Living Recovery


Book Description

Living Recovery provides critical information for practitioners and educators in mental health services about the self-described needs of young people diagnosed with mental illness. It portrays the stages of living with mental illness through the recovery model ELAR—emergence, loss, adaptation, and recovery. The author interviewed youth aged sixteen to twenty-seven in Canada, Australia, and the US, and her book relates the price of the stigma surrounding mental illness, especially for young people who are already challenged with the developmental tasks of adolescence. The text examines the youth-described “social illness” of stigma and the resulting self-marginalization they say is necessary to survive stigma and social isolation. When youth feel isolated, ignored, or shunned, the resulting shame and stress they may feel has the potential to exacerbate such illnesses as obsessive compulsive disorder, psychosis, anxiety, and/or various mood disorders. The findings from this research anticipate and identify interventions that are useful for youth with mental illness. If programs and systems of care take into account youth stories such as those presented here, interventions will become more meaningful and more likely to address problems related to social and emotional distresses. In charting journeys through the emergence of illness, to loss, adaptation, and recovery, the book reports on how mental illness disrupted these youths’ lives on every level, especially in the transition from late adolescence to young adulthood. But youth also describe ways in which they adapted and recovered and how they came to “own the illness” with a greater sense of agency and self-direction.




Mindfulness and the 12 Steps


Book Description

A fresh resource to help those in recovery from addiction find their own spiritual path through the Buddhist practice of mindfulness. For those of us in recovery, Mindfulness and the 12 Steps offers a fresh approach to developing our own spiritual path through the Buddhist practice of mindfulness, or bringing one's awareness to focus on the present moment. We can revisit each of the Twelve Steps, exploring the interplay of ideas between mindfulness and Twelve Step traditions--from the idea of living "one day at a time" to the emphasis on prayer and meditation--and learn to incorporate mindfulness into our path toward lifelong sobriety. Through reflections, questions for inquiry, and stories from Buddhist teachers and others who practice mindfulness in recovery, Mindfulness and the 12 Steps will help us awaken new thinking and insights into what it means to live fully--body, mind, and spirit--in the here and now.




Living Skills Recovery Workbook


Book Description

This occupational therapy workbook provides clinicians with the tools necessary to help patients with dual diagnoses acquire basic living skills. Focusing on stress management, time management, activities of daily living, and social-skills training, this guide addresses each living skill in relation to how it aids in recovery and relapse prevention for each patient's individual lifestyle and pattern of addiction. Precin's Living Skills Recovery Workbook also instructs recovering addicts on how to manage their psychiatric symptoms to promote the highest level of integration into their community. This comprehensive workbook contains a collection of activities and worksheets to teach skills necessary to improve the quality of life for individuals with dual disorders, along with 70 forms that can be filled in by patients to aid in self-awareness. Ultimately, this guide emphasizes recovery through functional development skills. Dr. Pat Precin is Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Touro College, consultant, and licensed psychoanalyst with a private practice in Manhattan. Dr. Precin has over 27 years of experience working with people with mental illness and has directly supervised over 175 occupational therapy practitioner students in various clinical settings. She has authored and edited a number of books, including Client-Centered Reasoning: Narratives of People with Mental Illness, in addition to numerous journal articles, chapters, and grants. Readers interested in related titles from Patricia Precin will also want to see: Client-Centered Reasoning (ISBN: 9781626548596 ).




Being Sober


Book Description

The disease of addiction affects 1 out of 10 people in the United States, and is a devastating—often, fatal—illness. Now, from the physician director of the renowned Betty Ford Center, comes a step-by-step plan with a realistic “one-day-at-a-time” approach to a disease that so often seems insurmountable. With a focus on reclaiming the power that comes from a life free of dependency, Being Sober walks readers through the many phases of addiction and recovery without judgment or the overly "cultish" language of traditional 12-step plans. It also addresses the latest face of this disease: the "highly functioning" addict, or someone who is still able to achieve personal and professional success even as they battle a drug or alcohol problem. Dr. Haroutunian tackles this provocative issue head-on, offering new insight into why you don’t have to “bottom out” to get help. Dr. Haroutunian is himself a recovering alcoholic and knows firsthand the challenges of sobriety. His background and expertise in the field of alcohol and drug treatment give him a powerful edge and perspective that is unparalleled in his field. Using clear, straightforward language, Being Sober offers a proven path toward an emotional sobriety and a rewarding new life based on gratitude, dignity, and self-respect. Including a Foreword written by Steven Tyler.




Living with Voices


Book Description

Provides the evidence to show it's possible to overcome problems with hearing voices and take back control of one's life.




Living Outside Mental Illness


Book Description

An essential volume for improving understanding of the recovery process for people diagnosed with schizophrenia Schizophrenia is widely considered the most severe and disabling of the mental illnesses. Yet recent research has demonstrated that many people afflicted with the disorder are able to recover to a significant degree. Living Outside Mental Illness demonstrates the importance of listening to what people diagnosed with schizophrenia themselves have to say about their struggle, and shows the dramatic effect this approach can have on clinical practice and social policy. It presents an in-depth investigation, based on a phenomenological perspective, of experiences of illness and recovery as illuminated by compelling first-person descriptions. This volume forcefully makes the case for the utility of qualitative methods in improving our understanding of the reasons for the success or failure of mental health services. The research has important clinical and policy implications, and will be of key interest to those in psychology and the helping professions as well as to people in recovery and their families.




