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Addiction-Free: How to Help an Alcoholic or Addict Get Started on Recovery

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"Addiction-Free" by Gene Hawes and Anderson Hawes fills a niche in the literature on alcoholism and addiction. Alcoholism and drug addiction is universally recognized in American medicine as the disease of substance abuse and represents one of America's largest epidemics. Studies put the numbers of alcoholics in the U.S. at 18 million, and the numbers of drug addicts at five-and-a-half million. Consequently, one of the greatest imperatives in America today is to help these alcoholics/addicts begin recovery before they ruin their careers, impoverish their families, get imprisoned, kill others on the highway, or finally kill themselves in car crashes, overdose, or liver failure. This imperative is answered in full in "Addiction - Free; How to Help an Alcoholic or Addict Get Started on Recovery." It explains all the little-known ways by which millions of former alcoholics/addicts actually have started recovery, and are recovering today. It tells how to get help with starting recovery in any community, anywhere in the U.S. It guides readers to all of the medical treatment programs there are for alcoholism/addiction. Importantly, it also advises how those individuals closest to the alcoholic/addict can start recovery from the deep emotional injuries they themselves have suffered, while also helping the alcoholic/addict in their lives to recover. For the many millions of Americans who desperately need it, "Addiction-Free" is indispensable and even inspiring. The book is well organized, easy to read and can be read through or used as a reference for individuals, families, and professionals.

This book focuses exclusively on achieving sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous, and it (unfortunately) ignores any other way to quit drinking. Numerous studies -- as well as common sense -- show that alcoholics/addicts are a diverse group, and that many people benefit from approaches OTHER than those that are based on the 12 steps. AA is fine for people who have a religious or spiritual bent, but other groups (like Secular Organizations for Sobriety and SMART Recovery) are appropriate for alcoholics who want to become sober without relying on a Higher Power.

This book would have been much better if it had been written from a more open-minded perspective.

This is an easy read and inspiring support to anyone troubled by a close relationship with a loved one who drinks too much or who is hurting themselves or other becuase they take drugs. It is a book for someone who wants to help to change that alcohol or drug user to get better. The book focuses on the leading and most proven methods a normal person can influence, encourage and do to concretely help an alcoholic or drug user to begin to change, to continue to change and keep the change going by preventing relapse.

Although there are many things that can possibly work to help an alcoholic or addict, only proven methods that are accessible to most people are the focus of this book to avoid giving the reader false hope. Also, the book reviews important methods that can be very affective when a drinker or drug user has other problems in combination with alcohol and/or drug abuse, like mental illness, depression, anxiety or mood disorders, post traumatic stress from serving over seas, unemployment or poverty, etc.

Get the book and get started to help.

Thanks to these authors for putting together a resource for the significcant others of those affected alcoholics and drug addicts. While, so many self help books written for family members label those who want to help as co-dependents, this one does not! Instead, I was able to read about several options I have as a parent of an addicted teenager to help him. As a result, I was able to find several teen oriented support meetings that my son can has gone to and I feel that I have helped him...finally! Thank You!!