the world after all those difficult food addiction filled days.

I thought I could sprinkle a little bingeing into my life as long as I kept myself on the right track 90% of the time. But I, of course, underestimated the beast of food addiction, and could not limit the bingeing to 10%. Accept the things you cannot change (I cannot only eat 3 potato chips or 3 MnM's or a bowl of cereal with my kids without starting a terrible binge.) Change those that you can (if I cut the trigger foods out completely, my body does not go fanatical and it is the best feeling in the world.)Abstinence is freedom from food obsession.

Life changing book for me. And I would recommend it highly to anyone who feels they cannot control their eating.

Saved my life
After 50 years of active food addiction, I am abstinent for four years using the work of Kay Sheppard described in this book. As a result of this abstinence, a whole new life has opened up to me. I recommend this book to those for whom food intake or withholding is an issue. It saved my life.
... Read more

Book Description
"Treatment Planning for Person-Centered Care puts the entire concept of individualized service planning into understandable language for all readers. The authors have captured the essence of active involvement of the persons served in the identification of needs (as well as strengths) and the development of a plan that will address those needs. This book is definitely in concert with and supports the CARF Behavioral Health standards, and would be an excellent resource to better understand how to move towards a person-centered assessment and planning process."
-Nikki Migas, M.P.A., Managing Director, Behavioral Health Customer Service Unit, CARF the Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission

"This book encourages the field to turn a very important corner. It clarifies the goals and the processes that Mental Health and Alcohol/Drug systems presently need to focus on: joining with clients to help them enter/re-enter their communities and successfully exit the treatment systems. This book will help practitioners develop the necessary conceptual overview as well as individual components of service plans that will significantly enhance our clients chances for real world success."
-Ed Diksa, California Institute for Mental Health

"The authors take what for many clinicians is irritating paperwork requirement, treatment planning, that is a diversion from their "real" work of therapy and turn it into a valuable tool. By placing the person, the client at the center of planning, Adams and Grieder take the reader step by step through a transforming process. They lead us to re-think whose goals we are trying to achieve in treatment. This book could precipitate many fruitful seminar discussions during clinical training."
-Eric Goplerud, Ph.D., George Washington University Medical Center

Treatment Planning for Person-Centered Care is a process-oriented book, guiding therapists in how to engage clients in building collaborative treatment plans that result in better outcomes. Suitable as both a reference tool and as a text for pre-degree training programs, the book addresses the entire process of treatment, from assessment through outcome evaluation. The book is relevant to providers in all settings, with a practical approach and case examples throughout.

About the authors:Neal Adams, MD, PhD is past president of the American College of Mental Health Administration and board certified in general psychiatry. Diane Grieder, M.Ed, has over 20 years experience consulting on improved mental health delivery systems. A prologue and epilogue are included by Dr. Wilma Townsend, a leading consumer advocate, consultant, and trainer in the field.

* Enhance the reader's understanding of the value and role of treatment planning in responding to the needs of adults, children and families with mental health and substance abuse treatment needs
* Build the skills necessary to provide quality, person-centered, culturally competent and recovery / resiliency-orientated care in a changing service delivery system
* Provide readers with sample documents, examples of how to write a plan, etc.
* Provide a text and educational tool for course work and training as well as a reference for established practioners
* Assist mental health and addictive disorders providers / programs in meeting external requirements, improve the quality of services and outcomes, and maintain optimum reimbursement ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great for Case Managers in Mental Health
This book is unbeatable when it comes to resources for understanding and creating good solid goals that match up with diagnosis for various services in the mental health field such as counseling, case management, community supports, CAP, and others.The book gives clear examples of broad and specific goals and interventions that would be effective with each.If you are making a treatment plan and want evidence based goals, or you are using person centered planning this book is for you.Everyone in my office bought one after we were introduced to it and it has really helped with getting approval from the state with our plans for community support services.I suggest trying to find it used, although the later editions have more information.I have purchased several for others and the prices have ranged from $15 to $40.

Excellent guide to tx planning
Very good road map to person centered planning.Many of us in the Mental Health field "talk the talk" and this book shows us how to "walk the walk".A must have for anybody working with people, not only in Mental Health or Substance Abuse but for the medical field as well. ... Read more

Book Description
A rabbi, a psychiatrist who specializes in addictiontreatment, and many recovering Jewish people share their experience withand understanding of the twelve Jewish steps of recovery from addiction ofall kinds based on conversations with each other--and with God.

Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery explains how the Twelve Steps ofAlcoholics Anonymous is relevant for Jewish people. Many Jewish people seethe Twelve Steps as "Christian" and have difficulty relating to the Stepsas Jews. The authors present the Twelve Steps in a Jewish context.

