Substance Abuse Books

Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself

Melody Beattie

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Hazelden Amazon Marketplace: 190 new & used starting at $4.67

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Mental Health -> Codependency
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Substance Abuse
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Self-Help -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 160 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Directly to you 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The author talks directly to you as you read and as a reader you are able to grasp so much helpful information. . I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for help with co-dependency and I also recommend for a perfect relationship I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't

Editorial Review:

Is someone else's problem your problem? If, like so many others, you've lost sight of your own life in the drama of tending to someone else's, you may be codependent--and you may find yourself in this book.

The healing touchstone of millions, this modern classic by one of America's best-loved and most inspirational authors holds the key to understanding codependency and to unlocking its stultifying hold on your life.

With instructive life stories, personal reflections, exercises, and self-tests, Codependent No More is a simple, straightforward, readable map of the perplexing world of codependency--charting the path to freedom and a lifetime of healing, hope, and happiness.

Melody Beattie is the author of Beyond Codependency, The Language of Letting Go, Stop Being Mean to Yourself, and Playing It by Heart.

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction

David Sheff

Amazon Price: $9.60 List Price: $24.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Houghton Mifflin Co Amazon Marketplace: 101 new & used starting at $7.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Specific Groups -> Special Needs
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Memoirs

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 112 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautiful Boy 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Great Book! New book so product was in perfect shape. Delivery quick. This book is a wonderful story about addiction and a parents journey. Recommend this book for all who have travelled down this road!!

Editorial Review:

Amazon Best of the Month, February 2008: From as early as grade school, the world seemed to be on Nic Sheff's string. Bright and athletic, he excelled in any setting and appeared destined for greatness. Yet as childhood exuberance faded into teenage angst, the precocious boy found himself going down a much different path. Seduced by the illicit world of drugs and alcohol, he quickly found himself caught in the clutches of addiction. Beautiful Boy is Nic's story, but from the perspective of his father, David. Achingly honest, it chronicles the betrayal, pain, and terrifying question marks that haunt the loved ones of an addict. Many respond to addiction with a painful oath of silence, but David Sheff opens up personal wounds to reinforce that it is a disease, and must be treated as such. Most importantly, his journey provides those in similar situations with a commodity that they can never lose: hope --Dave Callanan

The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr's Easyway Method

Allen Carr

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sterling Amazon Marketplace: 77 new & used starting at $7.75

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Smoking
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Substance Abuse

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 440 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Only if you're ready - and it's not easy! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

No matter what the title may say or Mr. Carr's cheerleading may imply, quitting smoking is not easy. The book helps the smoker to look at smoking for what it is: an addiction. Slog through the first 40 pages or so, which can be repetitive and boring as Carr makes the case that his way works and other methods do not. He doesn't quite say HOW his method will work, just 40 pages telling you that it will work. Stick with it, though; the book gets better.

Carr's book makes the case that there are no advantages to smoking. There is no up side to smoking. He debunks all the reasons & excuses that people usually give for why they smoke. In a nutshell, and perhaps I'm oversimpifying, Carr teaches the smoker to look at quitting as a positive experience, rather than as a negative one. Don't think of yourself as being deprived of smoking; think of yourself as being liberated from nicotine addiction.

But the bottom line is: you really have to WANT to quit. No book, prescription, OTC aid or therapy will help if you don't truly want to quit. It took a heart attack to motivate me to quit. I have not smoked for 6 weeks, after nearly 35 years of smoking over a pack a day. But had it not been for the heart attack, I don't think I would have quit, even after reading this book (I read the book before I had a heart attack). Since I didn't really want to stop smoking, I would have cracked within 2-3 days of "quitting." Despite what the book says and how sensible its arguments are, if you don't want to quit, you won't. But once I made up my mind to quit, it was smooth sailing.

So, if you really want to quit, give the book a try. If not, save your money until you're truly ready.

Editorial Review:

A new edition of the revolutionary bestseller, with four million copies in print. Allen Carr’s innovative Easyway method—which he discovered after his own 100-cigarette-a-day habit nearly drove him to despair—has helped millions kick smoking without feeling anxious and deprived. That’s because he helps smokers discover the psychological reasons behind their dependency, explains in detail how to handle the withdrawal symptoms, shows them how to avoid situations when temptation might become too strong, and enables them to stay smoke-free. Carr discusses such issues as nicotine addiction; the social “brainwashing” that encourages smoking; the false belief that a cigarette relieves stress; the role boredom plays in sabotaging efforts to stop; and the main reasons for failure. With this proven program, smokers will be throwing away their packs for good.

The Language of Letting Go (Hazelden Meditation Series)

Melody Beattie

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Hazelden Amazon Marketplace: 117 new & used starting at $5.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Mental Health -> Codependency
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Alternative Medicine -> Meditation
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Substance Abuse

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 68 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Taking Care of Ourselves 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

A decade or so ago a friend who was going through a rough patch in her life had a therapist who highly recommended this book of meditations. I happened to be in Barnes and Noble with her when she bought Melody Beattie's book, and after perusing a few of the passages, I bought one for myself. What a difference reading The Language of Letting Go made (and continues to make) in my life.

