Sober Stick Figure
Sober Stick Figure

Author: Amber Tozer

Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Ltd.

Published: 2016-06-02

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1910536644

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Surrounded by alcohol and alcoholic strangers and alcoholic relatives her entire childhood, Amber never stood a chance. But for a long time she was an overachiever and a functional alcoholic. None of her relatives suspected a thing because in her family, the men were the alcoholics, not the women. After her dad died of the disease, she spiraled completely out of control -- 'Leaving Las Vegas drunk,' as she puts it. She hit rock bottom seven years ago, joined AA and has been completely sober since. The book spans from her first drink at the age of seven to a year following her sobriety. By telling the tale of alcoholism and recovery through a seemingly light, entertaining, child-like read -- and illustrated throughout with crude stick figures in crayon - Sober Stick Figure draws the reader into Amber's hard fought journey with wit and poignancy.

Sober Stick Figure
Sober Stick Figure

Author: Amber Tozer

Publisher: Running Press Adult

Published: 2016-05-31

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 0762459743

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Sober Stick Figure is a memoir from stand-up comedian Amber Tozer, chronicling her life as an alcoholic and her eventual recovery -- starting with her first drink at the age of seven -- all told with the help of childlike stick figures. Amber writes and illustrates the crazy and harsh truths of being raised by alcoholics, becoming one herself, stagnating in denial for years, and finally getting sober. As a teenager, Amber is an overachieving student athlete who copes with her family's alcoholic tragedies by focusing on her achievements. It quickly takes a funny and dark turn when she starts to experiment with booze and ignores the warning signs of alcoholism. Through blackouts, cringe-worthy embarrassments, and pounding hangovers, she convinces herself that she "just likes to party." She leaves her hometown of Pueblo, Colorado to follow her dreams, and ends up in New York City, spending lots of time binge drinking, passing out on trains, and telling jokes on stage. She then moves to Los Angeles, thinking sunshine and show business will save her. Eventually hitting rock bottom, she has a moment of clarity, and knows she has to stop drinking. It's now been seven years since that last drink, and she's ready to tell her story. Sober Stick Figure is adventurous, hilarious, sad, sweet, tragic -- and ultimately inspiring.

My Fair Junkie
My Fair Junkie

Author: Amy Dresner

Publisher: Hachette Books

Published: 2017-09-12

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 0316430927

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In the tradition of Blackout and Permanent Midnight, a darkly funny and revealing debut memoir of one woman's twenty-year battle with sex, drugs, and alcohol addiction, and what happens when she finally emerges on the other side. Growing up in Beverly Hills, Amy Dresner had it all: a top-notch private school education, the most expensive summer camps, and even a weekly clothing allowance. But at 24, she started dabbling in meth in San Francisco and unleashed a fiendish addiction monster. Soon, if you could snort it, smoke it, or have sex with, she did. Smart and charming, with Daddy's money to fall back on, she sort of managed to keep it all together. But on Christmas Eve 2011 all of that changed when, high on Oxycontin, she stupidly "brandished" a bread knife on her husband and was promptly arrested for "felony domestic violence with a deadly weapon." Within months, she found herself in the psych ward--and then penniless, divorced, and looking at 240 hours of court-ordered community service. For two years, assigned to a Hollywood Boulevard "chain gang," she swept up syringes (and worse) as she bounced from rehabs to halfway houses, all while struggling with sobriety, sex addiction, and starting over in her forties. In the tradition of Orange Is the New Black and Jerry Stahl's Permanent Midnight, Amy Dresner's My Fair Junkie is an insightful, darkly funny, and shamelessly honest memoir of one woman's battle with all forms of addiction, hitting rock bottom, and forging a path to a life worth living.

