Addiction is a terminal disease if left untreated... If you can imagine having 50% of who you are actively trying to kill you then you have an idea of what it is like living with this disease. The Sober Addict is a book for all those impacted by the disease addiction. Within the pages of DC Hyden's book, addicts, family members, enablers, and helpers will find unconventional ways to combat addiction from Onset to Remission. This guide will help you learn how to function with this dysfunctional and chronic illness.

A recovering alcoholic and veteran of the punk rock and spoken word scenes shares stories of getting sober, staying sober, and living a better life. Poet, comedian and author Bucky Sinister shares stories of misfits, freaks, and weirdos who have come to recovery after years of hard living pushed them to the brink. Coming from various backgrounds, these tattoo artists, bartenders, musicians, flight attendants and others all needed to answer the all-important question: What Now? Bucky Sinister knows all too well the power that words contain. Sober since February 19th, 2002, he’s traveled near and far to share tales from the trenches about the ups and downs of living sober. Using a mixture of poetic reflection, autobiography and philosophy, Bucky Sinister goes beyond the 12-step guide, offering a manual to unpacking the mind and finding clarity.

Until now, virtually all therapy for alcoholics and other chemical-dependent individuals has been religious in nature. Traditional support groups imply that recovery is simply not possible without reliance on a supernatural "Higher Power" or "God as you understand Him." But the need for a secular alternative has been answered. How to Stay Sober: Recovery without Religion can help nonreligious alcoholics maintain philosophical integrity while achieving sobriety. There is no need to pay lip service to religious rituals and beliefs implied or directly stated by traditional support groups.

"A sophisticated, insightful, well-documented view of the philosophy and practice that are at the heart of the LifeRing approach. This book offers a perspective on recovery that can motivate change in clinicians and researchers as well as among individuals struggling to find their sober selves." —Carlo DiClemente, Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and author, Addiction and Change "With impressive analytical clarity and therapeutic generosity, Nicolaus presents a well-argued brief for understanding the complexities of addiction treatment and accepting the full range of diverse paths to recovery. . . . [Anyone] wanting insight and balance on a vitally important public health issue will appreciate the author's lively and respectful presentation." —Judith Herman, M.D., author, Trauma and Recovery "In the words of our president, 'it's time for a change,' and nowhere is this more evident than in the field of addiction treatment. Nicolaus has written a wonderful book that presents LifeRing, a new model for self-help groups. A model based on empathy, scientific evidence, and giving people the power to make their own choices about treatment options. Indeed, change has come." —Joseph R. Volpicelli, M.D., Ph.D., executive director, Institute of Addiction Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and coauthor, Recovery Options: The Complete Guide "Powerful, engaging, and scientific. Marty Nicolaus shows that the sober self emerges by focusing on a person's strength, intelligence, supportive relationships, and the ability to ask, 'what works?'" —Charlotte Sophia Kasl, author, Many Roads, One Journey: Moving Beyond the 12 Steps "Finally, a respectful approach to persons caught in addiction. Nicolaus has given us another option in the heroic battle people fight to regain the wholeness that addiction compromises." —The Rev. Linda Mercadante, Ph.D., Straker Professor of Historical Theology, The Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and author, Victims and Sinners

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.

Working with clients who abuse drugs or alcohol poses formidable challenges to the clinician. Addicted persons are often confronting multiple, complex problems, from the denial of the addiction itself, to legacies of early trauma or abuse, to histories of broken relationships with parents, spouses, and children. Making matters more confusing, the treatment field is too often splintered into different approaches, each with its own competing claims. This eloquently written book proposes a narrative approach that builds a much-needed bridge between family therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and addictions counseling. Demonstrated are innovative, flexible ways to help clients form new understandings of what has happened in their lives, explore their relationships to drugs and alcohol, and develop new stories to guide and nourish their recovery.

While laying in an empty bathtub in a Motel 6 in Vermont, Mike takes a handful of OxyContin and waits for the heart palpitations to kill him. As he starts to fade he reads a text on his phone, "Son, I love you and I need to know that you're OK." Struggling to understand why anyone would care about him because of his years of drug abuse, he responds, "Mom, no one can help me." Then, in a moment of clarity, he decides he wants there to be a tomorrow and to be a part of his family again. He makes the call for help to his mother; the call that saves his life. S.O.B.E.R.*, an acronym for "Son Of a Bitch Everything's Real" describes the moment Anita Devlin and her son Mike realize that denying his addiction to pain pills is destroying him. It is the defining moment when they commit to the courageous fight to get their lives back. This is when their family's road to recovery begins. S.O.B.E.R.* offers a rare glimpse at the daily, all consuming relationship between family and addiction, told simultaneously from a mother's view and an addict's perspective. Everyone thinks Mike has it all because he is a star varsity lacrosse player, does well in school and is popular with the girls. However, Mike feels completely alone on the inside. When sports related surgeries introduce him to the world of pain pills, he uses them to mask his insecurities and spirals downward. Once in treatment, he learns that drugs are the least of his problems. The real problem is his mind. The drugs aren't making his demons disappear, they are only masking them and burying them down deeper. Mike is confident that he can be sober but he is not convinced that he can be sober and happy. Anita thinks that being a mother gives her the right to negotiate with God for her child. She sits in church and pleads, "God, I don't care what happens to me, please just take care of my son." She lets go of everything that makes her strong until she has nothing to hold on to but fear. She is afraid of what will happen if she focuses on anything but her son. This is an addiction itself. Anita becomes sick physically and spiritually. She is ashamed that she is afraid of what people will think instead of helping her only son, and she is faced with yet another hurdle... a confrontation with the truth that she herself needs to get healthy and learn to let go. We are allowed a glimpse into the family's recovery through powerful "cost" letters including one from Mike's sister and from the innocent voice of the family dog. Despite an avalanche of life's misfortunes, nothing else matters as long as they don't lose Mike. Anita, her husband Michael and their daughter Alex join forces with the Caron Treatment Center where "the patient is the family, and the family is the patient." "Addiction is an octopus" says Anita, "Whose tentacles wrap tightly around us all choking the life out of everyone in its way. The whole family needs to recover together."