This Months Featured Reading

AA Not the Only Way —Your One Stop Resource Guide to 12 Step Alternatives
Melanie Solomon, Capalo Press, 2005
This is the first-ever comprehensive global resource guide that tells counselors and sufferers alike what their options are and where to find them. "AA-Not the Only Way" responds to the growing demand from recovery experts, recent court rulings, problem drinkers and drug addicts for a global resource directory of alternative treatments.

This book compares and contrasts many different drug and alcohol problem treatment modalites so the client can better choose which program best suites his or her needs. In addition, contact information is provided for over 100 licensed professionals and treatment facilities that go beyond the traditional 12-step method, throughout the United States and overseas.

More information can be found on aanottheonlyway.com
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Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered From Alcoholism
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., New York, NY, Third Edition,1986
Alcoholics Anonymous-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.

Also Alcoholism: The Family Disease (Al-Anon)

Alcoholism: The Genetic Inheritance
Fitzgerald, K.W., Whales Tale Press, Lake Forest, IL, 1993
Some critics maintain that the concept of alcoholism as a disease has been pushed too far because it tends to absolve heavy drinkers of responsibility. FitzGerald brushes over this controversy, arguing that compulsive drinking is a hereditary, progressive illness caused by irregular body chemistry. This primer on the causes and cure of "Jellinek's disease," as she calls alcoholism (after the Yale doctor who investigated its biochemical roots) summarizes the clinical evidence for physical dependency and outlines stages of addiction. The author is herself a recovering alcoholic and novelist (The Good Sisters). She illuminates the crucial roles played by the problem drinker's family members, the spouse who acts as Enabler, children who become Mascots, Scapegoats or Super Kids. Helpful advice on influencing the alcoholic to confront his or her problem is interwoven with mini-case histories. Appendixes include six checklists for alcoholics and family members seeking help.

Alcohol: How to give it up and be glad you did
by Phillip Tate.
Abstinence is only the beginning. Learning to be happy in sobriety is usually the greater challenge. Tate offers good solid advice on putting the principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy into practice in daily life.  Although Amazon lists this book as being out of print, you might still be able to buy a copy at your local bookstore, or through the smartrecovery.org website.

Combining Medication and
Psychosocial Treatments for Addictions
by Joseph Volpicelli, et.all. 
Also known as the "BRENDA Model", this book is a must for treatment providers interested in incorporating Naltrexone and other medications into a comprehensive program of recovery.

DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF...
and it's all small stuff
by Richard Carlson, Ph.D.
A great little book (literally), with one hundred short essays on simple ways to keep the little things from taking over your life. And if you like this one, you'll probably also want to try the sequels, "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff... with your family," and "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff... at work." All are fun, easy reading, and full of good advice on how to learn to accept what life has to offer with less resistance, and simply enjoy it more.

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
by David D. Burns, MD.
An excellent book about clinical depression, and how to deal with it using cognitive behavior therapy. Also written quite a few years ago, it stands the test of time, and is still one of the most widely recommended books available on the subject. Also available is "The Feeling Good Handbook ", with lots of additional materials to help you put the principles discussed in the book to work in your life.



Hope: New Choices and Recovery Strategies for Adult Children of Alcoholics
Marlin, Emily, Harper & Row, New York, NY, 1987
As family therapist Marlin indicates, although most adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) do not identify their background as a source of trouble, the majority of their problems stem from having grown up in alcoholic households. Marlin's strategies for recovery involve breaking through denial; exploring the tasks involved in recovery, e.g., forgiveness; and rebuilding parent and sibling relationships in order to intervene in the family member's alcoholism. This comprehensive look at growing up in a dysfunctional family emphasizes that survival is not enough. Interesting and readable; an excellent self-help or source book.

I'll Quit Tomorrow
Johnson, Vernon, Second Edition, Harper & Row, New York, NY, 1980
A book which offers proof that alcoholism is a treatable disease. It describes the emotional syndrome accompanying relapse and the significance of blackouts, and it outlines an approach to intervention and treatment that can arrest the progesss of the disease and return the alcoholic to a happier, more productive life.

Is Alcoholism Hereditary?
Goodwin, Donald W., Balantine Books, New York, NY, 1976

Recovery Options: The Complete Guide
by Joseph Volpicelli, M.D., Ph.D. and Maia Szalavits.
Just released in May of 2000, this is the most up to date and probably the most comprehensive book ever written on the subject of recovery. Beginning with a close look at the problem of addiction itself, they then objectively examine all the various options available for recovery, essentially concluding that there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution.



A New Guide to Rational Living
by Albert Ellis, Ph.D., and Robert A. Harder, Ph.D. (1975)
Originally published in 1961 under the title "A Guide to Rational Living", this book is the Bible of cognitive behavior therapy. Though it's occasionally a little difficult to read and understand because of the psychological references and language that he used, it's still a definitive resource nearly 40 years later, and well worth the effort.

Sober for Good: New Solutions for Drinking Problems
by Anne Fletcher and Frederick B. Glaser. (2001)
Anne M. Fletcher resolved her own drinking problem without Alcoholics Anonymous and was fascinated by other people who had found alternative methods to stop drinking.  In 222 interviews with sober individuals who had achieved 5 or more years of sobriety, Fletcher found that many of the commonly "accepted facts" about recovery from "alcoholism" simply are not true for everyone.  Highly recommended.


Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
by a Co-Founder, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., New York, NY, 1990

Under the Influence: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism
Milam, James and Katherine Ketcham, Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1983
(From the Publisher)
Ten of millions Americans suffer from alcoholism, yet most people still wrongly believe that alcoholism is a psychological or moral problem, and that it can be cured by psychotherapy or sheer will power. Based on groundbreaking scientific research, Under The Influence examine the physical factors that set alcoholics and non-alcoholics apart, and suggests a bold, stigma-free way of understanding and treating the alcoholic.

Voyage Into Recovery : Defeating Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
by D. A. Dickens, Published by iUniverse, Inc., Lincon NE ( 2005)
Voyage Into Recovery addresses alcohol and drug abuse from the perspective of a survivor. Fluent, clear, and concise, author D. A. Dickens presents tactics and strategies needed to forge and maintain sobriety. Insightful, encouraging and highly recommended, Dickens shares not only how he stays clean and sober, more importantly, how he finds peace and happiness in this oft-confusing process. You can, too!

To order any of these books right now from Amazon.com, simply click on the picture of the book's cover, or the blue link.