The Book Of Alcoholics Anonymous
The Book of Alcoholics Anonymous can be read and used as a guide to sobriety regardless of ones substance of choice. The book sheds light on the behaviors, reasons, shortcomings, and character defects. It provides tremendous insight into the substance users struggle with resentment, selfishness, dishonesty, self will, and perception. Regardless of how one finds their way out of addiction, the chances are excellent that some of the successfully applied strategies run parallel in idea, thought, action, and structure to suggestions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Do You Love An Addict Or An Alcoholic
Loving an addict is one of the most painful and traumatic life journeys that any sober-minded person can experience. Feelings of betrayal, powerlessness, anger, fear, desperation and raw grief are an ever constant companion. The person you love disappears as they chase their addiction.
People who love an addict inadvertently get drawn in by the addict and their lives begin to revolve around the dysfunctional hell that the addictâs life is.
According to the World Drug Report, approximately 247million people worldwide were in active addiction during 2016. Statistics on alcohol abuse are not as easily determined because alcohol is a socially accepted drug. It is estimated that 1 in every 12 adults suffer from alcohol abuse and dependence.
Alcohol is a drug. There is very little that separates the emotional pain and dysfunction that saturates your life whether you love an alcoholic or a drug addict. Both substances are mind-altering, both substances reprogram the human brain, both substances render the addict powerless over their addiction.
The only person who can break an addictâs addiction is the addict. No one can convince, force, coerce or threaten an addict to seek professional help. No one can love an addict into sobriety either.
How Substance Abuse Affects Relationships & Marriage
The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy describes a cycle of conflict that occurs in domestic partnerships, in which substance abuse leads to verbal and physical conflict, which in turn leads to further disagreements about the substance abuse itself.
Alcohol and drugs can impair judgment, arouse feelings of anger and resentment, and create an atmosphere that leads to conflict at home.
Any experiences of abuse or potential signs of abuse must be taken very seriously in recovery. Individuals who have verbally abused or physically attacked their partners will require anger management courses and may face legal consequences, depending on the severity of the assault.
Anyone who feels that they are in danger because of an abusive partner should seek help immediately from legal authorities, a healthcare provider, or a substance abuse treatment professional. Online resources and support services on partner abuse are available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
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Increased Risk Of Abuse
As addiction progresses, people become unpredictable and difficult to deal with. They are erratic, frustrated, and angry, lashing out at those closest to them. Drugs and alcohol affect an individuals inhibitions. People are more likely to act out while under the influence.
One of the most profound ways addiction affects the entire family is the higher risk of abuse. Whether its emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, the risk increases. There is a higher likelihood that family members may experience violence at the hands of an addict.
How Drug Addiction Affects The Entire Family
Addiction affects the family.
Its easy to think of the ways drug addiction affects the person using substances. As addiction progresses, the impact only gets worse with time. There can be short- and long-term health effects, loss of jobs, increasing financial troubles, and run-ins with the law. Living in active addiction is not a simple way to live.
However, people who struggle with addiction are not the only ones who feel the impact. The effects of active addiction stretch out far beyond the person using substances. Immediate family members are also affected when their loved one has a drug or alcohol problem. Whether its a child, parent, or spouse, addiction alters the lives of anyone who loves the person.
After her brother was diagnosed with the disease of addiction, Sam Fowler and her family had to change the way they lived their lives. In her talk, she tells about her experiences suffering from the family disease.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
Addiction affects the entire family in many ways. The specific effects depend on which person in the family unit has the problem. Relationships, finances, safety, and more are all at risk.
If your loved one struggles with drug addiction, how should you respond? What are some of the many ways addiction affects the entire family? Where can families with a loved one in active addiction find help?
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Recommended Books On Drug And Alcohol Addiction
The most widely recognized book and a book on which almost every drug and alcohol treatment center bases its curriculum is the book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Whether you like Alcoholics Anonymous or not, the book has amazing insight. We believe every addict, alcoholic, and family should read it as they will find themselves in the text at some point.
Beyond Addiction: How Science And Kindness Help People Change
Ive read dozens of books on addiction, treatment, and self-help. Believe me when I say that this book is unlike any of the others Ive read. Written by experts at the Center for Motivation and Change, Beyond Addiction is a truly unique guide for people who are dealing with a loved ones substance use disorder. This isnt another tough love book that tells you to get your loved one into rehab and totally detach from them. Instead it teaches you how you can play an active, important role in affecting change in your loved one, by usingare you ready for this?kindness and love. It also stresses the importance of self-care, which is so often overlooked by those who are trying to help a loved one in the throes of addiction. I wish this book had been around when my wife and I were trying to figure out how to handle our sons addiction. It wouldve made things a lot easier.
