Download or read book Memoirs of an Addicted Brain written by Marc Lewis and published by Doubleday Canada. This book was released on 2011-10-04 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A gripping, ultimately triumphant memoir that's also the most comprehensive and comprehensible study of the neuroscience of addiction written for the general public. FROM THE INTRODUCTION: "We are prone to a cycle of craving what we don't have, finding it, using it up or losing it, and then craving it all the more. This cycle is at the root of all addictions, addictions to drugs, sex, love, cigarettes, soap operas, wealth, and wisdom itself. But why should this be so? Why are we desperate for what we don't have, or can't have, often at great cost to what we do have, thereby risking our peace and contentment, our safety, and even our lives?" The answer, says Dr. Marc Lewis, lies in the structure and function of the human brain. Marc Lewis is a distinguished neuroscientist. And, for many years, he was a drug addict himself, dependent on a series of dangerous substances, from LSD to heroin. His narrative moves back and forth between the often dark, compellingly recounted story of his relationship with drugs and a revelatory analysis of what was going on in his brain. He shows how drugs speak to the brain - which is designed to seek rewards and soothe pain - in its own language. He shows in detail the neural mechanics of a variety of powerful drugs and of the onset of addiction, itself a distortion of normal perception. Dr. Lewis freed himself from addiction and ended up studying it. At the age of 30 he traded in his pharmaceutical supplies for the life of a graduate student, eventually becoming a professor of developmental psychology, and then of neuroscience - his field for the last 12 years. This is the story of his journey, seen from the inside out.
Download or read book Welcome To My World A Week in the Life of a Substance Abuse Counselor written by Mary Crocker Cook and published by . This book was released on 2014-04-29 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever wondered what really happens in rehab
Download or read book Memoirs of an Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor written by Milton V. Peterson and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-03-02 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What makes an alcohol and drug counselor? It is more than formal training. Their lives influence their perspectives and the ways they approach your problems. Here a counselor tells his own story and how that impacted his ultimate career. Peterson tells how he found his place in the world through all his own thoughts, lessons and tribulations. He carefully describes how he tailored his treatment in the prison system where he found a beuracracy, resistant attendees and gang mentalities, all resisting change and personal revelations necessary for recovery. If you ever considered being a therapist or goiing to one, surely you have already wondered what is this person really like. Rarely will a counselor or therapist tell you much about themselves in professional settings. In an important role in people's lives, the professional still carries his own past. Peterson's story shows clearly how he ultimately created a simple and effective, personal 12 step workbook that allowed for privacy and recovery work with or without sponsors or professionals.
Download or read book Double Double written by Martha Grimes and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-01-12 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The popular mystery writer and her son present a dual account of their struggles with alcoholism and sobriety, a parallel journey marked by poignant episodes of relapse, travel, and friendship.
Download or read book Broken written by William Cope Moyers and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2007-08-28 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Candid, shocking, and unforgettable, Broken is a haunting and clear-eyed tale that offers hope for all those wrestling with addiction Unlike some popular memoirs that have fictionalized and romanticized the degradations of drug addiction, Broken is a true-life tale of recovery that stuns and inspires with virtually every page. The eldest son of journalist Bill Moyers, William Cope Moyers relates with unforgettable clarity the story of how a young man with every advantage found himself spiraling into a love affair with crack cocaine that led him to the brink of death-and how a deep spirituality allowed him to conquer his shame, transform his life, and dedicate himself to changing America's politics of addiction. "William Cope Moyers's lucid, measured tale of his own plunge into crack-addled hell [is] frightening in its very realism." -USA Today
Download or read book Wasted written by Michael Pond and published by Greystone Books. This book was released on 2016-01-21 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychotherapist Michael Pond is no stranger to the devastating consequences of alcoholism. He has helped hundreds of people conquer their addictions, but this knowledge did not prevent his own near-demise. In this riveting memoir, he recounts how he lost his practice, his home, and his family—all because of his drinking. After scores of visits to the ER, a tour of hellish recovery homes, a stint in intensive care for end-stage alcoholism, and jail, Pond devised his own personal plan for recovery. He met Maureen Palmer and together they investigated scientific alternatives to the rigid abstinence doctrine pushed by 12-Step programs.
