Recovery Books

The Mud People describes the powerful and difficult journey of a young girl seeking to find the truth in her painful world. The story unfolds through her eyes, and the voice which is created as a result is innocent, honest, and very moving- for in her simplicity there lies a depth which speaks directly to the reader with heartfelt force. Laced with powerful imagery throughout, the tale quickly takes hold of the reader to usher them into the silent inner space where true pain and joy lie. Her journey of discovery and recovery is one which might spark hope in the hearts of us all.

I THINK THIS STORY IS VERY TOUCHING. AS A PERSONAL FRIEND OF THE AUTHOR, I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT SHE WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH SO MUCH TERROR. LANEY IS A VERY FRIENDLY PERSON. SHE BRIGHTENS UP THE OFFICE AT WORK WITH HER SMILE AND WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT. SHE'S ALWAYS CHEERFUL AND FRIENDLY. INSTEAD OF COFFEE IN THE MORNING TO WAKE ME UP, I JUST GO AND VISIT LANEY.

I am Laney's youngest sister and have suffered from the emotional and verbal abuse referred to in her story. Her book was able to put in words something that was buried deep and locked tightly inside of me since childhood. It is my hope that many wounded survivors will find their way to this book of gentle healing and journey out of the darkness into light and life.

Laney MacKenna Mark is my great aunt.And in the book the sister refered to as Reene was my grandmother, so for me this book ment more than it would to the average reader. But if I were to look at this as an regular person I would still rate it the same. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone..

As an avid reader of many, many books on healing of emotional and physical abuse, this little book, The Mud People is one of the finest little books I have ever come across. I have continually recommended this book to many people who have suffered emotional and physical trauma from parents and family. It is so profound in its story of a little girl who had a small inner voice who kept nudging her, reminding her that she had worth and value. Having the courage to leave the tribal-minded thinking of her abusive family and begin a journey that would lead herself to her own true worth. When you first pick up this little book and start reading it you might be tempted to think that it was a childrens book, written for children, but I assure you it is for adults. It brought tears to my eyes as I read the story, and made me appreciate the courage it takes to leave an abusive people and claim value for oneself....and the expected anger and rejection that will follow from family and parents when they realize they can no longer control or dominate. The book makes powerful yet subtle insights about the tribal thinking patterns, the family history of abuse from generation to generation, and the courage of one child to break the rules of abuse and leave it behind. It will help those who have grown up with cruel and insensitive parents and family. It will help those of sexual abuse and it will confirm and support that inner voice that speaks to many of us which says....there must be a better way, I must have self-worth and I am willing to risk finding it, even if it means leaving people who are not willing to journey with me into healthy-minded relationships. Read this little book....it will help you.

I was sentenced to state indoctrination in the Michigan Public School System from 1956 through 1967 and NEVER encountered the ideas put forth by Kropotkin. In fact, it was the references to Kropotkin in "The Probability Broach" that inspired me to look up "Mutual Aid". This book gives the other side of life on Earth - the side Darwin ignored - the side that governments ignore. If your life is dedicated to competition, you may wish to ignore this book, also, and its discussion of the limitations of the competitive paradigm. This is one of those books that lapdog academia wants ignored - a book that throws the entire concept of politics into question. Read it and grow.

First, Kropotkin discusses mutual aid among animals. His first point is that Darwin had nothing to do with Social Darwinianism. In fact, he quotes Darwin as saying, "Those communities which included the greatest number of the sympathetic members would flourish best, and rear the greatest number of offspring."

He gives numerous examples. One of his examples is about the crested screamer, a bird species which holds massive song recitals. Would Lorenz agree that those birds are chirping merrily? Or would he insist that they are marking their territory?

Next, he discusses mutual aid among savages. Note that he uses a word which is scientifically unacceptable today.

Since K. cannot travel back in time, he surmises how our earliest ancestors lived by observing how isolated tribes today live--which is in clans. Although such tribes are still called "primitive," there is some question of whether or not these tribes live like our prehistoric ancestors did.

Since isolated tribes tend to live in clans, Kropotkin claims that the marital bond is not as strong as in the nuclear family system. In the appendix, he debates Westermarck on this matter.

Next, he discusses mutual aid among barbarians--another taboo word. According to K., there was a wave of migrations in ancient Europe, in which "races were mixing with races." The social institutions seemed to be wrecked as a result, but K. assures us that they instead "underwent the modification which was required by the new conditions of life."

Next, he discusses mutual aid in the medieval city. Now we are up to the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries. Our next institution, then, is the professional guild.

