Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men
Author: Hazelden
Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.
R.L. Evans
"One cannot always be a hero, but one can always be a man" Johann Wolfgang von Goethe tells us, but sometimes simply being a man can be a mighty struggle. Take heart from this companionable book of daily meditations, a year's worth of friendly words to cheer you on your way.
Speaking straight to men who are striving for serenity or trying to maintain emotionally and spiritually balanced lives, these daily touchstones begin with quotations from sources as varied as William Shakespeare, Wendell Berry, Michael Spinks, and Woody Allen and conclude with affirmations that underscore the lessons of intimacy, integrity and spirituality. They explore the masculine role of lover or spouse, father or friend and, like a helping hand extended, case the daily strain of making a man's way.
Sober for Good: New Solutions for Drinking Problems -- Advice from Those Who Have Succeeded
Author: Anne M Fletcher
Finally someone has gone straight to the real experts: hundreds of men and women who have resolved a drinking problem. The best-selling author Anne M. Fletcher asked them a simple question: how did you do it? The result is the first completely unbiased guide for problem drinkers, one that shatters long-held assumptions about alcohol recovery.
Myth: AA is the only way to get sober.
Reality: More than half the people Fletcher surveyed recovered without AA.
Myth: You can't get sober on your own.
Reality: Many people got sober by themselves.
Myth: One drink inevitably leads right back to the bottle.
Reality: A small number of people find they can have an occasional drink.
Myth: There's nothing you can do for someone with a drinking problem until he or she is ready.
Reality: Family and friends can make a big difference if they know how to help.
Weaving together the success stories of ordinary people and the latest scientific research on the subject, Fletcher uncovers a vital truth: no single path to sobriety is right for every individual. There are many ways to get sober - and stay sober. SOBER FOR GOOD is for anyone who has ever struggled not to drink, coped with someone who has a drinking problem, or secretly wondered, "Do I drink too much?"
Stanton Peele
"Fletcher avoids ideological pitfalls and is true to scientific research" (—Stanton Peele, Ph.D., J.D., author of Love and Addiction and The Truth About Addiction and Recovery
New York Times
The press kit for Anne M. Fletcher's new book, "Sober for Good," states,'Sometimes one book can make a difference.' After reading it, I could not agree more strongly.
Nick Heather
Anne Fletcher shows a remarkably secure grasp of the most important recent developments in our understanding of problematic drinking . . .
USA Today
These stories are part of author Anne Fletcher's in-depth look at people who have overcome serious drinking problems ... Fletcher's main message: That there are many different ways to get and stay sober.
G. Alan Marlatt
I highly recommend this book for readers who are seeking pathways to sobriety for themselves or for others . . .
Mark B. Sobell
"A compendium of hope for those who have concerns about their own drinking or that of someone close to them." (—Mark B. Sobell, Ph.D., Center for Psychological Studies, Nova Southeastern University)
William R. Miller
Anne Fletcher has assembled an impressive array of first-person accounts of how real people have resolved their alcohol problems . . .
Barbara S. McCrady
This is a wonderful book — well written, full of hope and useful information, and positive at every turn . . .
A. Thomas Horvath
. . . This is a comprehensive overview — a highly informative, scientifically accurate, and inspiring account of recovery in its many manifestations.
Marc F. Kern
. . . This is the only balanced presentation of the state-of-the-art truths on recovery that I have ever read.
New York Times
The press kit for Anne M. Fletcher's new book, "Sober for Good," states,'Sometimes one book can make a difference.' After reading it, I could not agree more strongly.
Publishers Weekly
Although Alcoholics Anonymous has long been the preferred (and often court-mandated) regimen for the treatment of alcoholism, its ideology isn't for everyone. As Fletcher (Thin for Life) points out, some people are put off by AA's religious tone, others by the concept of powerlessness over alcohol. And, she says, contrary to AA beliefs, many more never "hit bottom," but nonetheless choose to reconsider their relationship with drinking. Additionally, she suggests, with managed care drastically cutting coverage of inpatient treatment, people with alcohol problems need to know about outpatient alternatives to AA. Fletcher, a health and medical journalist, provides a compendium of such approaches, drawing on the voices of "masters" former problem drinkers who have resolved their problems with alcohol and been sober for at least five years. Programs such as Women for Sobriety, Rational Recovery and Moderation Management provide a variety of approaches, and the "masters" themselves offer a collection of strategies for getting and staying sober with support groups, chemical dependency counselors or a combination of treatments. Unfortunately, Fletcher draws a fuzzy line between "problem drinkers" and "alcoholics," a word she avoids because some find it "pejorative." Maintaining that the distress and dysfunction of most people with drinking problems is not as "severe" as that associated with a stereotypical drunk, she promises that, although AA proponents insist otherwise, "you can quit on your own," "you don't have to quit altogether" and "you don't have to call yourself an alcoholic." Though she sometimes appears to bash AA, Fletcher provides a useful overview of the varieties of recovery programs and practices. (Apr. 17) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Table of Contents:
| Acknowledgments | vi | |
| Foreword | xv | |
| Introduction | xix | |
| 1 | A New Look at How People Really Solve Drinking Problems | 1 |
| 2 | There's Not Just One Way: How the Masters Got Sober--and Stay Sober | 8 |
| 3 | It's Not How Much You Drink: How the Masters Faced Up to Their Alcohol Problems | 26 |
| 4 | You Don't Have to "Hit Bottom": How the Masters Reached the Turning Point | 48 |
| 5 | It's Not Necessarily One Day at a Time: How the Masters Made a Commitment to Sobriety | 75 |
| 6 | Be Your Own Expert: How Seven Different Masters Found Their Way with Seven Different Approaches | 96 |
| 7 | You Can Help: The Masters' Advice to Family and Friends | 146 |
| 8 | One Drink Does Not a Drunk Make: How the Masters Determined Whether They Could Ever Drink Again | 170 |
| 9 | It's Not Enough Just to Stop Drinking: How the Masters Deal with Life's Ups and Downs Without Alcohol | 193 |
| 10 | Recall the Past, Live in the Present: How the Masters Stay Motivated | 217 |
| 11 | With or Without a "Higher Power": How the Masters Handle Spirituality | 235 |
| 12 | There's Nothing Missing: How the Masters Find Joy Without Alcohol | 247 |
| Appendix | A Consumer Guide to Recovery Options | 267 |
| Selected References | 303 | |
| Index | 311 |
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