Download or read book Co Crazy written by Sarah Michaud and published by . This book was released on 2021-11 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Running with Monsters written by Bob Forrest and published by Crown Archetype. This book was released on 2013-10-01 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Celebrity Rehab star and Thelonious Monster frontman Bob Forrest's memoir about his drug-fueled life in the L.A. indie rock scene of the '80s and '90s and his life-changing decision to become a drug counselor who specializes in reaching the unreachable. Life has been one strange trip for Bob Forrest. He started out as a suburban teenage drunkard from the Southern California suburbs and went on to become a member of a hip Hollywood crowd that included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Depp, and River Phoenix. Los Angeles was their playground, and they hung out in such infamous haunts as the Viper Room and the Whisky a Go Go. Always one to push things to their limit, Bob partied the hardest and could usually be found at the center of the drama. Drugs weren’t Bob’s only passion. He was also a talented musician who commanded the stage as the wild and unpredictable lead singer of Thelonious Monster. They traveled the world, and their future seemed bright and wide open. But Bob’s demons grew stronger as he achieved more success and he sank deeper into his chemical dependency, which included alcohol, crack, and heroin habits. No matter how many times he went to rehab, sobriety just wouldn’t stick for him. Soon he saw his once-promising music career slip away entirely. Eventually Bob found a way to defeat his addiction, and once he did, he saw the opportunity to help other hopeless cases by becoming a certified drug counselor. He’s helped addicts from all walks of life, often employing methods that are very much at odds with the traditional rehab approach. Running with Monsters is an electrifying chronicle of the LA rock scene of the 1980s and ’90s, the story of a man who survived and triumphed over his demons, and a controversial perspective on the rehab industry and what it really takes to beat addiction. Bob tells his story with unflinching honesty and hard-won perspective, making this a reading experience that shocks, entertains, and ultimately inspires.
Download or read book Alive Again written by Howard C. Samuels and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2013-03-27 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A powerful book on addiction recovery by a doctor who overcame addiction himself, the renowned founder and president of The Hills Treatment Center in Los Angeles Howard Samuels is one of the world's leading drug and alcohol addiction experts who runs the prestigious The Hills Treatment Center in Los Angeles. Decades ago, from the age of sixteen until he was thirty-two, Dr. Samuels had his own intense struggle with addiction to cocaine and heroin. Using his own compelling story as inspiration as well as case studies of his patients from all walks of life, Dr. Samuels shows how readers can recover from alcoholism and drug addiction by following this 12-step program to happiness and fulfillment in sobriety. This self-help book provides hope, inspiration, and prescriptive advice for those who want to recover as well as guidance for friends and family members seeking help for someone they love. Written from the unique perspective of a recovering addict who has helped thousands of people overcome addiction to alcohol and drugs Shares with readers for the first time in book form The Hills' world-renowned treatment program Tells Samuels' personal recovery story as the son of a prominent politician and businessman among the rich and famous in New York and Washington Contains a groundbreaking prescriptive program showing how to work each of the 12 steps Examines the cause of addictions, relapses, and fallback addictions Contains important information for family and friends of those struggling with addiction, including steps for intervention and healing The author appears regularly on TV
Download or read book Memoirs of a Sex Addict A Jersey Girl Bares All written by Samantha Barrett and published by . This book was released on 2013-05 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author Samantha Barrett says that initially, Memoirs of a Sex Addict was written to help heal herself. It is her sincere hope that it will also benefit others who have suffered as she has with Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a disorder which led directly to sex addiction and many of the reckless adventures recorded in this book. For her, BDD was a very rough ride, so some of the language and emotions in these pages are also rough. It had to be that way, she says, in order to tell the true story. The betrayals were many, including of her husbands, and there was never a shortage of men willing to take advantage of her. Even a counselor in an inpatient addiction hospital found her to be easy prey. Of course, the greatest betrayal was of herself. Some of what she did will come across as wild, out of control, even self-indulgent, but the common theme with alcohol and drug addicts is that she could not stop herself. Dr. Irvin Milowe, MD, and professor of psychiatry at the University of Miami, calls Memoirs of a Sex Addict "a very thoughtful trip into an addiction, that also shows the route out." And while Ms. Barrett is indeed eager to help others avoid her plight, she does not hide the details of her excursions. For Samantha Barrett the journey into addiction began during her childhood with being bullied in the home in what might seem a benign way. "The media," she says, "has been telling us about bullies at school and on the internet, but we rarely hear of bullies living under the same roof. We assume that parents will prevent anything hurtful to their children. But what if they are not aware? What may be "harmless teasing" for one child, could be devastating to another. A child may be hiding the pain. I was told that I was ugly, that no man would ever marry me. This led to a disease called Body Dysmorphic Disorder or BDD, a disease that distorted the way I saw myself and led me to obsess over flaws that may not have even be present. We hear tragic stories of drug and alcohol addiction. My addiction was different. Sex was my "drug of choice." Only sex could take away my pain of feeling "ugly." As soon as a man was on top of me or giving me attention, I felt beautiful. Often, alcohol went along with this behavior, but sex was the one I had no control over. Hopefully, the stories in this book will encourage parents, teachers and caregivers to be more aware of what is being told to or heard by their children."
