What does it take to get sober, and stay that way? I am a medical doctor and I am an alcoholic in recovery. I have experienced both sides of the story and have learned a myriad of lessons - many of them indeed the hard way. I have struggled with alcohol. I have been where you are. I have lived a life of secrets and lies. But the past does not equal the future. I am a survivor. I have joined a special band of brothers and sisters. We all share the same past - we have gone through hell, but we kept going. I have been to rehab and over the last 2295 days I have taken one tiny baby step after the other, until I now live a life so beautiful, I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams. I am not religious, but the 12-step program worked for me. I saw it as a blue-print how to save a failing business. And I was all invested in this particular business - after all, we were talking about my life. In "My Steps To Sobriety" I share with you my insights, my knowledge and my passion for life. I show you how I ended up in a fantastic world where alcohol simply has no place any more. Chapters one and two give you an insight into the real face of alcohol. It's impact on people like you and me, as well as it's damage to society. Chapter three demystifies alcoholism and I will explain to you why alcoholism is a disease in the truest meaning of the word. Chapter four goes into the nitty-gritty of the twelve steps. I explain each and every step with examples and provide action plans wherever sensible. This is where the magic happens. This is where you will learn the reasons behind your drinking and what to do about them. Chapter five discusses alternative programs whilst chapter six finally looks beyond the twelve steps. Here is where I focus on the challenges that our lives throw at us on a daily basis. From relationships to stress, from cross-addiction to sober-shaming to the number of mental health problems we all are facing. If you are serious about turning your life around - this book can help you with the right steps. If your loved one goes through hard times with alcohol and you struggle to understand what's going on - this book will help you. Recovery works, if you work at it. And rehab is truly for quitters!

Richie Stephens is an actor who often plays hardened gangsters and criminals. This is easy for him because he was a drug trafficker, kidnapper, drug addict, alcoholic, and all-around criminal himself. His life twisted and turned in harrowing self-destructive adventures that took him from his native Ireland to San Francisco, Australia, and finally, Los Angeles, coalescing into a classic tale of a man trying to run from his problems by moving to new and more exotic locations—a hard and painful realization that comes at a point in which he’s about to take his own life. The only reason there is a story to tell is because he did not. Instead, he found help, and in doing so, found himself. More than that, he found that help comes in different forms, and oftentimes it just takes the right thought to hit at the right time for it all to make sense. The Gangster’s Guide to Sobriety chronicles Richie’s descent into the abyss of crime and dependency, and how his personal understanding of freedom allowed him to become the functioning positive force he is today. Richie’s story is sprawling and epic, but the key to the book is the same key to his recovery: the 12 Steps. With his own flair and original understanding of life and the world, he followed the 12 Steps to find the clarity he needed to save his own life and evolve into a positive force for others. As Richie says, “Hopefully if people see that someone as fucked up as me could change their life, then there is hope for anyone.” The Gangster’s Guide to Sobriety is gripping in its honesty and openness. Even at its darkest moments, there is a keen understanding of the absurd nature of life as the author comes to grips with his failings and his faith, while also entering a place of self-acceptance. This is a story of redemption and the power of the human spirit, and how sometimes you have to turn to something greater than yourself.

A 75th anniversary e-book version of the most important and practical self-help book ever written, Alcoholics Anonymous. Here is a special deluxe edition of a book that has changed millions of lives and launched the modern recovery movement: Alcoholics Anonymous. This edition not only reproduces the original 1939 text of Alcoholics Anonymous, but as a special bonus features the complete 1941 Saturday Evening Post article “Alcoholics Anonymous” by journalist Jack Alexander, which, at the time, did as much as the book itself to introduce millions of seekers to AA’s program. Alcoholics Anonymous has touched and transformed myriad lives, and finally appears in a volume that honors its posterity and impact.

The Dual Disorders Recovery Book

Winner of a 2018 Catholic Press Association Award: Sacraments. (Second Place). In the first book to directly integrate the Twelve Steps with the practice of Catholicism, Scott Weeman, founder and director of Catholic in Recovery, pairs his personal story with compassionate straight talk to show Catholics how to bridge the commonly felt gap between the Higher Power of twelve-step programs and the merciful God that he rediscovered in the heart of the sacraments. Weeman entered sobriety from alcohol and drugs on October 10, 2011, and he's made it his full-time ministry to help others who struggle with various types of addiction to find spiritual wholeness through Catholic in Recovery, an organization he founded and directs. In The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments, Weeman candidly tackles the struggle he and other addicts have with getting to know intimately the unnamed Higher Power of recovery. He shares stories of his compulsion to find a personal relationship with God and how his tentative steps back to the Catholic Church opened new doors of healing and brought him surprising joy as he came to know Christ in the sacraments. Catholics in recovery and those moving toward it, as well as the people who love them will recognize Weeman's story and his spiritual struggle to personally encounter God. He tells us how: Baptism helps you admit powerlessness over an unmanageable problem, face your desperate need for God, and choose to believe in and submit to God’s mercy. Reconciliation affirms and strengthens the hard work of examining your life, admitting wrongs, and making amends. The Eucharist provides ongoing sustenance and draws you to the healing power of Christ. The graces of Confirmation strengthen each person to keep moving forward and to share the good news of recovery and new life in Christ. Weeman's words are boldly challenging and brimming with compassion and through them you will discover inspiration, hope, sage advice, and refreshingly practical help.

Modern 12 Step Recovery is a user-friendly, secular guide to the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). This book includes updated Steps, information from science and psychology, and a working guide to the 12 Step program that makes the program welcoming to people of all ages and beliefs. This "modernization" was achieved without making any fundamental changes to the AA program. Modern 12 Step Recovery is 100% compatible with pursuing a program of recovery within the traditional AA mutual support network. This includes AA meetings, sponsor relationships, and other activities. The information in this book is also relevant to people in recovery from co-dependency (Al-Anon) and other 12 Step-based programs.

The Twelve Steps developed by Alcoholics Anonymous are powerful tools to transform the lives of people who struggle with addiction, co-dependency, and compulsive behaviors. Unfortunately, Pagans in recovery are likely to struggle with the Christian assumptions and language found in many of these programs. This book is intended to support a Pagan's participation in any Twelve Step program, by showing that the effectiveness and relevance of these tools does not depend on a specific religious or spiritual tradition. This book attempts to bridge the gap between the Christian and Pagan understanding of the Twelve Steps, while remaining faithful to the original Twelve Step process. The Pagan in Recovery is the result of Deirdre Hebert's ability to live her Pagan faith in the midst of a program with a deeply Christian heritage, and demonstrates that anyone, of any faith, can experience freedom from addictions, compulsive or co-dependent behaviors through this process.