I've bought and given away several copies of Letting Go since that night in the bookstore in the hope that my friends will benefit as much as I have from these sage words of "gentle" advice and reminders that we deserve "the best that life and love have to offer." A few of my personal favorites are the reminders to be patient and realize that timing is perfect, that it's okay to say "no" sometimes and equally okay to say yes to what feels right and good, and that we are responsible for taking care of ourselves.

The realization that we are being divinely led and that we need to trust our Higher Power is reinforced throughout the book. Anyone interested in growth and self-care will benefit from reading it.

Editorial Review:

Melody Beattie integrates her own life experiences and fundamental recovery reflections in this unique daily meditation book written especially for those of us who struggle with the issue of codependency.

Problems are made to be solved, Melody reminds us, and the best thing we can do is take responsibility for our own pain and self-care. In this daily inspirational book, Melody provides us with a thought to guide us through the day and she encourages us to remember that each day is an opportunity for growth and renewal.

Motivational Interviewing, Second Edition: Preparing People for Change

William R. Miller, Stephen Rollnick

Amazon Price: $33.95 List Price: $49.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The Guilford Press Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $33.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Substance Abuse
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Relationships -> Interpersonal Relations
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Mental Health -> Compulsive Behavior

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Extremely fast shipping 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Received book two days after I ordered it. Book was plastic-wrapped and in excellent condition. Would definitely buy from here again; this was a great buying experience.

Editorial Review:

Since the initial publication of this breakthrough work, motivational interviewing (MI) has been used by countless clinicians. Theory and methods have evolved apace, reflecting new knowledge on the process of behavior change, a growing body of outcome research, and the development of new applications within and beyond the addictions field. Extensively rewritten, this revised and expanded second edition now brings MI practitioners and trainees fully up to date. William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick explain how to work through ambivalence to facilitate change, present detailed guidelines for using their approach, and reflect on the process of learning MI. Chapters contributed by other leading experts then address such special topics as MI and the stages-of-change model, applications in medical, public health, and criminal justice settings, and using the approach with groups, couples, and adolescents.

The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure: A Holistic Approach to Total Recovery

Chris Prentiss

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Power Press Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $9.83

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Personal Health -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Alternative Medicine -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Alcoholism

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure contains the incredible three-step program to total recovery that is the basis of the miraculous success of the Passages Addiction Cure Center in Malibu, California, the world's most successful substance abuse treatment center. While traditional treatments have a relapse rate as high as 80% or 90%, the world-famous Passages has a cure rate of 84.4%. This revolutionary book shows how you or a loved one can follow the same successful program used at Passages with the help of health professionals right where you live. You'll learn the three steps to permanent sobriety, the four causes of dependency, and how to create your own personalized treatment program—one that gets to the real, underlying causes of dependency. The book also shows how your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs are key factors in your recovery and how you can stimulate your body's self-healing potential to be forever free of dependency. The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure will show you how to end relapse, end your craving, and end your suffering.

The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star

Nikki Sixx

Amazon Price: $21.45 List Price: $32.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Pocket Books Amazon Marketplace: 59 new & used starting at $16.98

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Pop Culture -> Art
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Music -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Music -> Musical Genres -> Rock

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 257 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In one of the most unique memoirs of addiction ever published, Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx shares mesmerizing diary entries from the year he spiraled out of control in a haze of heroin and cocaine, presented alongside riveting commentary from people who were there at the time, and from Nikki himself.

When Mötley Crüe was at the height of its fame, there wasn't any drug Nikki Sixx wouldn't do. He spent days -- sometimes alone, sometimes with other addicts, friends, and lovers -- in a coke and heroin-fueled daze. The highs were high, and Nikki's journal entries reveal some euphoria and joy. But the lows were lower, often ending with Nikki in his closet, surrounded by drug paraphernalia and wrapped in paranoid delusions.

Here, Nikki shares those diary entries -- some poetic, some scatterbrained, some bizarre -- and reflects on that time. Joining him are Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Slash, Rick Nielsen, Bob Rock, and a host of ex-managers, ex-lovers, and more.

Brutally honest, utterly riveting, and shockingly moving, The Heroin Diaries follows Nikki during the year he plunged to rock bottom -- and his courageous decision to pick himself up and start living again.

Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior, 12th Edition

Charles J. Ksir, Carl L Hart, Oakley S Ray

Amazon Price: $83.47 By: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages Amazon Marketplace: 76 new & used starting at $79.91

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Drug Dependency
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Substance Abuse
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> Psychopharmacology

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Review 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was assigned readings from this book for my Biopsychosocial aspects of addictions class in graduate school for counseling. Compared to other textbooks, it is a relatively easy read, and there's a great deal of helpful information contained in it. My only complaints for the book thus far are that the chapters on physiology and anatomy include a great deal of information that assumes the reader already has a basis of knowledge in anatomy, biology, and physiology and certain terms aren't defined in context. Also, the book does not contain a great deal of information on "club drugs" such as ecstasy, ketamine, PCP, etc.

