Customer Reviews

AA: Not the Only Way--Your One Stop Resource Guide to 12-Step Alternatives--Second Edition

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My therapist gave me a copy of "AA Not The Only Way" to read. I have since bought it for myself. I am struggling with a drinking problem and have been off and on the wagon for the past several years. This book was like a breath of fresh air I so desperately needed. Doctors and therapists have been hounding me for years to go to AA, which I tried and do not feel is right for me - the meetings left me feeling frustrated and helpless. It was liberating to find out that there are actually alternatives. I always felt like people thought I was in denial because I did not want to go to AA. I acknowledge that I have a problem, I have sought and received help - I've had successes and failures and through it all maintained that AA was not the way for me! This book opened up a whole new world of options!

Some books get better and better with each passing edition. This is the case of "AA Not The Only Way", written by Melanie Solomon. In 2005, the first edition of this book was published, and this writer gave it an enthusiastic, in-person endorsement at the 2006 meeting of SOS International. What I was surprised to discover in this "new and improved" 2ND edition, was the honesty with which Melanie communicated about her relapse since the first edition was published, as well as her admission of being "dually diagnosed" with the mental health issue of "bi-polar 2" (one of the forms of bi-polar disorder). Melanie's book is a jewel in this respect, as it shows that SOMEONE is willing to be honest about their own dual diagnosis connection between both a substance abuse issue and a mental illness, as well as point out that the treatment of the "dually diagnosed" is sorely lacking (that "gap" is just now beginning to be "bridged" in the addiction treatment industry!).

Overall, this is a book whose existence needs to be shouted from the rooftop, evangelized on street corners, and should be REQUIRED READING in EVERY Alcohol and Drug Counselor certification program in the United States!
A copy should be sent to every drug and alcohol treatment center in the U.S., and most importantly, this book should ON THE DESK OF EVERY "coercing authority" that has the power to "force" people with addictive disorders, into treatment facilities. This book will NOT bode well for "12-Step program zealots", as its approach is about the MULTITUDE of non-12-step resources available both on and off the internet. If you are in recovery, or know someone who is, or wants to be, this book is a MUST READ! Don't start or continue a recovery path without it!

John McCready, NCAC-I, M-RAS
Oceanside, CA

This is by far the one book many have been looking for. The answers, the personal story, and the continuance of a movement that should have been started many years ago. The time for "labeling" is over. "Denial" is over, at least on the part of the reader that seeks this information. Are you ready to sleep easily again, and start to find the "real" you, outside of the "program" world!
Melanie, please bring more to the awaiting masses. The discussion group on www.aanottheonlyway.com is very helpful, as well.

I have watched people I love struggle with alcohol abuse. The help offered seemed so useless. Go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and get a grip seemed to be the only advice. So many doctors and health professionals think AA is the single treatment option. It is definitely not the only way. It is also not a very effective way to treat alcohol abuse.

Melanie Solomon has written AA - Not the Only Way; Your One Stop Resource Guide to 12-Step Alternatives with many options that are available listed and explained. Her clear writing style and explanation of the different approaches is a great assistance in knowing which option might best suit any given situation. It is also a comprehensive directory of licensed professionals and treatment programs throughout the US and internationally that offer solutions beyond just the traditional AA 12-step approach.

I wish this book had been available when I was struggling to help a loved one.

Melanie proclaims she is in no way affiliated with any of the treatment programs, philosophies, methods, etc. and she makes no claim to their success. She couldn't possibly. There are so many. She does however offer self-help options and gives contact information for the resources she lists. The word needs to spread far and wide so people know that there are many options to help deal with addictions.

Help can be more effective when the individual feels empowered by the ability to make their own choices and knowing there are choices is the first step. Accepting that the person is suffering and that they really do believe their lies because they cannot remember their truth, is also a compassionate part of helping. Confronting and humiliating isn't the answer. Protecting, engaging and offering options is much more likely to assist in a way that prevents the inevitability of self destruction.

Take the first step and buy and share AA - Not the Only Way.

Solomon shares her struggles with addiction and re-addiction, and offers legitimate alternatives (not her own)for those who are uncomfortable in a religious setting or 12-step program. If you are looking for alternatives, this book is a great resource. Solomon gives information about most of the alternatives out there, their web sites, and information on who might be available in your area to help. She also shows us the legal ramifications of the court systems in recognizing traditional 12-step programs as religious and interfering with our First Amendments Rights. This book gives hope to those who think traditional programs are their only option. A quick and easy read with a great personal story!

Linda G

Solomon has made a critical contribution to the world of addiction treatment. AA has cornered the market, but for a myriad of different reasons, a "one size fits all" approach doesn't actually fit every problem drinker or alcoholic. In straightforward language, Solomon provides guidance on alternative philosophies and where to go to find practitioners of these therapies.

Solomon has a personal interest in alcoholism treatment, and her book opens with a compelling first person confessional, followed by a brief chapter providing basic statistics about alcoholism treatments and success rates. The majority of the book is devoted to a break-down of different self-help groups, including their philosophy, meeting structure, history, and links to further information. The groups covered include six abstinence-based models (including SMART Recovery and Rational Recovery), two moderation-based approaches (including Moderation Management), two self-help groups designed especially for women, along with the school of harm-reduction therapy.