The Life Recovery Journey


Book Description

A life-changing resource for the Twelve Step journey, for anyone who struggles with addictions or dependencies—or wants to help someone who does. From the creators of the popular Life Recovery series that has guided millions of readers back to health and wholeness, now comes the ultimate recovery book—written from a Christian viewpoint. Recovery pioneers Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop bring a biblical perspective to the Twelve Steps of Life Recovery. They share real-life, personal accounts of people on the road to recovery; biblical stories and verses to support readers in their journey; and powerful principles that offer hope for the future. Whether using the book alone or as a companion to the popular Life Recovery Bible, this is an essential resource for anyone wanting to walk closer with God through recovery, as well as for their counselors, pastors, and loved ones. Previously published as The Book of Life Recovery.




Addiction and Recovery


Book Description

Companionship for the lifelong journey of recovery In Addiction and Recovery: A Spiritual Pilgrimage, Martha Postlethwaite--pastor and a person in recovery--reflects on her pilgrimage of healing through valleys of despair and vistas of resurrection. Addiction and Recovery is not just Postlethwaite's story, though. She also draws on the wisdom of pilgrims who have walked other paths to explore themes such as surrender, truth telling, shame, powerlessness, grace, forgiveness, and resurrection. Together, these chronicles bring hope to people who struggle with the disease of addiction and to those who love them. Each chapter ends with questions to reflect on with conversation partners or in a journal, and a spiritual practice. The spiritual practices are related to the chapter themes and serve as samplers, but they can be woven into the reader's own pilgrimage. Readers will recognize themselves in these stories and reflections, learn that they are not alone, and find reasons to hope as they make their own pilgrimage.




The Recovery Book


Book Description

“A classic. Read it. Use it. It can help guide you step by step into the bright light of the world of recovery.” —from the Foreword by Harry Haroutunian, M.D., Physician Director, Betty Ford Center “The Recovery Book is the Bible of recovery. Everything you need to know you will find in here.” —Neil Scott, host, Recovery Coast to Coast radio Hope, support, and a clear road map for people with drug or alcohol addiction. Announcing a completely revised and updated second edition of The Recovery Book, the Bible of addiction recovery. The Recovery Book provides a direct and easy-to-follow road map to every step in the recovery process, from the momentous decision to quit to the emotional, physical, and spiritual issues that arise along the way. Its comprehensive and effective advice speaks to people with addiction, their loved ones, and addiction professionals who need a proven, trusted resource and a supportive voice. The new edition of The Recovery Book features the revolutionary Recovery Zone System, which divides a life in recovery into three chronological zones and provides guidance on exactly what to do in each zone. First is the Red Zone, where the reader is encouraged to stop everything, activate their recovery and save their life. Next is the Yellow Zone, where the reader can begin to rebuild a life that was torn apart by addiction. Finally, the reader reaches the Green Zone, where he can enjoy a life a recovery and help others. Readers also learn how to use the Recovery Zone ReCheck, a simple, yet very effective relapse prevention tool. The Recovery Zone System works hand-in-hand with the 12-step philosophy and all other recovery methods. In addition, The Recovery Book covers new knowledge about addiction mechanisms and neuroplasticity, explaining how alcohol and drugs alter the brain. The authors outline a simple daily practice, called TAMERS, that helps people to use those same processes to “remold their brains” around recovery, eventually making sobriety a routine way of life. Written by Al J. Mooney, M.D., a recovery activist who speaks internationally on recovery, and health journalists Catherine Dold and Howard Eisenberg, The Recovery Book covers all the latest in addiction science and recovery methods. In 26 chapters and over 600 pages, The Recovery Book tackles issues such as: Committing to Recovery: Identifying and accepting the problem; deciding to get sober. Treatment Options: Extensive information on all current options, and how to choose a program. AA and other 12-Step Fellowships: How to get involved in a mutual-support group and what it can do for you. Addiction Science and Neuroplasticity: How alcohol and drugs alter pathways in the brain, and how to use the same processes to remold the brain around recovery. Relapse Prevention: The Recovery Zone ReCheck, a simple new technique to anticipate and avoid relapses. Rebuilding Your Life: How to handle relationships, socializing, work, education, and finances. Physical and Mental Health: Tips for getting healthy; how to handle common ailments. Pain Control: How to deal with pain in recovery; how to avoid a relapse if you need pain control for surgery or emergency care. Family and Friends: How you can help a loved one with addiction, and how you can help yourself. Raising Substance-Free Kids: How to “addiction-proof” your child. The Epidemic of Prescription Drugs: Now a bigger problem than illegal drugs. Dr. Al J. Mooney has been helping alcoholics and addicts get their lives back for more than thirty years, using both his professional and personal experiences at his family’s treatment center, Willingway, and most recently through his work as medical director for The Healing Place of Wake County (NC), a homeless shelter. The Recovery Book will help millions gain control of their mind, their body, their life, and their happiness. www.TheRecoveryBook.com