The Sober Lush
The Sober Lush

Author: Amanda Eyre Ward

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2020-06-02

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0593084829

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A sober hedonist's guide to living a decadent, wild, and soulful life--alcohol-free. In a culture where sipping "rosé all day" is seen as the epitome of relaxation, "grabbing a drink" the only way to network; and meeting at a bar the quintessential "first date," many of us are left wondering if drinking alcohol really is the only way to cultivate joy and connection in life. Jardine Libaire and Amanda Eyre Ward wanted to live spontaneous and luxurious lives, to escape the ordinary and enjoy the intoxicating. Their drinking, however, had started to numb them to the present moment instead of unlocking it. Ward was introduced to Libaire when she first got sober. As they became friends, the two women talked about how they yearned to create lives that were Technicolor, beautifully raw, connected, blissed out, and outside the lines . . . but how? In The Sober Lush, Libaire and Ward provide a road map for living a lush and sensual life without booze. This book offers ideas and instruction for such nonalcoholic joys as: • The allure of "the Vanish," in which one disappears early from the party without saying goodbye to a soul, to amble home under the stars • The art of creating zero-proof cocktails for all seasons • Having a fantastic first date while completely sober • A primer on setting up your own backyard beehive, and honey tastings For anyone curious about lowering their alcohol consumption or quitting drinking altogether, or anyone established in sobriety who wants inspiration, this shimmering and sumptuous book will show you how to keep indulging in life even if you stop indulging in alcohol.

Strung Out
Strung Out

Author: Erin Khar

Publisher: Harlequin

Published: 2020-02-25

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 1488056323

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“This is a story she needed to tell; and the rest of the country needs to listen.” — New York Times Book Review “This vital memoir will change how we look at the opioid crisis and how the media talks about it. A deeply moving and emotional read, STRUNG OUT challenges our preconceived ideas of what addiction looks like.” —Stephanie Land, New York Times bestselling author of Maid In this deeply personal and illuminating memoir about her fifteen-year struggle with heroin, Khar sheds profound light on the opioid crisis and gives a voice to the over two million people in America currently battling with this addiction. Growing up in LA, Erin Khar hid behind a picture-perfect childhood filled with excellent grades, a popular group of friends and horseback riding. After first experimenting with her grandmother’s expired painkillers, Khar started using heroin when she was thirteen. The drug allowed her to escape from pressures to be perfect and suppress all the heavy feelings she couldn’t understand. This fiercely honest memoir explores how heroin shaped every aspect of her life for the next fifteen years and details the various lies she told herself, and others, about her drug use. With enormous heart and wisdom, she shows how the shame and stigma surrounding addiction, which fuels denial and deceit, is so often what keeps addicts from getting help. There is no one path to recovery, and for Khar, it was in motherhood that she found the inner strength and self-forgiveness to quit heroin and fight for her life. Strung Out is a life-affirming story of resilience while also a gripping investigation into the psychology of addiction and why people turn to opioids in the first place.

Girl Walks Out of a Bar
Girl Walks Out of a Bar

Author: Lisa F. Smith

Publisher: SelectBooks, Inc.

Published: 2016-06-07

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 1590793129

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Lisa Smith was a bright, young lawyer at a prestigious firm in NYC in the early nineties when alcoholism started to take over her life. What was once a way of escaping her insecurity and negativity became a means of coping with the anxiety and stress of an impossible workload. Girl Walks Out of a Bar is Smith's darkly comic and wrenchingly honest story of her formative years, the decade of alcohol and drug abuse, divorce, and her road to recovery. Smith describes how her spiraling circumstances conspired with her predisposition to depression and self-medication, nurturing an environment ripe for addiction to flourish. Girl Walks Out of a Bar is a candid portrait of alcoholism through the lens of gritty New York realism. Beneath the façade of success lies the reality of addiction.

