When I Am Weak Then I Am Strong: A Recovered Addict's View of Christianity & A Christian's View of Recovery From Addiction [Paperback]

C Camp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2002

Are you an alcoholic/addict? Do you love one? Need help?From: Part One: My Story I remember when I was in the third grade. I came home one day to find that my older brother, John, had a two-inch gash in his head. It was about one-quarter-inch deep. My mother, who had wielded a croquet mallet Lizzy Borden fashion, had put it there. She had then poured iodine in the wound. I remember my brother saying that he could feel the iodine burning as it slowly cascaded down between his scalp and his skull. I wasn't surprised, except in the viciousness of this particular incident This is not your typical recovery feel-good book. My point of view comes from one who has been on the "front lines" all of his life. As an innocent child caught in an abusive family environment, as an alcoholic in early, middle, and late stages, and as a drug and sex addict. I know the progression and self-destruction that inevitably accompanies addiction. I know what it feels like to become willing to do things that I never thought I would ever do to get that next "high" in order to escape from the reality that I had created for myself. There is nothing else that quite compares.I also know the hope and power of recovery. I know the joy of climbing up and out of darkness and into the light of day after years of terrifying descent. I have successfully recovered and I have helped many others to do so, not as an occupation, but as part of my own recovery. I feel that I am in a unique position to help those who are still lost (and their loved ones), provided that they are willing, and to guide them out of the "living hell" that is addiction. I pray that this book will help spread the message of hope to alcoholics/addicts and their families everywhere. C. J. Camp

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

C. J. Camp is a survivor. Abused and neglected in every way during his childhood, he became an alcohol, drug, and sex addict. Today he's been clean and sober for many years and has managed to rebuild his life and to help others do likewise. Here, he shares how he did it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 118 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (May 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595228631
• ISBN-13: 978-0595228638
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 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: #705,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting Down to the Real Deal, July 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: When I Am Weak Then I Am Strong: A Recovered Addict's View of Christianity & A Christian's View of Recovery From Addiction (Paperback)

This book really hits home and keeps coming! From C. J. Camp's family history all the way through, it all sounds so painfully familiar. I was especially touched by his descriptions of always feeling "different" from other people; not being able to connect heart-to-heart very easily, if ever.

I was also deeply affected by the idea of a "mental picture" of God and the suggestion that the picture many people have is probably inaccurate. God's been given a bum rap!

Wonderful touches of humor throughout, yet always informative and to the point. Good for the family members of addicts also!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Way It Really Is!, July 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: When I Am Weak Then I Am Strong: A Recovered Addict's View of Christianity & A Christian's View of Recovery From Addiction (Paperback)

This book really touched a chord in my heart. C. J. Camp lays it out; the good, the bad, and the ugly. He tells his own hair-raising story (child abuse, neglect, etc.) and how he turned to sex, drugs, and alcohol. He talks plainly and unsparingly about his descent into the depths of misery and his near-death. He recounts the powerful "spiritual experience" that saved his life; an encounter with the Holy Spirit (John 6:44-45).
He then explains the 12-Step method of recovery from a Christian perspective in simple terms that everyone can understand. He really made me rethink a lot of my old ideas about cleaning up my past and getting right with God and others.
I also learned more about the true nature of God (as opposed to the unfortunate "mental picture" of God that I was given as a child). That has made a tremendous difference in my life and in my recovery. The first Christian recovery book that's real and true, not stuffy or too theological. A sense of honesty pervades the book.