Al J. Mooney, III, MD FAAFP ABAM / Howard Eisenberg / Catherine Dold
Al J. Mooney, III, MD FAAFP ABAM
Al J. Mooney, M.D., is an internationally recognized expert in the field of addiction and recovery. He has been involved in this field literally since he was a teenager, living in his parents’ new addiction treatment center, Willingway Hospital.
As outlined in the first edition of The Recovery Book, Willingway was founded by Dr. Mooney’s parents after they entered into recovery from drugs and alcohol. Dr. Al, as he is known by friends and colleagues, was CEO of the hospital for more than a decade, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors and chairman of the Willingway Foundation. Willingway Hospital is often recognized as one of the top treatment centers in the U.S., and has been called the “Betty Ford Center of the South.”
Dr. Mooney, a “recovery activist,” speaks regularly at events in the U.S. and abroad, addressing professional and lay audiences alike on topics such as “Brain Healing in Recovery,” “Neuroplasticity: Rewiring the Brain to Empower Full Recovery,” and “Evolving Science of Abstinence and 12-Step Recovery.” He is routinely invited to give talks, lead workshops and serve as visiting faculty at medical society meetings, medical schools, NIH agencies, hospitals, treatment centers, addiction science conferences, Alcoholics Anonymous conferences, recovery cruise ship events, college campuses, community events, homeless shelters and other venues. He has also been instrumental in the establishment of recovery programs around the world.
Most recently he has been involved in efforts to promote addiction awareness and recovery in Egypt, Bosnia and Ghana, and has worked with Georgia Southern University to establish one of the first “recovery campuses,” where students can pursue an education in an abstinent environment.
Dr. Mooney is a pioneer in the field of addiction medicine. He is an Inaugural Diplomat in the American Board of Addiction Medicine, and helped to establish the certification standards for the specialty. He was one of the first U.S. physicians to be certified in Addiction Medicine, and has served as a board member or advisor at numerous agencies and organizations that focus on addiction and mental health. Dr. Mooney’s medical career has included service at state and private hospitals, community service provider organizations, state leadership and advisory councils, mental health agencies, volunteer associations, and homeless shelters.
Every day, Dr. Mooney works one-on-one with people who are striving to stop drinking or using drugs. He is the author of The Recovery Book, which has sold more than 350,000 copies. He has also been recognized by his peers through listings in the current and past editions of the book, Best Doctors in America. Dr. Mooney lives in Cary, North Carolina.
Howard Eisenberg
Co-author Howard Eisenberg wrote four books and hundreds of national magazine articles (Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated, Parade, Reader’s Digest) with his late wife, Arlene. After an eye-opening visit to Willingway Hospital, named one of the ten best in the U.S., they teamed with its then-medical director Dr. Al Mooney to write the first edition of The Recovery Book. Arlene was also co-author with her daughter, Heidi Murkoff, of the mega-bestseller, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Howard freely confesses that in The Million Dollar Bet, a musical comedy for which he wrote the book and lyrics, there is not a single recovering alcoholic or addict. Co-author of How to Be Your Own Doctor (Sometimes),which has sold more than 200,00 copies, he lives in New York City.
Catherine Dold
Co-author Catherine Dold is joining Dr. Mooney and Mr. Eisenberg on the second edition of The Recovery Book. She has written about health and environmental issues for publications ranging from The New York Times science section to Cosmopolitan. She has also written for Discover, Smithsonian, the American Medical Association, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and many other outlets, covering issues such as mental health, genetic testing, alternative medicine, grizzly bear genetics, shark fishing in Costa Rica, the training of search and rescue dogs, and cannibalism among the Anasazi. A former editor at Audubon magazine, and a former New Yorker, she lives in Boulder, Colorado.