No More Letting Go

No More Letting Go PDF Author: Debra Jay
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0307418251
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
“Detachment” has been the standard message of most addiction literature for the last twenty years. The conventional wisdom offered to an addict’s loved ones has been to let the addict “hit bottom” before intervening. Now intervention specialist Debra Jay challenges this belief and offers a bold new approach to treating addiction that provides a practical and spiritual lifeline to families struggling with alcohol or drug abuse. In No More Letting Go, Jay argues that the traditional advice of “letting go” too often destroys both the addict and the family physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Jay contends that addiction is everybody’s business–not just the addict’s–and addiction doesn’t have the right to trump the welfare of a family. In short, highly accessible chapters written with warmth, understanding, and compassion, Jay weaves together philosophical and religious thought; new science on the brain function of an addict; the physical and psychological impact of addiction on family members; and poignant, real-life family stories. No More Letting Go is a powerful, informative guide that provides comfort, hope, and practical advice to anyone affected by a family member’s addiction.

No More Letting Go

No More Letting Go PDF Author: Debra Jay
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0307418251
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Get Book

Book Description
“Detachment” has been the standard message of most addiction literature for the last twenty years. The conventional wisdom offered to an addict’s loved ones has been to let the addict “hit bottom” before intervening. Now intervention specialist Debra Jay challenges this belief and offers a bold new approach to treating addiction that provides a practical and spiritual lifeline to families struggling with alcohol or drug abuse. In No More Letting Go, Jay argues that the traditional advice of “letting go” too often destroys both the addict and the family physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Jay contends that addiction is everybody’s business–not just the addict’s–and addiction doesn’t have the right to trump the welfare of a family. In short, highly accessible chapters written with warmth, understanding, and compassion, Jay weaves together philosophical and religious thought; new science on the brain function of an addict; the physical and psychological impact of addiction on family members; and poignant, real-life family stories. No More Letting Go is a powerful, informative guide that provides comfort, hope, and practical advice to anyone affected by a family member’s addiction.

Ashamed No More

Ashamed No More PDF Author: T. C. Ryan
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830866787
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
There are some things we just don't talk about. Things like sex, particularly when our sexuality is a matter of personal struggle. Things like the vulnerabilities of our pastors, who must maintain a façade not merely of respectability but of moral and psychological superiority. We don't talk about things that make us feel insecure, that make us feel unsettled. But the nature of spiritual growth, even the story of Christian faith, is a matter of being unsettled from the comfortable compromises we've made and set on a course together toward wholeness and mutually supportive community. Pastor T. C. Ryan takes us on an unsettling journey through his lifelong struggle with sexual addiction, one that predated and pervaded his pastoral ministry—one which for far too long he faced in secrecy and isolation, separated from the brothers and sisters in Christ who were called to bear one another's burdens. Ashamed No More doesn't cast blame or argue for looser moral standards. It does, however, call us to the unsettling ministry that a God who is love calls us to—the unsettling grace that is the audacious gospel of Christ.

The Biology of Desire

The Biology of Desire PDF Author: Marc Lewis
Publisher: PublicAffairs
ISBN: 1610394380
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Through the vivid, true stories of five people who journeyed into and out of addiction, a renowned neuroscientist explains why the "disease model" of addiction is wrong and illuminates the path to recovery. The psychiatric establishment and rehab industry in the Western world have branded addiction a brain disease. But in The Biology of Desire, cognitive neuroscientist and former addict Marc Lewis makes a convincing case that addiction is not a disease, and shows why the disease model has become an obstacle to healing. Lewis reveals addiction as an unintended consequence of the brain doing what it's supposed to do-seek pleasure and relief-in a world that's not cooperating. As a result, most treatment based on the disease model fails. Lewis shows how treatment can be retooled to achieve lasting recovery. This is enlightening and optimistic reading for anyone who has wrestled with addiction either personally or professionally.