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Essential Books For Those With An Addicted Loved One
Loving someone who suffers from addiction is one of the hardest things a human being can go through. The situations and emotions a person experiences while a loved one struggles with drugs or alcohol can be completely overwhelming. But things can always be better.
Here are six books that will educate you and help you find peace of mind.
Memoirs From Musicians Who Survived Addiction
Clapton: The Autobiography by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is a world renowned singer, songwriter, rock and blues guitarist, member of the Yardbirds and Cream.
My second visit to Hazelden was, on the face of it, much like the first, but, on a deeper level, it was very different. This time I had no reservations about why I was thereI had tried to control my drinking and failedso there was no more debate, no more gray area for me. Also, my life had become very complicated and completely unmanageable during my relapse. I now had two children, neither of whom I was really administering to a broken marriage assorted bewildered girlfriends and a career that, although it was still chugging along, had lost its direction. I was a mess.
The Autobiography of Gucci Mane by Gucci Mane and Neil Martinez-Belkin
Gucci Mane is a rapper and pioneer of trap music.
In the beginning, lean
The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities by Wayne Kramer
Wayne Kramer is the co-founder of Detroit rock group the MC5.
Hit So Hard: A Memoir by Patty Schemel
Patty Schemel is the former drummer for Hole with Courtney Love.
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis and Larry Sloman
Anthony Kiedis is the lead singer and songwriter for Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Slash by Slash
Slash is the original lead guitarist for Guns N Roses
The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is the co-founder and drummer for legendary rock band Motley Crue.
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Books About Addiction: Helpful Resources For Self
Meera Patel
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Addiction is a complex disease that can impact an individual, as well as their family and loved ones. Overcoming addiction is a long and difficult process, so it can help to have some extra perspective on the topic. Whether youre looking for information on the science of addiction or personal stories of triumph over it, theres something for you on this list.
For our audiences convenience, we include links to Amazon so recommended books can be easily purchased. Choosing Therapy may earn a commission from Amazon when purchases are made using the links on this page. Read more about our high editorial standards and
Nothing Good Can Come From This: Essays
Overview: When Kristi stopped drinking, she started noticing things. Like when you give up a debilitating habit, it leaves a space, one that cant easily be filled by mocktails or ice cream or sex or crafting. And when you cancel Rosé Season for yourself, youre left with just Summer, and thats when you notice that the women around you are tankedthat alcohol is the oil in the motors that keeps them purring when they could be making other kinds of noise.
In her sharp, incisive debut essay collection, Coulter reveals a portrait of a life in transition. By turns hilarious and heartrending, Nothing Good Can Come from This introduces a fierce new voice to fans of Sloane Crosley, David Sedaris, and Cheryl Strayedperfect for anyone who has ever stood in the middle of a so-called perfect life and looked for an escape hatch.
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Mastering The Addicted Brain: Building A Sane And Meaningful Life To Stay Clean
As most drug and alcohol addicts eventually realize, good intentions alone arent enough to break destructive habits. However, addiction can be managed once its true nature is understood. This simple yet profound guidebook takes you step-by-step through the process of building a life after addiction by adopting new behaviors that create lasting change.
An internationally renowned psychiatrist, neurologist, and addiction specialist, Dr. Walter Ling has worked with thousands of addicts, their loved ones, and fellow clinicians. His no-nonsense, no-judgment approach, which he calls the neuroscience of common sense, advocates holistic methods to prevent relapse and establish new patterns to create a sustainable, meaningful life.
The Addiction Recovery Workbook: Powerful Skills For Preventing Relapse Every Day
Get the tools you need to recover from alcoholism and other forms of addiction, and create an effective relapse prevention plan. This substance abuse workbook equips you with actionable strategies and coping techniques to succeed in recovery when faced with daily challenges, stressors, and triggers.
From navigating intimate relationships to handling high-risk situations and environments, this addiction workbook offers practical tools and hands-on exercises that you can use in your home, work, and personal life.
Develop addiction recovery skills through:
- A comprehensive introduction that helps you understand your addiction and outlines the path to recovery.
- Coping skills to deal with thoughts, emotions, relationships, and high-risk situations and environments.
- Prevention tactics that help you succeed in lifelong recovery by setting new, addiction-free lifestyle habits and routines.
Foster the skills youll need to persevere with this addiction recovery workbook as your guide.
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Addict In The House: A No
Anyone who loves an addict should check out this book by Robin Barnett, an expert in alcohol and drug addiction and recovery.
As the title denotes, the no-nonsense guide will help you understand the causes of addiction. It will teach you how to end enabling behaviors, support your loved ones recovery, and cope with their relapses.