One could spend hours looking through the wealth of resources, websites, books, and media articles that Solomon provides in the concluding chapters. She also has state-by-state listings of SMART-based professionals, moderation-friendly professionals, and treatment centers that offer choices beyond the standard 12-step approach.

Bravo Melanie! You've taken your experience and produced an invaluable resource for many lost souls.

Solomon provides a comprehensive guide to AA alternatives, one of which is Moderation Management. For anyone interested in seriously pursuing an AA alternative, purchase Solomon's guide and pair it with the excellent workbook entitled "Responsible Drinking." Neither is a substitute for the other, and they make an excellent pair.

Suggesting there might be something wrong or even limits to the success of something so imbedded in our culture as AA/12step programming comes with all sorts of dangers.

Something like 93-97% of treatment centers in the US are 12-Step based and Americans will spend $10B or more this year in them. Even though it is being ruled, with increasing frequency at State Supreme Court levels, as a violation of basic constitutional rights, 1-1.5M people will be coerced into 12-Step treatment for job preservation, license issues or judicial system reasons just to start this year without even being presented with options. Add to that the number of people that walk in on their own and then consider that according to its own studies, only 3-5 percent of people who enter AA/12-Step treatment get better or are even around "the rooms" a year later to be counted? Something is wrong.

In "AA Not the Only Way..." Melanie Solomon has had the courage to come out with a guidebook that suggests there are alternative treatments that may be better suited to "individualized" needs of people not being helped by AA and related 12-step programs.

Personally, 12-step programs have not been especially helpful to me and in one case a treatment facility based rigidly on the steps was nothing short of life threatening! The mentality of the place was that all psychotherapeutic drugs were bad and cross-addictive which put me in a precarious position since I take non habit forming anti-depressants. Ironically, I was the only non-smoker in the program (not that nicotine is addictive!). The place sought to refuse, acknowledge or treat a dual mental illness---chronic clinical depression---at the same time as they mis-diagnosed addiction. It was a psychiatric resident leaving with all his medical credentials that entered a screaming match with the psychiatrist that had oversight over ABSOLUTELY ALL the people in the program at the time. That psychiatrist, by the way, spent all of 15 minutes with me. I was prohibited from seeing my own!

Wish I, and for that matter my employer and insurance plan gatekeeper, had had Solomon's book. It would have made finding a path much easier for me, would have saved the insurance company a giant chunk, I may not have spent near all I had personally to get better, and it may have preserved an employee/employer relationship that could have remained fruitful and productive.

I hope this book both inspires and encourages others to explore and demand information about options. The judicial system and anyone else like my past employer mandating or otherwise recommending treatment for other human beings should have a copy of this book handy. As a society we had better start looking at alternatives to 12-steps! $10B spent with a 3-5 percent efficacy rate is not something we would, or should tolerate with any other medical treatment protocol.

In Regards to "AA Not the Only Way"

As a dedicated member of a 12 Step recovery program one may think that my review on Melanie's book "AA Not the Only Way" might be one of disapproval. However you would be mistaken.
AA Not the Only Way pulls no punches when describing Melanie's personal experience with conventional treatment and 12 Step fellowships. Determined to tell her story truthfully it may appear to be a bashing of these programs, but in reality nothing could be further from the truth. We here at KHLT Recovery Radio feel that her approach was necessary in order to be true to herself.

Having said that may I say that this book is an absolute must read for anyone seeking an alternative to conventional treatment, 12 Step fellowships and typical court ordered solutions of the day.
Although Melanie admits that she does not list all alternatives I must say that she has been extremely thorough with her investigation of the ones she has published in her book.
She has informed KHLT and I that she will be publishing many more resources as her vital work continues.

The reader of AA Not the Only Way will be relieved to see a variation of spiritual as well as medical and educational methods within each of the programs listed. In fact for the person seeking alternative recovery but still enjoys the 12 Step methods; many of the programs listed offer 12 Step philosophies for those who desire it.

In conclusion I must say that Melanie's book is as important to the recovery community as any other method available today. The simple truth is Melanie Solomon's book has successfully convinced KHLT Recovery Radio and myself that her book is a must read for all in recovery. !2 Step or otherwise.

Thank You Melanie for a Job Very Well Done.

Monty Meyer
Executive Producer
KHLT Recovery Radio
President Sponsor to Sponsor Recovery Publications

Although many people find that AA is a helpful aid for quitting drinking, the research suggests that just as many people are harmed by attending AA as are helped by it--the net result being that AA is no better than a placebo at helping people to quit drinking. The good news is that there are a number of alternatives to AA which are based on sound clinical research with success rates much higher than that of AA. This book is your guide to these resources.

I am one of those people who was damaged by attending AA meetings and my drinking reached life-threatening proportions in AA before I finally left and found another way that worked for me. I wish that this book had been available to me then. This is a book which belongs on the shelf of every physician, mental health professional, substance abuse professional, law enforcement agent, and judge in the US and the world. Don't force people into AA if it kills them. Give them an alternative that works instead!

When it comes to the topic of recovery from alcohol addiction, this book has it all: a compelling personal story, coverage of the scientific evidence about alcoholism treatment (hint: there is no scientific reason why AA should have a monopoly on treatment), and a listing of non-12-step recovery resources. This book should be read by, and in the library of, all addiction treatment professionals--not to mention individuals who are interested in the many alternatives to AA. As someone who quit drinking over 11 years ago, I can only say that I agree wholeheartedly that indeed, AA is NOT the only way!