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Ask Dr. Al: How big of a problem is addiction today?

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How big of a problem is addiction today?

According to recent statistics, about 22.2 million people in the U.S. age 12 or older (8.5 percent) were abusing or dependent on drugs or alcohol in 2012. The largest subgroup, 14.9 million, misused alcohol only.

Most of those 22 million people needed treatment for their addiction. But sadly, very few get it. Only about 2.5 million got treatment at a specialized facility that year. That leaves more than 20 million people who needed treatment but didn’t get it.

Quick Start Guide to The Recovery Book

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Newcomer, old-timer, family member, doctor? Not sure where to dive into The Recovery Book or how to best use it? The quick start guide to The Recovery Book is for you. We also have handy guides to the Recovery Zone System, the Recovery Zone System chart (annotated with relevant chapters), and chapter highlights. (Or get them all with the All Guides document.)

The Recovery Book – Quick Start Guide (pdf)

The Recovery Book – The Recovery Zone System (pdf)

The Recovery Book – The Recovery Zone System chart (pdf)

The Recovery Book – Chapter Highlights (pdf)

The Recovery Book – All Guides (pdf)

Check back later for news about our text4recovery(TM) program!

Recovery Stories | Jerry Moe: Helping Kids at Betty Ford

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Jerry Moe worries about full-grown alcoholics and addicts, but he worries more about their children. He’s been dedicated for 36 years to mitigating the damage to boys and girls 7-12 years old. He leads a model Children’s Program at the Betty Ford Center, to help kids understand the past and present chaos in their lives. Jerry shared his story with The Recovery Book.

I’m focused on the one disease that tries to convince you that you don’t have it, thereby preventing you from reaching out for help until it’s close to destroying you and all you love. But children who’ve lived in fear and confusion can’t wait. They need help as soon as possible: explanations of “Why do my Mom and Dad fight and scream at each other all the time and do those wild weird things?” And they desperately need assurances that it won’t happen again … Read more...

My Recovery | Frank: Staying Sober on Campus

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College campuses can be minefields for recovering drinkers and drug users. Many of them are as well known for partying as for scholarship. Frank B. dodged that bullet when he registered at Georgia Southern University. With support from the Willingway Foundation, Georgia Southern opened a Center for Addiction Recovery, a program that serves the needs of students in recovery. It is one of a growing number of colleges where students in recovery can find a “safe harbor.” Here’s what Frank experienced.

I had quite a few concerns about transitioning from a halfway house into college. The main one was the fear of losing my newfound sobriety in an environment where a lot of students were probably there as much for a good time as for an education. I worried, too, that there’d be a stigma on campus to enrolling specifically in the university’s Center for Addiction Recovery (CAR). Good news. … Read more...

Ask Dr. Al: Do people with addiction really need to “live in recovery”?

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Do people with addiction really need to “live in recovery”? Can’t they just get sober and go on with their lives? Can’t they just go to treatment and get cured and move on?

Sobriety is just the first step in recovery. Treatment, too, is just the beginning. Recovery is really a lifelong process; like dealing with diabetes or another chronic disease, it is something that needs to be tended to every day.

Once a person gets sober, there is much more work to be done. They need to learn about their own personal triggers for relapse, and how to live their life in recovery while minimizing the risk of relapse. They need to restore their relationships and health; indeed, many need to rebuild their entire lives.

People in recovery also need to focus on different issues at different times. You can’t do everything at once in the first week that … Read more...

37 Ideas to Help You Stay Sober During The Holidays

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For some people in recovery, the holidays can be tough. But you can make it to January with your sobriety intact. You don’t have to let unfulfilled expectations, stressful family dynamics, or crazy in-laws threaten your recovery. Not to mention all those holiday parties.

You just need a bit of preparation. Start planning your strategy now, with these #soberholidays tips from The Recovery Book and the workbook companion My Life in Recovery.

Sober Holidays Tip #1: Remind yourself every single morning how good it feels to be sober (and how great it will feel come January). Plant that thought in your mind right now, and think about it every morning. Stick a note on your bathroom mirror to remind yourself to think about it every day.

>> Download the first 3 chapters of The Recovery Book FREE at Amazon <<

>> Download a free sample of My Life in Recovery… Read more...