Customer Reviews

Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery: A Personal Guide to Turning from Alcoholism and Other Addictions (Twelve Step Recovery)

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This book is designed for all those who want help from Jewish tradition in their struggle in recovery from alcohol and other addictions. It provides a Jewish context for Jews in recovery and reminds others of their Jewish roots. It dares to take people where they have never gone before!

I am a rabbi and I work as chaplain with inmates in the jail system as well as people who suffer from the disease of (various) addictions outside that system. This series of books By Rabbo Olitzky has been a extraordary help in tying recovery, increasing spiritual exploration and helping those I work with to begin 'real' recovery possibilities: one day at a time.
It is both easy to read and layered with information/quotes from texts, opening the way for questiond, practical ways to get started/continue. I highly recommend this book.

A group of us recently organized within the Jewish community of Phoenix to start a local chapter of JACS, Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Addicted Persons, and Significant Others. We use this book as our text. A brief description of the JACS organization, and its relationship to and with other 12-Step programs is included in the Afterward section. Our group has grown steadily week to week, using "Twelve Steps" as both a source of inspiration and as an educational tool. It is not a replacement for other 12-Step programs, and doesn't try to be. Each chapter is devoted to one of the 12 principles, a concept that is not in the Big Book of AA, but which often triggers the introspection and self-awareness that is crucial to persons in recovery. Many Jews in our group are people who felt uncomfortable in traditional 12-Step meetings, for many, often different, reasons. This book reaches out to those people especially, helps ease their suffering, and brings all of us closer, ending the isolation which is so devestating. People get to recovery through many paths. We have found "Twelve Jewish Steps" to be both inspiring and community-building. So far, we've bought 24 books and we continue to need more. People use this book, reading it over and over. It increases compassion, understanding, and hope in both the person in recovery and in his/her family. There is no higher praise I can give.

Although the twelve step program of recovery from alcoholism and addiction was developed by religious Christians, these programs are nondenominational and, in fact, adhere to key tenants of Judaism. The type of introspection, righting of wrongs, and doing better in the future are part of the Jewish process of teshuva which means "return" and is the Jewish way to repentance. Rabbi Olitzky and Dr. Copans set forth this process, offering meditations, aphorisms, psalms and prayers relevant to each of the twelve steps.

I have a close family member who is in recovery. He went to a world class rehab center and was visited by an orthodox rabbi who has shown him great kindness and compassion. The rabbi presented him with a copy of this book. Although it is written by a reform rabbi, saving lives through recovery unites all Jews as an orthodox rabbi recommended the book. Furthermore, the emminent orthodox rabbi and physician Abraham Twersky wrote the introduction to this book. Thus, I recommend this book to any Jew (and even non Jews) in recovery as well as their families and anyone else interested in the subject of recovery.

When the high holidays approach, a review of the concepts in this book is worthwhile for anyone who wishes to be intrspective and seek teshuva during that holy season. I highly recommend this book even if you are not in recovery. Furthermore, although written from a Jewish perspective, the twelve steps are made so understandable by the use of the concepts in this book, that recovering addicts of any faith will benefit from this book.

Was expecting something a little more Jewish and insightful from this book. I could have written this book in a few hours; with all the Jewish commentaties out there (Rashi) the book could have been deeper.

I purchased this bood so I could better understand the 12 step recovery programs from a Jewish perspective. There is some language in the 12 steps that is difficult for Jews to reconcill with Jewish beliefs, this book gives you the tools to do that. I say it is a good companion book because it takes the 12 steps form AA, NA etc. and while it does not change the content of those steps, this book explains the steps in accordance with Jewish beliefs, gives guidance based on Jewish traditions and offers prayers grounded in Jewish beliefs. It is an important for any Jew or non-Jew, in recovery to own.

my order arrived in an undamaged package. Twelve Jewish Steps even though about the same as the original twelve steps it's a must have for anyone of the Jewish faith seeking to recover.