Books For Family Members Of Drug Addicts
Family members of addicts are looking for insight and solutions. Learning about addiction can be very helpful, and it can help the reader look at things through a different lens. As stated earlier, reading the book and doing nothing more would result in inaction. Family members of addicts develop an unhealthy dysfunctional family system. Unless the book helps the family members identify their role in the unbalanced family system, the book of choice may not be as helpful as one would hope for.
Regardless of the book you choose, it is always recommended that family members of addicts and alcoholics check out support groups such as Al-Anon, Families Anonymous, and ACOA meetings, along with individual therapy.
Here are some other books we believe will provide you with strong insight into addiction and the obstacles that both families and drug addicts face.
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Other Great Books About Addiction
Clean by Amy Reed
A captivating novel about five teens in rehab. Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: Theyre addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts. And they certainly dont want to share their darkest secrets and most desperate fears with a room of strangers. But theyll all have to deal with themselvesand one anotherif they want to learn how to live. Because when you get that high, theres nowhere to go but down, down, down.
One of the Workit counselors says about this book, Its not exactly recovery specific, but its really well done on why and how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy works. It also gives examples, stories, and exercises to try!
Best Books For Families Of Alcoholics
Every book listed so far is a good read for a family of alcoholics. People often forget that alcohol is a drug and, in our opinion, the worst and most devastating one. Alcoholics and their families often cringe and correct others if called an addict. It is as if the alcoholic and their family feels they are not as bad because they drink legal alcohol rather than consume illegal substances. The truth is, alcoholics are addicts, and when you look at them side by side, the similarities are identical in behavior, perception, and destruction to an addict. Any addict can read the book of Alcoholics Anonymous and find overwhelming similarities, as could an Alcoholic find overwhelming similarities in the book of Narcotics Anonymous. The drug of choice is not the problem, the substance user is the problem, and the substance that is used is their self-destructive solution of choice. Whether it is a disease, past trauma, or repetitive use that led to a physical dependency, the drug of choice is the least relevant. In our decades of experience, it is without question that the worst cases we have ever had are due to alcohol. Alcohol is more devastating than all the other illegal substances combined regarding ones health and physical deterioration. Other drugs have their challenges, such as the overdose risks of opioids and the bizarre and insane behaviors resulting from stimulants or methamphetamine use.
Here is a list of some recommended reads.
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Codependent No More: How To Stop Controlling Others And Start Caring For Yourself
A quote you will see throughout our Family First Intervention website is, An intervention is not about how to control the substance user it is about how to let go of believing you can. For starters, nobody is reinventing the wheel on discussing or explaining boundaries. Most of the books are trying to make a similar point, and that is why it is helpful to read multiple books on boundaries so you can read them from various perspectives. What is profound about Codependent No More by Melody Beattie is her ability to articulate the importance of boundaries while keeping the reader engaged. Her book has personal stories, reflections, quotes, self-tests, and exercises.
One of the many challenges we face as professionals are the familys inability to let go and the overwhelming need to control the situation. Many families do not see where or how they are controlling the situation. This control comes from maladaptive coping strategies intended to comfort themselves and not the substance user. The substance user benefits from the selfish acts of the familys enabling and codependency. The familys true intentions of enabling are for themselves and not the substance user. It is very simple to see what enabling, and codependency is doing for a substance user. It is far more difficult to see why the enabler is comforting the addict and what benefit it is providing the enabler.
Drug & Alcohol Use Statistics
Drug and alcohol abuse affect millions of adults ages 18 and older in the United States. The results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health provide the following data on drug and alcohol use:
- In 2005, 7.7 million Americans, age 12 and older, reported current use of illicit drugs.
- In 2015, an estimated 27.1 million Americans, age 12 or older, were currently using illicit drug.
- There were 138.3 million Americans aged 12 or older, in 2015, who reported current use of alcohol. Out of this group, 66.7 million people reported binge drinking in the past month..
- In American, 22.2 million people, aged 12 or older, in 2015 were current users of . Out of this group 8.3% reported using marijuana in the past month.
- About 1.6 million adults ages 18-25 and 4.3 million adults age 26 and older, in 2015, reported use of psychotherapeutic drugs, which included prescription pain relievers, tranquilizers, and stimulants, for non-medical reasons.
Many of these adults are involved in some type of cohabiting relationship, and these partners are feeling the painful repercussions of alcohol or drug abuse. Whether this relationship involves marriage, a domestic partnership, or a more informal living arrangement, substance abuse affects everyone in the home, not just the individual who is addicted. Effective therapeutic interventions involve both partners as well as their children.
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