These moments include her upbringing with an emotionally detached mother and a severe, abusive father as well as the challenges that could have ended her marriage to her husband, Jeffrey, despite their deep love for each other. Garten’s story may impress and inspire, but it’s her honesty and willingness to reflect on every stage of her extraordinary life that makes this book so satisfying. The journey through addiction to recovery is a deeply personal experience, with no two people going though the same process to reach sobriety.
Biographies, Memoirs, & Quit Lit
- In this provocative and paradigm-shifting book, Szalavitz argues for a new conception of addiction, not as a brain disease but rather as a developmental disorder.
- This book also examines the brain’s ability to create new neural pathways and lose the desire to use substances.
- In conclusion, this collection brings together both scientific explanations and personal stories to help you grasp the complexity of addiction and the possibilities for recovery.
- In this story, Rieder explains how he walked himself off the brink of opioid dependence and examines how current medical systems fall short.
- While these books on the topic of Addiction Nonfiction are highly regarded, it’s important to note that any list of ‘best’ books is subjective and reflects a range of opinions.
- Although this book isn’t specifically about alcohol recovery, it has become a go-to guide in many recovery circles.
For readers who’ve followed her over three searingly honest books, where survival let alone redemption often seemed unlikely, her final discovery of a bruised and hard-won peace feels like an instance of what can only be called grace. Dopesick by Beth Macy is a hard-hitting addiction nonfiction book that delves into America’s opioid epidemic. Macy investigates best books for alcoholics the intertwined stories of struggling addicts, overwhelmed medical professionals, and the aggressive marketing tactics of pharmaceutical companies. She uncovers the devastating impact of prescription painkillers on communities and exposes the greed and negligence that fueled the crisis.
Books on Addiction Nonfiction: Discover the Top 20 in our 2024 Updated List
Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview. Matt Rowland Hill was born in 1984 in Pontypridd, South Wales, and grew up in Wales and England. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, New Statesman, the Telegraph and other outlets. Early recovery has the quality of vigorous exercise, as though each repetition of a painful moment… serves to build up emotional muscle.
The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking
After reading this book, you will feel empowered and better equipped for the task ahead. Annie’s book offers a great mix of practical advice and scientific research, which I’ve always found helpful. I want to know what the science says but also how other people have applied that knowledge in ways that actually helped them quit. I also appreciate that she interviewed top psychiatrists and neuroscientists for this book to get a better understanding of what drives us to become addicted to alcohol.
Plus, I wanted to give you my honest reviews based on books I’ve actually read (something not every website does). This is the second addiction book I read at the beginning of my sobriety, and I loved it for vastly different reasons. From helping you relax to giving you a glimpse into another’s thoughts, reading can be a transportive activity. In fact, reading is such a powerful tool that books and poems have been used (in conjunction with other therapies) to help heal mental and psychological disorders. The Mourner’s Bestiary is unfailingly honest about what it means to live with illness, fear, and grief in an era of threatened ecosystems and climate collapse.
The story explores themes of addiction, love, and sexuality, shedding light on the struggles of a working-class family rarely depicted in fiction. Discover these new self-help books on addiction to guide and support those seeking to overcome these struggles. Reading a few chapters of a recovery-related book each day can help weave your sobriety or moderation goals into your everyday life. It can provide ongoing reminders of why you’re making a change, and give you new tools to incorporate as you continue on your journey. Plus, you’ll get to read beautiful writing, and expand your worldview and perspectives. If you’re looking for more sobriety resources, check out Monument’s therapist-moderated alcohol support groups and anonymous online forum.
- With a background in clinical psychology and expertise in addiction treatment, Dr. Glasner-Edwards provides readers with evidence-based strategies and exercises grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) principles.
- Dopesick is a powerful and important book about addiction nonfiction that sheds light on a crisis that continues to plague the nation.
- In this memoir, equal parts hilarious and lacerating, she documents decades of drug use, overdoses, stints in rehab, relapses, electroconvulsive therapy, broken marriages, and the friend who died beside her in bed.
Zailckas’ story is similar to the millions of youths who engage in binge drinking at dangerously young age. Throughout the alcoholism symptoms course of the book, Zailckas reveals the underlying emotional pain and lack of confidence that she tried to express through excessive drinking. She also closely examines both the internal and external factors that drove her to seek help in ending her destructive cycle of binge drinking. If you’re frustrated with your day, feeling rejected by the world, carrying past abuse, seeking validation, or struggling with physical insecurity – these are all feelings that partners might share.