6 Essential Books for Those with an Addicted Loved One

This book can provide great value for the person who has quit drinking and still does not feel good on a daily basis. Anxiety, depression, and cravings are not a sustainable way of life, nor are they inevitable symptoms of a permanent disease. These books provide a clear direction for beginners who are ready to start their recovery process and encouragement for those who have already begun, through the authors’ real-life experiences. The book is a must-read for everyone who is intrigued by or interested in understanding their relationship with alcohol, and the rise of unhealthy drug use in America today. She writes with clear insight and compassion about the challenges she faced as a high-functioning alcoholic running a multinational company. In this book, she beckons people with an unhealthy relationship with alcohol to consider a life outside of drinking.

Recovery starts here.

books on alcoholism

The result is a definitive treatment of the American recovery movement—a memoir in the subgenre like no other. When 15-year-old Cat moves to a new town in rural Michigan, she’s ecstatic to find a friend in Marlena, a beautiful, pill-popping neighbor. She’s drawn to Marlena’s world and joins her on an adventure of drinking, smoking, and kissing. Marlena’s dark habits worsen, though, and she ends up dead within the year. Decades later, Cat reminisces about those days with Marlena and learns to forgive herself and move on from those days.

books about alcoholism

Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp

  • She also closely examines both the internal and external factors that drove her to seek help in ending her destructive cycle of binge drinking.
  • In Tweak, Sheff paints a disturbingly honest portrait of addiction.
  • When you quit drinking for a year or more, you’ll find that you have the energy to move forward and tackle new projects.

Because if you don’t, you’ll continue to struggle emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and perhaps even physically. A must-read for families and friends of those who struggle with drinking and/or drugging. It’s going to help you learn how you can best support YOURSELF first. This best-selling book on codependency is a must-read if you’ve become a bit loco trying to navigate life with an addict or alcoholic. After all, it’s hard not to get all involved in trying to help and fix those that you love, but when you get so far in that you’re suffering, something’s gotta change.

Drinking

books on alcoholism

In and out of rehab, he falls into relapse, engaging in toxic relationships and other self-destructive behaviors that threaten to undo the hard-won progress he’s made. The information we provide while responding to comments is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. The responses to comments on fitrecovery.com are designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional care if you believe you may have a condition. The key message of this book is that you have the power to transform your thought processes and your life.

  • Some of the root causes of alcohol abuse, as the book highlights, stem from today’s society associating drinking with celebration.
  • We’ll revisit the topic, and report on any new books that can help you learn, grow, and thrive in recovery.
  • As a parent, I know first hand how we want more than anything for our children to be healthy and happy.
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The Day I Woke Up Dead

books on alcoholism

Through scientific data, personal anecdotes, and psychological insights, she uncovers the oft-overlooked harms of alcohol. Grace empowers us to critically assess our own drinking habits, challenging us to question whether our relationship with alcohol is by choice or by conditioning. David Sheff is a master storyteller whose writing is brutally honest and thought-provoking. This isn’t just a book about a son’s addiction and how it affected all those around him; it’s a parental love story. This book will make you realize you’re not alone, while validating all of the thoughts and feelings you’ve ever had about your addicted loved one. Join our global mission of connecting patients with addiction and mental health treatment.

books on alcoholism

Who should read Recovery

Our mission is to help everyone find the best path to recovery through the most comprehensive, helpful network of treatment providers worldwide. Written by famed Psychiatrist Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, this newly released New York Times Bestseller offers a comprehensive view of exactly how traumatic experiences physically rewire brain circuitry. Dr. Van Der Kolk explains the neurobiological changes that take place in the brain after a traumatic experience.

  • Before I was old enough to simply walk out of the house and literally escape, I hid inside my room and read entire afternoons away, happily lost.
  • This book is a guide to healing and living a better life for those who so desperately need it.
  • As a young woman, Wurtzel struggled with severe depression marked by manic highs and extreme lows.
  • Reading her book is like sharing a cup of coffee with your wise best friend.

Recovery Month 2023: Recovery is for Every Person, Every Family, and Every Community

Instead of perceiving alcohol as a must-have for social acceptance or personal relaxation, we’re prompted to see it as optional. This renewed perspective may give us the motivation to change our relationship with drinking, fostering a life of clarity and authentic joy. If you want lighter reading this summer, look no further than Adam Kay’s laugh-out-loud memoir, This Is Going To Hurt. In this book, Kay describes his long hours as a resident physician in the UK. heroin addiction He describes his challenges as an early physician with a deadpan humor that will make you laugh until you cry. Kay offers a unique perspective that gives the reader insight (and empathy) into life as both the healthcare seeker and the healthcare provider- both operating in a severe resource-constrained system.

But what does that mean, exactly, and how do you go about establishing boundaries? Nedra Glover Tawwab combines wisdom, research, and practical tools to help you change your life by building sustainable boundaries that actually work for you. The acclaimed author of Prozac Nation goes from depression to addiction with this equally devastating personal account. Wurtzel reveals how drugs fueled her post-breakout period, describing with unbearable specificity how her doctor’s prescription of Ritalin, intended to help her function, only brought her down.

  • If you’re looking for treatment, please browse the site to reach out to treatment centers directly.
  • Such portrayals can be triggering for those of us seeking sobriety.
  • Researched, fact-checked and transparent articles and guides that offer addiction and mental health insight from experts and treatment professionals.
  • Belle’s consistent messaging on our faulty thinking led to a major mindset shift for me.

The first 100 pages blew my mind and I found myself getting excited to read another chapter of this book every night before going to sleep. For a long time I felt tortured by the mystery of why some people are alcoholics and others aren’t. This nuanced work helped to answer that burning question for me. At best, going to bed with a bottle of wine will make you wake up feeling dry-mouthed and stupid. Going to bed with a book will tire your eyes naturally, ease your subconscious tension, and fill your mind with endless possibilities. Type 1 occurs in adults and is characterized by excessive alcohol consumption with increasingly shorter periods of abstinence.

No dream is beyond your reach simply because you suffered from a biochemical disorder. That’s because, although men are more likely to drink excessively, women tend to metabolize alcohol more slowly. This makes them more vulnerable to the long-term health effects of heavy drinking. And yes — we hate to be the bearers of bad news, but even moderate drinking carries some risks. I was not sure about it first but I went ahead and started the treatment from them anyways and so far it’s been a dream.