My addiction always took me to new lows, and cost me many jobs over the years. I very much related to her always feeling “less than” in normal life, and only becoming confident and alive once she poured alcohol down her throat. Customers find the book easy to read, describing it as a beautifully written guide that is straightforward and quick to finish. Alexander provides a refreshing slap of sobriety versus drink culture that provides a highly motivating and thought-provoking guide that will empower you to start living an extraordinary life, booze-free. Burroughs thought he was managing to keep it all together as a suit-wearing, hard-partying Manhattanite until he landed in rehab at the bequest of his employers.
A Piece of Cake: A Memoir by Cupcake Brown
In his first novel, Burroughs gives a vivid, semi-autobiographical account of heroin addiction in the early 1950s. Prolific, brilliant memoirist Mary Karr shines a light on the dark years she spent descending into alcoholism and drug use as a young writer, wife, and mother. As her marriage dissolved and she struggled to find a reason to stay clean, Karr turned to Catholicism as a light at the end of the tunnel.
‘Easy Does It Dating Guide: For People in Recovery’
Pairing insights on treatment options and how to navigate the rehab system, content is designed to not only help someone change but also prompt them to want to change. Pairing scientific research with real-life stories of addiction, the author and world-renowned trauma expert provides a holistic explanation of addiction. Offering an easy-to-grasp explanation of the brain and addiction, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts promotes compassionate self-understanding as a pillar of health and healing. Exploring the thoughts of an addict and a life unraveled by narcotics, this memoir spans the author’s struggles with opioid use disorder, to her time in jail, and ultimately to her recovery. High Achiever offers hope and inspiration and a raw and page-turning read. They encourage you to embrace the sober “Irish exit,” leaving the party early to enjoy a starlit stroll home.
Books about Addiction, Alcoholism and Recovery
- This Naked Mind by Annie Grace is one of the most loved sobriety books ever written.
- “There were people who were there at the scene who grabbed the driver, removed the driver and made sure the driver didn’t leave.”
- Parents and other family members are rarely on the same page.
Like many of the other books on this list, Annie invites us to follow her journey from alcohol addiction to sobriety. She has a unique approach to sobriety that teaches people to reframe their relationships with alcohol. In Quit Like a Woman, author Holly Whitaker examines the drinking culture, specifically surrounding alcohol and women, and gives women a step-by-step guide to quitting—or at least, changing their relationship with alcohol. However, beyond the book that focuses on some key ideas, including changing our beliefs and practicing abstinence, among others, Whitaker aims to change the narrative surrounding alcohol consumption. But seriously, I hope at least one of these memoirs speaks to you.
I know I’ve already touched on the importance of books in my recovery journey, but let me explain a little more. When I first stopped drinking, books were one of the most useful tools in my sobriety toolbox. First published in 1954, Twenty-Four Hours a Day is a staple for many people struggling with an alcohol use disorder. It features daily meditations, thoughts, and prayers to aid readers in maintaining sobriety.
- Check out our picks for the best addiction and recovery memoirs.
- There’s something magical about blocking out everything else to focus on one person’s story and words.
- His mission is to use his lifelong experience with addiction to teach addicts how to save themselves and achieve long-term recovery.
- ACOA is a 12-step group, and members of ACOA will be around others who can relate and who have gone through similar experiences.
Two books that we believe every parent of an addict should read in addition to those listed above and below the book of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. These two books are suggested reads for addicts and alcoholics. Both do an outstanding job of providing insight into the problems of behavior and perception for the addict and alcoholic. Whether the parents of an addict agree or disagree with the 12-step philosophy, we are pretty sure that there will be many eye-opening moments while reading either of these two books. James went to my college, Denison University, and is friends with many of my friends, so I loved reading the parts that took place (“fictionally”) in Granville, Ohio.
The ‘sober curious‘ movement has spawned non-alcoholic bars in cities as different as Nashville and New York, zero-proof liquors and a whole lot of memoirs written by addicts in recovery. DC Hyden is a Substance Abuse Counselor, Instructor, public speaker, and Wellness Advocate in New York City. best books for alcoholics His mission is to use his lifelong experience with addiction to teach addicts how to save themselves and achieve long-term recovery. His book, “The Sober Addict, is a practical guide on how to effectively live and cope with the dysfunctional, lifelong disease of addiction.
Fiction and nonfiction books about addiction and alcoholism. Best-selling memoirist Mary Karr longs for the family and stability that eluded her in childhood. When she marries and becomes a mother, she finds that with so much to lose, she still cannot control her drive to drink. A car accident, the slow and painful unraveling of her marriage, a stay in a mental hospital and an eventual spiritual awakening finally free Karr from the substance that nearly took her life.
- After completing residential or outpatient treatment, Diamond House welcomes you to stay connected with a supportive community and continue attending on-site meetings through our Alumni program.
- We won’t spoil the movie, and regardless of whether or not it is a disease, there are effective solutions to treating addiction.
- Ria Health is a smartphone-based program that assists people in reaching their unique alcohol-related goals, whether that means cutting back or quitting for good.
- As we believe and as the book suggests, you may not have control over the addict directly, and you do have control over how you cope, react, and treat yourself concerning your loved one’s addiction.
- She dismantles the illusions about alcohol that keep millions stuck in “gray area drinking” (a term coined by Jolene Park).
Parched: A Memoir by Heather King
Customers appreciate the emotional content of the book, with one noting how it captures their feelings better and makes them feel like an old friend. Customers find the book highly readable and fantastic, with one customer noting that the beginning and middle were particularly excellent. Customers find the book insightful and life-changing, with helpful information and fun advice throughout. Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration. The other eight injured included Herman’s longtime girlfriend Jessica Pellot and her 11-year-old son, Jakob Velazquez, who relatives told The Post was “traumatized” by the loss of his father figure. The car jumped the curb and into a fence — which did nothing to stop it — sending sparks into the air as the vehicle hurled toward the family, the video shows.
Recommended Books for Families of Alcoholics
With compassion and an erudite viewpoint, this book offers advice and hope for those who struggle with a loved one’s addiction. The author reveals startling details of her own struggle with her daughter’s addiction, reassuring the reader that she truly empathizes and understands the complexities of loving an addict. She educates the reader on how to best stop engaging in enabling behavior, in order to truly begin helping a loved one find the road to recovery. The Twelve-step program life and times of Joseph Richard Poole, aka Joey Image, legendary drummer for THE MISFITS and many other punk groups. Joey’s tumultuous road through life, his musical career and his struggle with addiction is narrated in a graphic and raw rendition. This memoir follows him from his youth and life as a punk rock drummer, his loves and losses and his fights with his personal demons.
