Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics [Paperback]

Herbert L. Gravitz (Author), Julie D. Bowden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1987

Rich with insight and awareness, Recovery explores the secrets, fears, hopes and issues that confront adult children of alcoholics. Authors and widely respected therapists and ACOA workshop leaders Herbert Gravitz and Julie Bowden detail in a clear question-and-answer format the challenges of control and inadequacy that ACOAs face as they struggle for recovery and understanding, stage-by-stage: Survival

* Emergent Awareness

* Core Issues

* Transformations

* Integration

* Genesis.

If you feel troubled by your post, Recovery will start you on the path of self-awareness, as it explores the searching questions adult children of alcoholics seek to hove answered:

* How con I overcome my need for control?

* Do all ACOAs ploy the some kind of roles in the family?

* How do I overcome my fear of intimacy?

* What is all-or-none functioning?

* How can ACOAs maintain self-confidence and awareness after recovery?

* How do ACOAs handle the family after understanding its influence?

* And many other important questions about your post, family and feelings.

Written with warmth, joy and real understanding, Recovery will inspire you to meet the challenges of the post and overcome the obstacles to your happiness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Awareness If you only read one book on adult children of alcoholics this year, make this the one.

Timmen L. Cermak, M.D. President, Notional Association for Adult Children of Alcoholics Gravitz and Bowden provide the first practical guide for adult children of alcoholics. Their creative description of the stages of recovery is especially useful. At lost there is a rationale for deciding what issues and what treatment services ore most relevant to each individual. Adult children of alcoholics will feel they have mode two new friends by the time they have finished this very readable book.

Robert J. Ackerman, Ph.D. Children of Alcoholics Dr. Gravitz and Ms. Bowden have definitely filled a much needed area for adult children of alcoholics in their new book. This is the first book that attempts to answer many of the 'silent' questions of the millions of adult children of alcoholics in our society. Their years of experience, perceptions and sensitivities are obvious in this well-thought-out book.

About the Author

Herbert L. Gravitz, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist in Santa Barbara, California. He is a founding Board Member of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA), and currently serves on the Advisory Board. He was Executive Editor of "The Network," a publication of NACOA and authored the Children of Alcoholics Handbook.

Julie D. Bowden, M.S., is a Marriage, Family, and Child Psychotherapist in private practice in Santa Barbara, California. She developed the first Alcohol/Drug Awareness Program for the University of California system and has consulted on both inpatient and outpatient recovery programs. She is a founding Board Member of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA), and its first treasurer. She currently serves on the Advisory Board. She is the adult child of an alcoholic.

Together, they conduct recovery retreats, individual and group psychotherapy, and educational seminars for adult children of alcoholics as well as other adult children of trauma and the professionals who serve them. They began the University of California's first therapy group specifically for adult children of alcoholics. They have authored numerous articles and are coauthors of an upcoming book, Genesis: The Spiritual Dimension of Recovery for Children of Alcoholics and Other Children of Trauma.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Revised edition (September 15, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671645285
• ISBN-13: 978-0671645281
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Recovery > Alcoholism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good first read for an adult child of an alcoholic!, April 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics (Paperback)

I have to agree with the reader from Florida! This book really opened my eyes. The characteristics of an acoa definitely described me! If you have never read a book on this topic, this book will open your eyes. It has a nice question and answer format, and a clear table of contents. However, I found myself saying, "yes, that's me.. and now what do I do"... but it sort of left me hanging there. I would have liked some steps to take to help me improve on some of my unfavorable behaviors.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars shocked, August 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics (Paperback)

About ten years ago I was in a book-store in Cambridge, Ma. and happened to browse through that book. Just reading a few questions and answers was one of the greatest shocks in my life. Reading the truth when you always thought that you are so strange, noone else can image, is not easy. I was hardly able to go to the cashier and pay for the book. This was the first day of a new life for me.

If you are an ACoA you probably want to heal yourself by just reading the book. Don't do it. Yes, read the book. But then go out and make contact with other people. Go into therapy. It's never too late.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read on the process and stages of recovery, December 14, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics (Paperback)

This was very easy to read, and I really liked the question and answer format. As an Adult Child just starting on the road to recovery, I got the most benefit from the first four chapters. I also liked seeing the stages ahead, especially the common pitfalls, and will definitely refer back to this book as I progress. But I felt this book was more ABOUT recovery, not a guide on HOW to recover. For me, this book helped me understand so many things, but I feel I have to go elsewhere for concrete actions to take. (I'm trying an inner child workbook next.) Definitely a good starting point.