Editorial Review:

Designed for the introduction to drugs and substance abuse course as taught in departments of health education, psychology, biology, sociology, and criminal justice, this full-color market-leading text provides the latest information on drugs and their effects on society and human behavior. For over thirty years, instructors and students have relied on it to examine drugs and behavior from the behavioral, pharmacological, historical, social, legal, and clinical perspectives.

Annual Editions: Anthropology 08/09 (Annual Editions : Anthropology)

Elvio Angeloni

Amazon Price: $26.77 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $23.76

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Personal Health -> Aging -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Substance Abuse
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Anthropology -> Cultural

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An excellent introduction to Anthropology! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Really, there is nothing to this book that could be considered bad. The articles are varied, not only in subject, but in style, timespan, and reach. They are very informative and interesting, and connect the world around us to the study of Anthropology in terms of sense and understanding. An outstanding introduction to the world of Anthropology!

good deal 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

the book came in perfect condition. the shipping took a little longer than expected but it was still on time. i got it right before my first assignment was due

Editorial Review:

This Thirty-First Edition of ANNUAL EDITIONS: ANTHROPOLOGY provides convenient, inexpensive access to current articles selected from the best of the public press. Organizational features include: an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; a general introduction; brief overviews for each section; a topical index; and an instructor’s resource guide with testing materials. USING ANNUAL EDITIONS IN THE CLASSROOM is offered as a practical guide for instructors. ANNUAL EDITIONS titles are supported by our student website, www.mhcls.com/online.

A Million Little Pieces

James Frey

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Anchor Amazon Marketplace: 2075 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Specific Groups -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Memoirs

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1824 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

News from Doubleday & Anchor Books

The controversy over James Frey's A Million Little Pieces has caused serious concern at Doubleday and Anchor Books. Recent interpretations of our previous statement notwithstanding, it is not the policy or stance of this company that it doesn't matter whether a book sold as nonfiction is true. A nonfiction book should adhere to the facts as the author knows them.

It is, however, Doubleday and Anchor's policy to stand with our authors when accusations are initially leveled against their work, and we continue to believe this is right and proper. A publisher's relationship with an author is based to an extent on trust. Mr. Frey's repeated representations of the book's accuracy, throughout publication and promotion, assured us that everything in it was true to his recollections. When the Smoking Gun report appeared, our first response, given that we were still learning the facts of the matter, was to support our author. Since then, we have questioned him about the allegations and have sadly come to the realization that a number of facts have been altered and incidents embellished.

We bear a responsibility for what we publish, and apologize to the reading public for any unintentional confusion surrounding the publication of A Million Little Pieces. We are immediately taking the following actions:

We are issuing a publisher's note to be included in all future printings of the book.*

James Frey has written an author's note that will appear in all future printings of the book.* Read the author's note.

The jacket for all future editions will carry the line "With new notes from the publisher and from the author."

*Customers should find the Author's Note and Publisher's Note in copies purchased from Amazon.com after April 15, 2006.

---

Note: The following editorial reviews were written before the recent revelations by James Frey and the publisher.

Amazon.com
The electrifying opening of James Frey's debut memoir, A Million Little Pieces, smash-cuts to the then 23-year-old author on a Chicago-bound plane "covered with a colorful mixture of spit, snot, urine, vomit and blood." Wanted by authorities in three states, without ID or any money, his face mangled and missing four front teeth, Frey is on a steep descent from a dark marathon of drug abuse. His stunned family checks him into a famed Minnesota drug treatment center where a doctor promises "he will be dead within a few days" if he starts to use again, and where Frey spends two agonizing months of detox confronting "The Fury" head on:

I want a drink. I want fifty drinks. I want a bottle of the purest, strongest, most destructive, most poisonous alcohol on Earth. I want fifty bottles of it. I want crack, dirty and yellow and filled with formaldehyde. I want a pile of powder meth, five hundred hits of acid, a garbage bag filled with mushrooms, a tube of glue bigger than a truck, a pool of gas large enough to drown in. I want something anything whatever however as much as I can.

One of the more harrowing sections is when Frey submits to major dental surgery without the benefit of anesthesia or painkillers (he fights the mind-blowing waves of "bayonet" pain by digging his fingers into two old tennis balls until his nails crack). His fellow patients include a damaged crack addict with whom Frey wades into an ill-fated relationship, a federal judge, a former championship boxer, and a mobster (who, upon his release, throws a hilarious surf-and-turf bacchanal, complete with pay-per-view boxing). In the book's epilogue, when Frey ticks off a terse update on everyone, you can almost hear the Jim Carroll Band's brutal survivor's lament "People Who Died" kicking in on the soundtrack of the inevitable film adaptation.

The rage-fueled memoir is kept in check by Frey's cool, minimalist style. Like his steady mantra, "I am an Alcoholic and I am a drug Addict and I am a Criminal," Frey's use of repetition takes on a crisp, lyrical quality which lends itself to the surreal experience. The book could have benefited from being a bit leaner. Nearly 400 pages is a long time to spend under Frey's influence, and the stylistic acrobatics (no quotation marks, random capitalization, left-aligned text, wild paragraph breaks) may seem too self-conscious for some readers, but beyond the literary fireworks lurks a fierce debut. --Brad Thomas Parsons