In a spiritually supportive way, Rabbi Olitzky and Dr. Copans resolvequestions such as: Why are Jews uncomfortable with the Twelve Steps? Howdoes the Jewish understanding of the material differ from the Christianunderstanding of it? Which Jewish sources explore the concepts of recoveryand renewal? They present a Jewish perspective on the Twelve Steps andoffer consolation, inspiration, and motivation for recovery through drawingon traditional Jewish sources and quoting from what recovering Jewishpeople say about their experiences.

Artist Maty Grünberg's illustrations of the gates of the Old City ofJerusalem open each chapter of Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery as thereader is welcomed into another stage of a Jewish Twelve Steps experience.These illustrations were selected to emphasize the relationship betweenheavenly and earthly in all our lives through the prism of Jerusalem. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Jewish and Non- Jeiwsh 12 step addiction recovery
I am a rabbi and I work as chaplain with inmates in the jail system as well as people who suffer from the disease of (various) addictions outside that system. This series of books By Rabbo Olitzky has been a extraordary help in tying recovery, increasing spiritual exploration and helping those I work with to begin 'real' recovery possibilities: one day at a time.
It is both easy to read and layered with information/quotes from texts, opening the way for questiond, practical ways to get started/continue. I highly recommend this book.

Book is our text for JACS meetings
A group of us recently organized within the Jewish community of Phoenix to start a local chapter of JACS, Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Addicted Persons, and Significant Others. We use this book as our text. A brief description of the JACS organization, and its relationship to and with other 12-Step programs is included in the Afterward section. Our group has grown steadily week to week, using "Twelve Steps" as both a source of inspiration and as an educational tool. It is not a replacement for other 12-Step programs, and doesn't try to be. Each chapter is devoted to one of the 12 principles, a concept that is not in the Big Book of AA, but which often triggers the introspection and self-awareness that is crucial to persons in recovery. Many Jews in our group are people who felt uncomfortable in traditional 12-Step meetings, for many, often different, reasons. This book reaches out to those people especially, helps ease their suffering, and brings all of us closer, ending the isolation which is so devestating. People get to recovery through many paths. We have found "Twelve Jewish Steps" to be both inspiring and community-building. So far, we've bought 24 books and we continue to need more. People use this book, reading it over and over. It increases compassion, understanding, and hope in both the person in recovery and in his/her family. There is no higher praise I can give.

Important resource for the recovering addict
Although the twelve step program of recovery from alcoholism and addiction was developed by religious Christians, these programs are nondenominational and, in fact, adhere to key tenants of Judaism. The type of introspection, righting of wrongs, and doing better in the future are part of the Jewish process of teshuva which means "return" and is the Jewish way to repentance. Rabbi Olitzky and Dr. Copans set forth this process, offering meditations, aphorisms, psalms and prayers relevant to each of the twelve steps.

I have a close family member who is in recovery. He went to a world class rehab center and was visited by an orthodox rabbi who has shown him great kindness and compassion. The rabbi presented him with a copy of this book. Although it is written by a reform rabbi, saving lives through recovery unites all Jews as an orthodox rabbi recommended the book. Furthermore, the emminent orthodox rabbi and physician Abraham Twersky wrote the introduction to this book. Thus, I recommend this book to any Jew (and even non Jews) in recovery as well as their families and anyone else interested in the subject of recovery.

When the high holidays approach, a review of the concepts in this book is worthwhile for anyone who wishes to be intrspective and seek teshuva during that holy season. I highly recommend this book even if you are not in recovery. Furthermore, although written from a Jewish perspective, the twelve steps are made so understandable by the use of the concepts in this book, that recovering addicts of any faith will benefit from this book.

THE Jewish contribution to Jewish 12 step spirituality
This book is designed for all those who want help from Jewish tradition in their struggle in recovery from alcohol and other addictions. It provides a Jewish context for Jews in recovery and reminds others of their Jewishroots. It dares to take people where they have never gone before! ... Read more

Book Description
Pioneering evidence is presented in this book to support the effectiveness of peer counseling for substance abuse treatment of pregnant women and their families. The introduction by Barry R. Sherman describes his personal experience as a behavioral scientist doing work in a culture other than his own. A comprehensive overview of the crack epidemic and its impact on women is followed by an up-to-date account of acupuncture in addiction treatment. The authors use the theory and principles of social learning to justify the peer counselor model known as SISTERS. Chapters include discussions of conducting culturally competent research, development and validation of the Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES) and the Traumatic Life Events (TLE) Inventory, as well as the social support systems of drug-dependent women. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used to evaluate program impact. A urine toxicology index of sobriety as well as empirical measures of psychosocial functioning and client satisfaction demonstrate sufficient success and cost-effectiveness of the program to warrant serious support by health care providers and insurance companies. ... Read more