Download or read book High written by David Sheff and published by Clarion Books. This book was released on 2019 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides information on drug and alcohol use, shares the stories of families who have lived through addiction, and teaches readers how to navigate peer pressure and stress.
Download or read book High Achiever written by Tiffany Jenkins and published by Harmony. This book was released on 2019-06-18 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • An up-close portrait of the mind of an addict and a life unraveled by narcotics—a memoir of captivating urgency and surprising humor that puts a human face on the opioid crisis. “Raw, brutal, and shocking. Move over, Orange Is the New Black.”—Amy Dresner, author of My Fair Junkie When word got out that Tiffany Jenkins was withdrawing from opiates on the floor of a jail cell, people in her town were shocked. Not because of the twenty felonies she’d committed, or the nature of her crimes, or even that she’d been captain of the high school cheerleading squad just a few years earlier, but because her boyfriend was a Deputy Sherriff, and his friends—their friends—were the ones who’d arrested her. A raw and twisty page-turning memoir that reads like fiction, High Achiever spans Tiffany’s life as an active opioid addict, her 120 days in a Florida jail where every officer despised what she’d done to their brother in blue, and her eventual recovery. With heart-racing urgency and unflinching honesty, Jenkins takes you inside the grips of addiction and the desperate decisions it breeds. She is a born storyteller who lived an incredible story, from blackmail by an ex-boyfriend to a soul-shattering deal with a drug dealer, and her telling brims with suspense and unexpected wit. But the true surprise is her path to recovery. Tiffany breaks through the stigma and silence to offer hope and inspiration to anyone battling the disease—whether it’s a loved one or themselves.
Download or read book Guts written by Kristen Johnston and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-01-22 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The actress best known for her work on "3rd Rock from the Sun" traces the story of her career and the personal difficulties that challenged her after "3rd Rock" ended.
Download or read book Slaying the Dragon The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America written by William L. White and published by . This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This is the remarkable story of America's personal and instituional responses to alcoholism and other addictions. It is the story of mutual aid societies: the Washingtonians, the Blue Ribbon Reform Clubs, the Ollapod Club, the United Order of Ex-Boozers, the Jacoby Club, Alcoholics Anonymous and Women for Sobriety. It is a story of addiction treatment institutions from the inebriate asylums and Keeley Institutes to Hazelden and Parkside. It is the story of evolving treatment interventions that range from water cures and mandatory sterilization to aversion therapies and methadone maintenance. William White has provided a sweeping and engaging history of one of America's most enduring problems and the profession that was birthed to respond to it" -- BACK COVER.
Download or read book Project Addiction Counselor written by Scott Spackey and published by . This book was released on 2015-09-30 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A complete guide to start and sustain your own private counseling practice. How and where to become certified How to establish an office (what to do, what not to do) How to market your services (includes templates and formats) How to offer versatile services for a full-time practice
Download or read book The Addicted Lawyer written by Brian Cuban and published by Post Hill Press. This book was released on 2017-08-29 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brian Cuban was living a lie. With a famous last name and a successful career as a lawyer, Brian was able to hide his clinical depression and alcohol and cocaine addictions—for a while. Today, as an inspirational speaker in long-term recovery, Brian looks back on his journey with honesty, compassion, and even humor as he reflects both on what he has learned about himself and his career choice and how the legal profession enables addiction. His demons, which date to his childhood, controlled him through failed marriages and stays in a psychiatric facility, until they brought him to the brink of suicide. That was his wake-up call. This is his story. Brian also takes an in-depth look at why there is such a high percentage of problematic alcohol use and other mental health issues in the legal profession. What types of therapies work? Are 12-step programs the only answer? Brian also includes interviews with experts on the subject as well as others in the profession who are now in recovery. The Addicted Lawyer is both a serious study of addiction and a compelling story of redemption.
Download or read book The Couch of Willingness written by Michael Pond and published by Everywhere Now. This book was released on 2014-05-10 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After two decades of helping clients battle addictions, Michael Pond, a successful therapist, succumbs to one himself. He loses his practice, his home and his family to alcoholism, ending up destitute in a rundown recovery home populated by a cast of characters straight out of Dickens. The Couch of Willingness is a real couch in that home, a couch where Pond is forced to sleep until he surrenders and admits he’s powerless over alcohol. But just when Pond gains any measure of sobriety, in sashays his other powerful addiction, Dana, a can of Red Bull in hand and a 26er of vodka in her purse. Pond’s harrowing two-year journey to sobriety takes stops in abandoned sheds, dumpsters, ditches, emergency wards, intensive care, and finally, prison. His riveting account crackles with raw energy and black humour as he plunges readers into a world few will ever have the misfortune to experience. Along the way, Michael the drunk finds himself shamed and stigmatized by the very system in which Michael the therapist thrived. The dissonance rankles for Pond and, by the end of the story, for the reader too.