Finally, he discusses mutual aid among ourselves. He sees a faint vestige of mutual aid today. K. sees the union as the successor of the clan, the village, and the guild, so he calls for more and better unions. K. also speaks highly of organizations with special interests, such as garden clubs and glee clubs.

However, K. cautions us against the "reckless individualism," or "the war of each against all," which he sees as prevailing today.

Kropotkin's discussion, persuasive as it is, can be counterbalanced with arguments in favor of individualism and competition. I wonder how Kropotkin would respond to the famous anecdote about the Jamestown colonists.

One can also question Kropotkin's claim that only the most sociable animal species prosper. The feline order is renowned for the aloofness of its members, and the lion has been dubbed "the king of the beasts."

I would like to close this report with an ad hominem attack against Kropotkin himself: If individualism is so reprehensible, what is he doing writing a book by himself and claiming credit for it by himself?

Anarchist classic, rooted in observation of natural phenomena and history. Challenges the conception that capitalism is a natural progression of Darwinism at work in the wild. The author cites numerous examples of compassion and innate goodness at work outside the bounds of a structured power-based society. The study covers cooperation among animals, instances of non-hierachical interactions from primitive tribes to mediaeval cities, and on to his contemporary labor unions. It has been some years since I read it and I plan to revisit this title soon.

Este libro es uno de los pilares fundamentales de la teoria del anarco comunismo tan desvirtuada por el imperialismo, y nos da la esencia que el anarquismo, lejos de lo que se cree comunmente es una doctrina que se basa en el amor y la ayuda mutua, quitando las barreras de desigualdad entre las personas y haciendo un recuento de cómo la ayuda mutua es un factor de evolución hcia una sociedad más justa.

Peter Kropotkin is one of the most noteworthy anarchist thinkers over the last two centuries. As with other political thinkers, so, too, with Kropotkin--his analy¬sis of human nature is critical for understanding his overall philosophical position. For his view of human nature, "Mutual Aid" is a key for understanding his views. His work is a harbinger of more recent studies of sociobiology, many of which explore the roots of altruism--human and otherwise.

Much of his thinking on the nature of society was formed when he was observing the behavior of animals in Siberia. While assigned to a Siberian regiment of the Russian military, Kropotkin did innovative original work on geography and geology as well as the study of animal behavior. His observation of animals led him to respond to Huxley's assertion that natural selection was based on keen com¬petition among animals with the following statement: ". . .wherever I saw animal life in abundance, as, for instance, on the lakes where scores of species and millions of individuals came together to rear their progeny; in the colonies of rodents; in the migration of birds which took place at that time on a truly American scale along the Usuri; and especially in a migration of fallow-deer which I witnessed on the Amur, and during which scores of thousands of these animals came together from an immense territory, flying before the coming snow, in order to cross the Amur where it is narrowest--in all these scenes of animal life which passed before my eyes, I saw Mutual Aid and Mutual Support carried on to an extent which made me suspect in it a feature of the greatest importance for the maintenance of life, the preservation of each species, and its further evolution."

He synthesized his observations of animals within a species cooperating with one another and concluded that, in the struggle for life, cooperation was at least as important as competition. Kropotkin did not argue that competition was unimportant in the natural selection process. However, he did emphasize that mutual aid was a factor that many Darwinists (although, as Kropotkin made clear, not Darwin himself) ignored. The data that Kropotkin utilized came from many different animal species.

Kropotkin goes on to speculate about the survival value of cooperative behavior. He states that: "Life in societies enables the feeblest insects, the feeblest birds, and the feeblest mammals to resist, or to protect themselves from, the most terrible birds and beasts of prey; it permits longevity; in enables the species to rear its progeny with the least waste of energy and to maintain its progeny with the least waste of energy and to maintain its numbers albeit a very slow birth rate; it enables the gregarious animals to migrate in search of new abodes. Furthermore, cooperation facilitates the development of intelligence, since that quality is so important for social life among animals."

Kropotkin is not content to rest his case at this point. He subsequently indicates the likely course of human evolution and the role played by cooperation. He adopts the method of using existing societies at differing levels of socio-cultural complexity to speculate about the course of human socio-cultural evolution. Kropotkin argues that, at each stage, mutual aid is apparent and important for humans. Even in the period dominated by the great states, the present for Kropotkin, mutual aid institutions still flourished despite the state's intimidating presence.

