Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks the Biography of William Duncan Silkworth, M.D. [Hardcover]

Dale Mitchel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2002

Alcoholism is an obsession of the mind that condemns one to drink and an allergy of the body that condemns one to die.

In the 1930s, this statement by Dr. William Duncan Silkworth flew in the face of conventional wisdom that alcoholism was a moral failing. Risking his professional reputation, Dr. Silkworth articulated the medical observations and spiritual principles that helped to make the Alcoholics Anonymous program the success story it is today.

Key features and benefits:

• only biography authorized by the Silkworth family
• contains exclusive collection of Dr. Silkworth's complete writings
• the definitive story of a man who challenged conventional wisdom about addiction

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dale Mitchel, a successful business owner, and a recovering alcoholic, is 43 years old, married and the father of three beautiful girls. His complete story is included within the book, A Ghost in The Closet, in the chapter titled 'My Lead.' Among many interesting facts in his story is how he has grown from a distant alcoholic father to one who shares daily meditation with his daughters every morning.In hopes of finding some level of understanding to the disease concept of alcoholism, and an inability to at first accept that he was an alcoholic, Mitchel began a two year long analysis of existing literature on alcoholism and addiction. The results are this wonderful book.Mitchel has appeared on numerous radio shows throughout the country and television, offering his analysis of alcoholism, treatment and recovery. His views present the common characteristics found within other more singularly disciplined research and theoretically presented predispositions to alcoholism.Reviews for the book, and sales results, have shown A Ghost in the Closet as becoming widely accepted as a complete analysis of alcoholism and the alcoholic mind. Called 'one of the best summaries of the knowledge we have acquired about alcoholism...' by renown psychiatrist and treatment therapist, Joanne Lindy, A Ghost in the Closet answers many of the questions prevalent in our society, and dispels the myth of willpower.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Hazelden (May 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568387946
• ISBN-13: 978-1568387949
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,935,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AA's silent partner, November 28, 2002

By 

Anthony M. Frasca (East Setauket, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks the Biography of William Duncan Silkworth, M.D. (Hardcover)

This book is a biography of a very interesting and persistent man, Dr. William Duncan Silkworth. Dr. Silkworth was a pioneer in the treatment of alcoholism in the early 1930's. The book's author Dale Mitchel does a fabulous job of researching Dr. Silkworth's background and detailing Dr. Silkworth's contribution to the treatment of alcoholism. It was one of Dr. Silkworth's patients who went on to form the basis of the most effective treatment of alcoholism today, Alcoholics Anonymous.
It was Dr. Silkworth who took the enormous gamble of allowing one of his recovered alcoholic patients, Bill Wilson, to act as a lay therapist on the alcoholism ward during the first few weeks of his sobriety. The gamble paid off and over time the concept led to the formation of AA.
Dale Mitchel felt that Dr. Silkworth did not get enough credit for his pioneering work, hence he set out to write the doctor's biography. But, how? Fortunately, Mitchel found all of Dr. Silkworth's personal papers in the possession of a niece of the doctor, Adelaide Silkworth. The result is not only a tribute to a great man, but also a very interesting story worth reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What A Wonderful Book, January 12, 2008

By 

R. S. Beck (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks the Biography of William Duncan Silkworth, M.D. (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading every page of this book as it gives good insight into Dr. Silkworth's contribution to the early days of A.A. Don't pass it up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must to have, February 17, 2010

By 

Norman Langille "normtinman" (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks the Biography of William Duncan Silkworth, M.D. (Hardcover)

Well written,informative history of a great man, recovery and Alcoholics Anonymous--where would we be without him--