Powerless No Longer

Powerless No Longer PDF Author: Peter W. Soderman
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781492185895
Category : Addicts
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
We are not powerless over our addictions, nor are we helpless victims of heredity, a disease, a spiritual malady, or a slew of character defects that require the intervention of a "higher power," and a lifetime of meetings to control. Studies show that 75% of all addicts recover on their own, without pills, patches, rehabs, or self-help groups. How many people do you know who successfully quit smoking "cold turkey," without artificial aids or programs, and nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on earth. People can recover on their own because they find ways of addressing the learned aspects of addiction that are driven by our reward system. Almost any activity we find pleasurable, from eating a chocolate chip cookie to hearing great music or seeing a beautiful face, can activate the reward system. Once aroused, these circuits enable our brains to encode the circumstances that led to the pleasure, so we can repeat the behavior and the reward in the future. Over time, the pleasure becomes misery, but we now have little choice but to continue because the behaviors and belief systems that drive our addiction have become well-learned, deeply ingrained habits. The journey to addiction begins with our receiving positive reinforcement from use of the drug - it makes us feel good, and ends with the "gotta have its" screaming in our ear. For some, it seems like a hopeless situation, but the vast majority of us find a solution to the problem, and so can you. Just as we learn to become addicted, we can learn to make the necessary changes to our thoughts and beliefs that will relieve us of the burden of our addictions for a lifetime, not just a day-at-a-time. Powerless No Longer will help you learn to take advantage of your brain's natural ability to rewire itself, its neuroplasticity, to overcome your addictive behavior and reach your full potential. Powerless No Longer is for anyone who is concerned about an addictive behavior problem and is looking for help deciding upon a course of action. The book introduces a newcomer to the science of addiction, the process of change, and specific methods and tools that offer a way out. If you are questioning your own drug and alcohol use, or have tried 12-step programs and not succeeded, Powerless No Longer is for you. If you believe you are "powerless" over your addiction, you will see evidence proving that this is not true. Powerless explains the self-change methods that work for the majority of addicts who recover on their own, and shows you how to apply these principles in your own recovery. Powerless combines in one place: - A detailed explanation of the bio/psycho/social aspects of addiction - The research and studies that show how most people recover - A comprehensive review of current recovery methods, and - Suggestions you can use to take what's available and build a recovery program that fits your own needs There is no single drug, method, or program that works for everyone under all conditions and circumstances. In other words, there is no "silver bullet" for addiction, and Powerless No Longer doesn't claim to be one either. There are almost as many paths to successful recovery as people who have recovered, and no single group or method has the only ticket. However, there are certain commonalities in the methods used by study subjects who quit on their own, and a huge body of scientific evidence indicating what does work for most people most of the time. That's what you will find in Powerless No Longer-choices, not a rigid framework of inflexible dogma. You do need to tap into a source of power and strength, but it isn't outside, it's internal. If you possess a genuine desire to effect self-change, you have within yourself all the power you need, and PNL can help you unlock it.

Secret No More

Secret No More PDF Author: Lisa Hillman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781627201407
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
"She was an accomplished health care administrator, a fundraising executive running a multi-million dollar campaign for one of Maryland's leading health care systems. Her husband was a former mayor. They had raised a happily married daughter. From all appearances, life was rich and fulfilling. Except every night she went home to a dark house where her adolescent son huddled in his cave-like bedroom. Routinely, he disappeared at night while she lay awake, staring at the blinking bedside clock, waiting to hear his footfall on the stairs, just to know that he was safe and still alive. A story of discovery, shame, denial, and finally acceptance, 'Secret No More' tells the story of one mother's ultimate struggle with her son's addiction and how it taught her a new way to love." - Back cover

Codependent No More

Codependent No More PDF Author: Melody Beattie
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1592857922
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
In a crisis, it's easy to revert to old patterns. Caring for your well-being during the coronavirus pandemic includes maintaining healthy boundaries and saying no to unhealthy relationships. The healing touchstone of millions, this modern classic by one of America's best-loved and most inspirational authors holds the key to understanding codependency and to unlocking its stultifying hold on your life. Is someone else's problem your problem? If, like so many others, you've lost sight of your own life in the drama of tending to someone else's, you may be codependent--and you may find yourself in this book--Codependent No More. The healing touchstone of millions, this modern classic by one of America's best-loved and most inspirational authors holds the key to understanding codependency and to unlocking its stultifying hold on your life. With instructive life stories, personal reflections, exercises, and self-tests, Codependent No More is a simple, straightforward, readable map of the perplexing world of codependency--charting the path to freedom and a lifetime of healing, hope, and happiness. Melody Beattie is the author of Beyond Codependency, The Language of Letting Go, Stop Being Mean to Yourself, The Codependent No More Workbook and Playing It by Heart.