Sunshine Warm Sober
Sunshine Warm Sober

Author: Catherine Gray

Publisher: Aster

Published: 2021-06-10

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 1783254513

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The long-awaited sequel to THE UNEXPECTED JOY OF BEING SOBER 'Exquisite' - Fearne Cotton, Happy Place 'A paean to the longer-term pleasures of staying booze-free' - The Guardian 'The kind of book that changes lives, and very possibly saves them' - The Lancet Psychiatry 'A reflective, raw and riveting read. A beautiful book on what it takes to root for yourself' - Emma Gannon, Ctrl Alt Delete 'No other author writes about sober living with as much warmth or emotional range as Catherine Gray. Her deep insight into the subtle psychologies of drinking, and of life, means that everything she writes is both utterly relatable and stretches our minds. Hers is a rare wisdom.' - Dr Richard Piper, CEO, Alcohol Change UK What's it like to give up drinking forever? We know now that being teetotal for one, three, even twelve months brings surprising joys and a recharged body... but nothing has been written about going years deep into being alcohol-free. As Catherine Gray, author of runaway success The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, streaks towards a decade sober, she explores this uncharted territory in her trademark funny, disruptive and warm way. This is a must-read for anyone sober-curious, whether they've put down the bottle yet or not. Praise for The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober: 'Fascinating' - Bryony Gordon 'Truthful, modern and real' - Stylist 'Brave, witty and brilliantly written' - Marie Claire 'Gray's tale of going sober is uplifting and inspiring' - Evening Standard 'Not remotely preachy' - Sunday Times 'Jaunty, shrewd and convincing' - Sunday Telegraph 'Admirably honest, light, bubbly and remarkably rarely annoying' - Guardian 'An empathetic, warm and hilarious tale from a hugely likeable human' - The Lancet Psychiatry

Causes and Conditions: A Life Experience in Addiction and Recovery
Causes and Conditions: A Life Experience in Addiction and Recovery

Author: Joseph Conniff

Publisher:

Published: 2021-04-12

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 9780578870878

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On the surface, Joe Conniff grew up in a seemingly stereotypical suburban New England household. But behind those doors he witnessed the overprescribing of opioids to his mother, combined with the ups and downs of his father's often illegitimate occupation and unpredictability of life as a teenager. Eventually Joe found solace and relief in substances when looking for a way to escape the unpleasantness of life. That search for relief and identity took him from east coast white suburbia to military service, and finally grief, desperation and survival on the streets of the Pacific Northwest. Written from the perspective of recovery and having found happiness without the use of substances, Joe shares his experiences and insight about how he became a product of his environment growing up, and how confusion and conflict in the human condition led him to full blown addiction. This is an in-depth book about the causes and conditions of his extreme substance use, as well as the casues and conditions of his recovering from addiction.

Alive Again
Alive Again

Author: Howard C. Samuels

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-04-01

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 1118520467

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A powerful book on addiction recovery by a doctor who overcame addiction himself, the renowned founder and president of The Hills Treatment Center in Los Angeles Howard Samuels is one of the world's leading drug and alcohol addiction experts who runs the prestigious The Hills Treatment Center in Los Angeles. Decades ago, from the age of sixteen until he was thirty-two, Dr. Samuels had his own intense struggle with addiction to cocaine and heroin. Using his own compelling story as inspiration as well as case studies of his patients from all walks of life, Dr. Samuels shows how readers can recover from alcoholism and drug addiction by following this 12-step program to happiness and fulfillment in sobriety. This self-help book provides hope, inspiration, and prescriptive advice for those who want to recover as well as guidance for friends and family members seeking help for someone they love. Written from the unique perspective of a recovering addict who has helped thousands of people overcome addiction to alcohol and drugs Shares with readers for the first time in book form The Hills' world-renowned treatment program Tells Samuels' personal recovery story as the son of a prominent politician and businessman among the rich and famous in New York and Washington Contains a groundbreaking prescriptive program showing how to work each of the 12 steps Examines the cause of addictions, relapses, and fallback addictions Contains important information for family and friends of those struggling with addiction, including steps for intervention and healing The author appears regularly on TV

Beyond Addiction
Beyond Addiction

Author: Jeffrey Foote

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-02-18

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1476709475

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The most innovative leaders in progressive addiction treatment in the US offer a groundbreaking, science-based guide to helping loved ones overcome addiction problems and compulsive behaviors. The most innovative leaders in progressive addiction treatment in the US offer a groundbreaking, science-based guide to helping loved ones overcome addiction problems and compulsive behaviors. Beyond Addiction eschews the theatrics of interventions and tough love to show family and friends how they can use kindness, positive reinforcement, and motivational and behavioral strategies to help their loved ones change. Drawing on forty collective years of research and decades of clinical experience, the authors present the best practical advice science has to offer. Delivered with warmth, optimism, and humor, Beyond Addiction defines a new, empowered role for friends and family and a paradigm shift for the field. Learn how to tap the transformative power of relationships for positive change, guided by exercises and examples. Practice what really works in therapy and in everyday life, and discover many different treatment options along with tips for navigating the system. And have hope: this guide is designed not only to help someone change, but to help someone want to change.