10 Best Books on Addiction and Recovery

best alcohol recovery books

To vote on books not in the list or books you couldn’t find in the list, you can click on the tab add books to this list and then choose from your books, or simply search. To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes. The good news is that regardless of the “root causes”, anyone with this disorder can decide to take control of their biochemistry, psychology, social influences, and spiritual development. It is a disorder that can be permanently resolved using the Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual model of recovery. At around 100 pages, this is the shortest book that I will have to re-read because of Jung’s deep, aphoristic style.

best alcohol recovery books

#9 – Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery by Bill Clegg

Alcohol addiction is primarily a biochemical disorder, one reinforced by neural pathways linking alcohol to desired states of mind. As a “disorder,” it shares a collection of common symptoms, including cravings and withdrawal for people who are physically dependent on alcohol. This book was written to help mankind avert totalitarianism, and you will probably not enjoy it if you care little for philosophy or history. However, I found that it offered subtle applications for combating groupthink of any kind. If you want to transcend alcoholism once and for all, it’s groupthink – whether around alcohol, or around defective mainstream recovery – that you will have to challenge and rise above on your own.

  • Jerry Stahl was a writer with significant and successful screenwriting credits — Dr. Caligari, Twin Peaks, Moonlighting, and more.
  • However, beyond the book that focuses on some key ideas, including changing our beliefs and practicing abstinence, among others, Whitaker aims to change the narrative surrounding alcohol consumption.
  • Running with Scissors is true-life memoir that recounts Burroughs’ troubled childhood.
  • She also poignantly expresses the feeling of emptiness and longing that so many addicts seek to fill through the consumption of their drug of choice.
  • As we grapple with the demands of our careers, personal lives, and the ever-present digital landscape, it’s crucial to understand and address this pervasive issue.
  • It can also help you take control of your biochemistry so that you can leave physical cravings in the past.

7 Weeks To Sobriety

best alcohol recovery books

While this book does not discuss biochemical repair, it can be extremely liberating to realize that you can shed the “diseased” label and move on with your life. This view is not accepted by most mainstream recovery programs, but Dr. Lewis makes a compelling case that these institutions have lagged behind the times (and the brain science). Marc Lewis is a neuroscientist with a personal history of opiate addiction, and this book is a masterpiece. Dr. Lewis sees addiction as a “phase of life” and individual preferences and desires as essentially malleable over time. Julia Ross is a pioneer of nutrient therapy, and this book explains how basic nutrients can be used with great success to cure a number of mental health issues. Texts such as this one do not deny the utility of prescription medications for patients who need them.

best alcohol recovery books

Reframe Your Shame: Experience Freedom from What Holds You Back

best alcohol recovery books

Recovery is a tumultuous process, and recovering individuals often benefit from learning about the experiences others have undergone in their quest to live substance-free. There are countless books that have been written about addiction and recovery. The following list recounts 10 of the most notable books on this subject. While not exclusively focused on best alcoholic memoirs burnout, Seppälä’s book provides valuable insights into achieving success without sacrificing well-being. She challenges the notion that stress and overwork are necessary for achievement, offering science-based strategies for finding happiness and success simultaneously. Hanks provides a compassionate and practical guide for women struggling with burnout.

#2 – Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas

But they can provide fresh perspectives and inspiration—and reinforce that you’re not alone. This book reads like a conversation, and teaches us to get curious. Gilbert helps us understand the noisy voice in our head, which can often be our greatest critic.

Find Effective, Evidence-Based Treatment in the Relay Program for Alcohol Addiction

best alcohol recovery books

Although his childhood experience was remarkably different from the norm, it still illustrates the vulnerability that emotional abuse creates in relation to the formation of addiction. Remember that overcoming burnout is not a one-time event but an ongoing journey. It requires consistent effort, self-reflection, and a willingness to make changes in both your personal life and work environment. The strategies and insights from these books for burnout can serve as valuable guides along this path. This groundbreaking book offers a fresh perspective on burnout, particularly focusing on women’s experiences.

  • 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.
  • In Addicts in the Family, Conyers examines the heart-wrenching experiences of those who love an addict and have to experience the ravages of this affliction from the sidelines.

#5 – Living Sober by Anonymous

This is a lesser known series of essays on the intersection of alcohol and womanhood. The author, Kristi Coulter, engages the reader with her deep insight and quick wit. This combination makes her story heartening, funny, and thought-provoking at the same time. Coulter shares her struggles with alcohol https://ecosoberhouse.com/ use and also the challenges of getting sober. A captivating story of a highly accomplished well-known professional in the spotlight who was brave enough to share her story. Elizabeth Vargas takes off her perfectly poised reporter mask and shows you the authentic person behind the anchor desk.

#6 – Addicts in the Family: Stories of Loss, Hope and Recovery by Beverly Conyers

This book serves as a guide for anyone starting their journey with a 30 day sobriety challenge. The Dry Challenge can be especially helpful for people who drink socially, and are looking to take a structured step back to re-evaluate their habits. This book offers inspiration for alcohol-free drinks and activities, and tangible tips on how to navigate a month (or beyond!) without alcohol. This is a self-help book by a licensed therapist that braids together anonymized client stories, personal narrative, psychological tools, and brain research. White thoughtfully explores boundaries, emotional regulation, body image, shame, and self-care in a way that’s actionable and accessible.

Mindfulness-Themed Recovery Books

Her increasingly dysfunctional relationship with alcohol had to stop, but after decades of social drinking, she was terrified of what that might mean. She takes us through her journey of recovery in this moving, inspiring story about giving up something you think you love to live the life you truly want. Through reading this book I came to better understand myself, my body’s physical reactions, and my mental health. It’s a tough book to read due to the descriptions of horrific traumas people have experienced, however it’s inspirational in its message of hope. Van der Kolk describes our inner resilience to manage the worst of life’s circumstances with our innate survival instinct. We can survive and even thrive despite the traumas we have endured.

Best Books for Alcoholism to Transcend Addiction

She started sneaking sips from her parents’ wine glasses as a kid, and went through adolescence drinking more and more. Blackout is her poignant story of alcoholism and those many missing hours that disappeared when she had just enough to drink to wipe out her memory. Hepola gets through the darkest parts of her story with self-deprecating humor and a keen eye on what she was burying by drinking. Exploring the thoughts of an addict and a life unraveled by narcotics, this memoir spans the author’s struggles with opioid use disorder, to her time in jail, and ultimately to her recovery. High Achiever offers hope and inspiration and a raw and page-turning read. I chose Atlas of the Heart because it touches on the important theme of second chances.