Book Description
Twelve-step programs have been proven to be the most (and some might say the only) effective method for addiction recovery. This is evidenced by their global popularity and universal influence on treatment modalities. However, in addition to the long, difficult process of comprehending and completing the twelve steps, there are the addict's ego defenses, their suspicious and defiant attitude, puzzling program clichés, confusing jargon, various "twelve-step" myths, inaccurate information, and (very often) preexisting therapeutic issues. Interventions that support abstinence or the normalizing of addictive behavior, such as in work or sex addictions, often fail because of this profoundly complex constellation of symptoms and issues. What adds to the addict's struggle is the often-heard, fear-based, inaccurate, blaming statement: "Well, addicts who relapse don't really want recovery. They don't try hard enough."

With the drastic increase in the number of professionals and addictions-treatment centers, the huge influx of people into twelve-step programs, the many new versions and applications of the twelve steps, and too many false promises about what twelve-step programs can do, there's been a disastrous blurring of the boundaries between therapy and addictions recovery. The efficacy and spiritual integrity of twelve-step programs has not withstood this tidal wave of change. The spiritual solution presented in the original twelve-step literature is now virtually lost in this modern morass.

There are Abstinence Available Addictions (alcohol, tobacco, drugs) and Abstinence Not-Available Addictions (sex, work, relationships, anger, religion, etc.). The second category, because of the nature of the addiction itself, causes all manner of confusion and irresponsibility in both the twelve-step and professional communities. Addicts get lost in this confusion and too often the consequences are relapse or death.

There is a perennial philosophy at work in the twelve steps, but very sadly, most alcoholics or addicts, even though they have the instructions, miss it almost completely. Addictions are the self-destructive outcome of deep spiritual dislocation.

There's a beautiful synergy to the world and twelve-step people are part of that synergy. They add to it, but where do they fit? If they buy into the historical and cultural perspectives of additions, there's shame and isolation - they lose. If they buy into the twelve-step myth that they're unique and that "outsiders" can't help them, they're arrogant and isolated - they lose. If twelve-step people participate in the social hypocrisy rampant in the groups, they may be popular but won't become spiritual - they lose. Any of these take them out of the universal synergy.

This book is a detailed explanation, in real terms that people can understand, of how to escape these destructive and isolating traps; how to negotiate through the twelve steps and become spiritual (get recovered). This is not a quick-read book. It's an in-depth examination of the journey from addicted to recovered, and examines the myths and realities of twelve-step programs, psychology, culture, and spiritual transformation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Understanding and Counseling:Persons with Alcohol, Drug, and Behavioral Addictions:...Using Psychology and Religion
This is an excellent source for those wanting to enter the field of counseling.My brother committed suicide in 2003.Before he did, I asked a pastor about my brother's crack/cocaine addiction, but the pastor was unable to help me.For many years I resented this.After reading this book, I now understand why my questions were not answered, and why that pastor continued to ask question after question.At the time I did not understand you need so much more information than simply asking what can I do to help.

Table of Contents
PART 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEMS OF CHEMICAL AND BEHAVIORAL ADDICTIONS Chapter 1: Who Are Alcoholics and Drug-Addicted Persons? Some Working Definitions Chapter 2: Multiple Causes of Addictions, Multiple Levels of Prevention Chapter 3: Understanding Drug Dependence Chapter 4: Behavioral or Process Addictions: Understanding and Helping Chapter 5: Understanding and Helping Those at Special Risk of Addiction PART II: EXPLORING SOME RELIGIOUS APPROACHES TO ADDICTIONS Chapter 6: How Religion Helps Low-Bottom Alcoholics and Drug Addicts Chapter 7: Alcoholics Anonymous: Still Our Greatest Resource Chapter 8: Other Paths to Recovery and Beyond Chapter 9:Psychosocial Dynamics of Religious Approaches to Alcoholism and Other Drug Addictions Chapter 10: Understanding Ethical Issues in Addiction and Recovery PART III: METHODS OF COUNSELING WITH ALCOHOLICS AND OTHER ADDICTED PERSONS Chapter 11: Preparation for Counseling Alcoholics and Other Addicted Persons Chapter 12: Counseling for Recovery and Beyond: Motivating and Beginning the Process Chapter 13: Counseling for Recovery and Beyond: Basic Methods Chapter 14: Counseling with Families for Recovery: A Systems Approach to Codependency Chapter 15: Developing Effective Addiction Treatment and Prevention Programs: A Strategic Opportunity for Religious Organizations ... Read more