Off the Rails


Book Description

In this eye-opening book about treating teen addiction, fifteen-year-old Hannah and her mother, Susan, share in their own words the raw and honest realities of their family's struggles, the controversial treatment programs they tried, and their insights into what finally led to Hannah's recovery.




A Family Journey through Addiction


Book Description




Addiction Recovery


Book Description

Addiction can be a launching pad. Healing brings addicts and alcoholics closer to living life with integrity, self-reflection, and in service to others. This journey from addiction to fully functional adult is called recovery. Simply defined, recovery is the practice of behavioral, spiritual and psychological changes beginning with abstinence which encourage a healthy life. Your loved one's progress from addiction to recovery almost always involves you. In the process, you might find a spark for living life with more meaning as well. Just as your addicted loved one needs a path toward healing, you need a path to follow as well. Change does not happen overnight. This book shows you one route. Although it will feel long and painful at points, most of you will find light at the end of it. Written to mirror your journey from fear to surrender, this book includes factual information, psychological theory and a bit of folk wisdom. While many of the examples are about adolescents and young adults, the stories of addiction are applicable regardless of age. The worksheets included in each section are designed to provoke the kind of the thought that leads to insight. There is no single right answer to any of the questions. This is a personal journey of change.




Chasing Carson


Book Description

We knew we were in trouble when we started getting calls from the neighbors saying Carson was at the top of the tallest tree on the street. He was 7 or 8 years old. At 10 he made a zipline out of the dog’s tie out and leash then attempted to zip from the tree to the top of the playhouse, nearly hanging himself. He came out of the womb a natural athlete and risk taker. We were amazed by his ingenuity. Freshman year of high school he started experimenting with drugs like most teens do, however our boy had unlocked the door to addiction. As his drugs became harder he spiraled out of control with periods of abstinence followed by a few weeks of being on a “bender” until a crisis would end that cycle. Each time, we would think this is his “rock bottom”, then it wasn’t. We struggled with “Is this just the throws of adolescence or does he have a problem.” By his Senior year he overdosed. Then starts the scramble to find some sort of rehabilitation that is longer, different and out of our area. How can we afford it? Insurance? Savings? Mortgage the house? What does recovery look like for a now 18 year old that can just walk away from wherever we send him? ……Always Chasing Carson……




Prodigal Daughter


Book Description

A gripping true story, Prodigal Daughter narrates a family's darkest time through addiction and their journey toward healing. Father and daughter team, Rob Koke - founder and Senior Pastor of Shoreline Church - and Danielle pull back the curtain on the mind-numbing power of addiction and offer hope and real strategies for those longing for freedom. Unashamed and heartwarming, Danielle shares intimately about her teenage alcohol abuse and dependence on marijuana and Adderall. She offers a rare, first-person insight into the mental and emotional effects of addiction, and what it takes to get and stay clean. Rob tells about his struggle with his daughter's addiction, dealing with its effect on their family, and the reality of what it looks like to love someone battling addiction in your own home. He explores common questions family members ask like: Why can't they just stop? Why did they turn to drugs when I gave them everything I could? Where did I go wrong? How do I help without enabling? In a raw, real-time glimpse, father and daughter reveal the vulnerable letters they shared with each other during Danielle's rehab. With transparency, Rob and Danielle disarm the shame factor, and share lessons and resources to prevent and overcome setbacks. This book is your field guide in the battle of addiction. Whether you're longing for freedom, or helping a loved one along the journey toward recovery, you're not alone. Danielle and Rob's story will challenge you with truth, equip you with strategies for the journey, and infuse your heart with hope.




Addict in the Family


Book Description

The family recovery classic, Addict in the Family, has been revised and updated to offer parents and other family members even greater support when faced with the reality of a loved one’s addiction. Solid, actionable advice and information about what helps and what doesn’t—and how to care for themselves—make this an indispensable guide. For families of addicts, fear, shame, and confusion over a loved one’s addiction can cause deep anxiety, sleepless nights, and even physical illness. The emotional distress family members suffer is often compounded by the belief that they somehow caused or contributed to their loved one’s addiction—or that they could have done something to prevent it. Addict in the Family is a book about the pain of addiction, but more importantly it is a book of comfort, understanding, and hope for anyone struggling with a loved one’s addiction. As the compelling personal stories reveal, family members do not cause their loved one’s addiction—nor can they control or cure it. What family members can do is find support, set boundaries, detach with love, and eventually discover how to enjoy life more fully. This book helps them do just that—whether the loved one achieves recovery or not.




A Common Struggle


Book Description

Patrick J. Kennedy, the former congressman and youngest child of Senator Ted Kennedy, opens up about his personal and political battle with mental illness and addiction for the first time. This candid memoir focuses on the years from his 'coming out' about suffering from bipolar disorder and addiction to the present day, and examines his journey toward recovery while reflecting on America's treatment of mental health.




Good Time Charlie


Book Description

On the outside, they were a regular Texas family-hardworking, family-oriented, and always up for a good time. But behind closed doors, the pain they suffered carried on from one generation to the next. Until Jesus entered the picture and changed their lives forever. In this family memoir, Robbie Leffel unpacks how his father, "Good Time Charlie," devastated after a childhood accident took the life of a close friend, hid his pain behind the bottle for decades, destroying his own life and his family's. Then Jesus stepped in, transforming Robbie's life and giving him the strength to introduce his dad to the life-changing peace available only in Christ. It's never too late.




The Complete Family Guide to Addiction


Book Description

"The purpose of this book is to explain addiction and to help families and friends to deal with it successfully. People who are struggling with addiction can also use this book to understand their situation and the resources that are available to help them. And people who are wondering if they might have an addiction can use it to get a better sense of the nature and depth of their potential problem. Part I explains the science behind addiction. Part II looks at the emotional side of the problem and how families are affected. Part III discusses many of the real-world legal and practical issues that addicts often face, and ways to keep them out of trouble. Part IV provides a detailed overview of treatment options. And Part V describes the recovery process and the most effective strategies to keep it going for the long term"--




Addict in the House


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.