Goodbye, Mr. Wonderful: Alcoholism, Addiction and Early Recovery [Paperback]

Chris McCully (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2004

Written at the end of 1999, when Chris McCully was hospitalised and treated for alcoholism for the third time, and during 2003, when he left England to begin a new career as a writer in the Netherlands, this is an honest, and at times painful, account of his ongoing recovery. Alcoholism is a lifelong condition from which there is no cure. Chris McCully does not offer warnings or exhortations, but gives witness to the banal, terrifying and commonplace nature of addiction, and to the slow process of recovery. Written from a position of unusual self-awareness and understanding, this book is an important and, hopeful, resource for mental health professionals. A personal account of debilitating mental and physical illness, this book should be read by all professionals working in the mental health field, and by anyone with an interest in alcoholism and recovery.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'It was like the best kind of company...like having a recovery meeting available every day.' --- A reader

About the Author

Chris McCully is and always will be an alcoholic, and today he is in recovery. He is married and lives in Amsterdam. He is a freelance writer and an academic. He goes fishing as often as possible. There is no causal or other connection between these statements.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (July 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184310265X
• ISBN-13: 978-1843102656
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,188,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest struggle of an eloquent man, November 15, 2006

By 

R. A. Gravemaker-Kloek (Velsen, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goodbye, Mr. Wonderful: Alcoholism, Addiction and Early Recovery (Paperback)

This book describes all aspects of a sensitive and intelligent man's struggle against alcoholism. Despite all the relapses in the past and possibly the future, the only sensible thing to do is to keep searching for a way to release the self of this constant preoccupation. This man is always questioning and evaluating, choosing his words carefully and always aware of the consequences his addiction has on the people around him and of course on his own life.
Very useful account for people struggling with addiction and everyone interested in them, out of professional or personal interest.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent view on early recovery, April 22, 2011

By 

Fishing Writing (SE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goodbye, Mr. Wonderful: Alcoholism, Addiction and Early Recovery (Paperback)

Chris McCully really captures the doubts, fears, ruminations and challenges encountered by the newly sober. I really enjoyed his honesty, subtle humor and eclectic writing ie a scholar, sportsman, naturalist, drinker, teetotaler - he does it all! Very, very worth reading......and well written.