Beyond Codependency

Beyond Codependency PDF Author: Melody Beattie
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1592857957
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
In simple, straightforward terms, Beattie takes you into the territory beyond codependency, into the realm of recovery and relapse, family-of-origin work and relationships, surrender and spirituality. You're learning to let go, to live your life free of the grip of someone else's problems. And yet you find you've just started on the long journey of recovery. Let Melody Beattie, author of the classic Codependent No More, help you along your way. A guided tour past the pitfalls of recovery, Beyond Codependency is dedicated to those struggling to master the art of self-care. It is a book about what to do once the pain has stopped and you've begun to suspect that you have a life to live. It is about what happens next.In simple, straightforward terms, Beattie takes you into the territory beyond codependency, into the realm of recovery and relapse, family-of-origin work and relationships, surrender and spirituality. With personal stories, hard-won insights, and activities, her book teaches the lessons of dealing with shame, growing in self-esteem, overcoming deprivation, and getting past fatal attractions long enough to find relationships that work.

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Brain
Languages : en
Pages : 76

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Book Description


Addict in the House

Addict in the House PDF Author: Robin Barnett
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
ISBN: 1626252629
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
"This is a straightforward, rich resource for anyone who lives with, and loves, an addict." —Publishers Weekly Everyone suffers when there’s an addict in the family. Written by an expert in alcohol and drug addiction and recovery, this no-nonsense guide will help you understand the causes of addiction, end enabling behaviors, support your loved one’s recovery, and learn how to cope with relapses. If you’re the family member of an addict, you may feel confused, guilty, and scared of doing the wrong thing. And when you don’t know how to help, you may find yourself in a codependent role, trying so hard to keep your addicted loved one alive, out of jail, or emotionally appeased that you may actually prevent them from realizing they need help. Drawing on her own personal experience with her brother’s addiction, Addict in the House offers a pragmatic, step-by-step guide to dealing with a loved one’s addiction, from accepting the reality of the disease to surviving what may be repeated cycles of recovery and relapse. You’ll learn how to encourage your addicted loved one to get help without forcing it, and finally find the strength to let go of codependence. With this revealing and straightforward book, you’ll have the support you need to take an honest look at how addiction has affected the family, cope with the emotional hurdles of having an addicted family member, create and maintain firm boundaries, and make informed decisions about how to best help your loved one.

The Urge

The Urge PDF Author: Carl Erik Fisher
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0525561455
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 393

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Book Description
Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker and The Boston Globe An authoritative, illuminating, and deeply humane history of addiction—a phenomenon that remains baffling and deeply misunderstood despite having touched countless lives—by an addiction psychiatrist striving to understand his own family and himself “Carl Erik Fisher’s The Urge is the best-written and most incisive book I’ve read on the history of addiction. In the midst of an overdose crisis that grows worse by the hour and has vexed America for centuries, Fisher has given us the best prescription of all: understanding. He seamlessly blends a gripping historical narrative with memoir that doesn’t self-aggrandize; the result is a full-throated argument against blaming people with substance use disorder. The Urge is a propulsive tour de force that is as healing as it is enjoyable to read.” —Beth Macy, author of Dopesick Even after a decades-long opioid overdose crisis, intense controversy still rages over the fundamental nature of addiction and the best way to treat it. With uncommon empathy and erudition, Carl Erik Fisher draws on his own experience as a clinician, researcher, and alcoholic in recovery as he traces the history of a phenomenon that, centuries on, we hardly appear closer to understanding—let alone addressing effectively. As a psychiatrist-in-training fresh from medical school, Fisher was soon face-to-face with his own addiction crisis, one that nearly cost him everything. Desperate to make sense of the condition that had plagued his family for generations, he turned to the history of addiction, learning that the current quagmire is only the latest iteration of a centuries-old story: humans have struggled to define, treat, and control addictive behavior for most of recorded history, including well before the advent of modern science and medicine. A rich, sweeping account that probes not only medicine and science but also literature, religion, philosophy, and public policy, The Urge illuminates the extent to which the story of addiction has persistently reflected broader questions of what it means to be human and care for one another. Fisher introduces us to the people who have endeavored to address this complex condition through the ages: physicians and politicians, activists and artists, researchers and writers, and of course the legions of people who have struggled with their own addictions. He also examines the treatments and strategies that have produced hope and relief for many people with addiction, himself included. Only by reckoning with our history of addiction, he argues—our successes and our failures—can we light the way forward for those whose lives remain threatened by its hold. The Urge is at once an eye-opening history of ideas, a riveting personal story of addiction and recovery, and a clinician’s urgent call for a more expansive, nuanced, and compassionate view of one of society’s most intractable challenges.