The Wellness-Recovery Connection: Charting Your Pathway to Optimal Health While Recovering from Alcoholism and Drug Addiction (Paperback)

by John Newport (Author) "As you may be aware, you are not the only one who has ever hidden empty wine bottles from your spouse, missed out on a..." (more)
Key Phrases: other nutritional stressors, successful recovery group, sobriety maintenance, Serenity Prayer, Wellness Planning Worksheet, The Importance of Wellness (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
For those with drug or alcohol addictions, arresting that dependency is, obviously, crucial for survival. But overcoming addiction's insidious effects on the body by taking charge of one's health is critical as well. Newport, a wellness professional and counselor with 25 years of experience, focuses on the "neglected stepchild" of recovery: basic wellness concepts that, he says, are often disregarded. Newport emphasizes that "taking it one step at a time" works for integrating a wellness-oriented lifestyle into recovery. Years of drinking and doing drugs produce an undernourished body that needs a decent nutritional foundation, which Newport covers in detail. Additionally, many former alcohol and drug addicts develop new addictions (to caffeine, nicotine or junk foods), and Newport discusses ways to prevent this from happening, including engaging in "moderate intensity physical activity," stress management and meditation. He outlines meaningful applications to accompany the spiritual dimension of wellness and recovery, and challenges readers to set long-term goals. Numerous resources, from literature to Web sites, will be of further assistance. This excellent book would be a fine supplement to any recovery program. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
A leading wellness counselor offers a step-by-step holistic plan for the 50 million people in recovery—a personalized blueprint for adding years to their life and life to their years.

Based on his twenty-five years in the trenches as a wellness professional and counselor, John Newport, Ph.D., shares "the missing dimension" in recovery and the reason a majority of people battling a chemical dependency fail or don’t enjoy optimal health while abstinent: They don’t adopt a wellness–oriented lifestyle.

Newport breaks down the nebulous concept of "wellness" into 7 steps, and gives readers in the recovery community specific tools to design their own blueprint for optimal health, including:

Nutrition: which foods help/hurt recovery and trigger relapse and what supplements are helpful. Exercise: which exercises are beneficial to recovery with tips on getting started. Stress management: practical exercises and meditations important to relapse prevention. Spiritual needs: tips on nurturing a spiritual foundation. Social support: how to foster relationships and the new definition of family. Making the most out of health care: what people in recovery should demand—from their health care provider, and how to make sure it’s covered.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: HCI (December 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757302130
• ISBN-13: 978-0757302138
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #840,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have!, January 11, 2007

By	Sheila Ball "Sherae61" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A wonderful tool for anyone in recovery or working in the field. Great information for a lifetime of wellness of the mind, body and spirit.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful, March 21, 2009

By	Markala - See all my reviews

This book has helped me tremendously! It has taught me things I was not aware of and also reminded me of things I had forgotten. I am very surprised it has helped me so much because I have been sober for 31 years. I found myself relaxing, as I read this book, simply by practicing the relaxing techniques I was reading about. I'll make these techniques a part of my daily life. I would recommend this book for anyone who is serious about their recovery.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I'll stick with my meat, April 15, 2007

By	Robert A. Tschida - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was't planning on becoming an alcoholic nor am I planning on becoming a vegetarian. I stick to going to meetings and a belief in a higher power.