Thus, Kropotkin's view of human nature is, ultimately, that it is inherently good, i.e. cooperative toward his or her fellow. What of this assertion? Is Kropotkin's view of human nature completely inaccurate and confounded by the available evidence? That is where each reader must evaluate his or her view of humanity's nature and render a judgment on "the anarchist prince."

This book was given to me by Victim Services after my 26 year old son was kidnapped and brutally murdered. I wasn't reading anything at the time and put it away in my closet and forgot I had it. 2 years later, I just read the book. After I first lost my son I wondered if this is how I would feel the for the rest of my life. I learned
that, for me, I continue to feel just as torn apart as I did intitally, but not every minute of every day as I once did. The book explains this, and I was looking for answers which it gives. As I said, I wish I'd read it sooner.

Besides helping to deal with the grief,crushing sadness,and the anger, this book also talks about concrete things that can be done after ones loss. He talks about the the criminal justice system and financial issues. He covers loss of children,spouses, friends and parents. What to expect on holidays and a nice chapter on spirituality.

My 21 year old brother was viciously attacked and beaten to death by a group of random teenage guys. They did this for "fun". They're the kids that prey on the homeless people or in my brother's case, he was walking down the street to his car at night. The worst part is that they only wanted to beat on him for kicks and "didn't mean" to kill him. They're claiming it was an accident and they didn't mean to have him sustain severe brain injuries. This book described everything I was feeling. I joined therapy groups, but no one seemed to understand. Most of the people I met lost their loved ones of a prolonged illness, an accident, or old age. I felt alone and that no one understood my situation. My brother was a murder victim. He was literally here one day and gone the next. The book made it easier to know that there are unfortunately many people out there who feel the same way I do. It would have been easier to accept if there was a reason for his death. This book explained everything I was feeling. It really hit home with me. I highly recommend this book for those who have lost a loved one so abruptly!! This book has kept me sane for the most part.

This book will prove very helpful for anyone that has had a sudden traumatic death of a loved one. The book covers various kinds of sudden death and explains how it can effect each person it touches. It is a teaching tool for advocates and a learning tool for victims. Being on both sides of the situation I find it a prized book in my library.

It's true; the book is short, simple, and basic. I had such trouble concentrating after my brother was murdered and my parents were seriously injured, that I could barely read a paragraph at a time, something Lord obviously understands. This book clearly expressed the shock and sorrow of my experience and helped me understand that what I was feeling was normal, when nothing else in my world was normal. I stood in the bookstore and re-shelved all the books about dealing with terminal illness and long goodbyes. When I found this one, I sat down in the aisle and cried. I sent it to some of my family members and to an acquaintance whose son committed suicide and, years later, feel immense gratitude to Janice Lord that her book was available when the bottom dropped out of my world.

I laughed and I cried.

Mr DuQuette has written a thoroughly entertaining book with wonderful honesty. I found the book to be a great reminder of the good fortune that can come our way when we struggle to face ourselves and move in the right direction.
It was painful to read the approach to "bottom" and it was a wonderful relief to read of redemption that came from Marc's struggle to improve.

I think I'll read it again.

PS: I hope I'll see this as a movie some day. Maybe with Jack Nicholson playing the lead role...except he's too old.
Maybe Michael Keaton or Robert Downey, Jr. Robert Downey Jr. could play it straight from the gut.

I recommend this a must read for all wannabee Buckaroos. This is not only a book showing the frailty of one human being who had to experience the wild side. It is a deep inner look of the recovery of the man! Marc Duquette is shown to be a prolific writer, making the truth seem like a walk in the park. His life was not a walk in the park but a series of events that would make any "Commie Man" cringe with fear as it did! It is very hilarious and sad at the same time. If you do not want to read the truth about this writer this is not a read for you! Looking forward to the screenplay.

JGB,

This book is a masterpiece. I wouldn't be surprised, if this book might became a"classic" in history. It's funny, smart, ineresting, easey going & never easy. It's a time many of us would have liked to experience & be where he was. The people, the place the time, the music - everything what he is talking about we know from movies, books, biographies,...
And it's a true book, real emotions, real lifes, real human being. I read the whole book 2 times straight through... it's worth it & I looove to see this book on screen! Andrea, Austria

Dynamite, Captivating, Engaging!: These are the thoughts that raced through my mind as I made my way through "Orange Sunshine." Like a diamond each new chapter revealed a new facet of Marc's fascinating life. "Who is Machine Gun Boy?" "What was it like being a Black Mason?"I hope there's another book in you, I think I'm coming down from my "Trip!"

When you read this book, you will see a naked soul! It was captivating to ride through all the "highs and lows" of an authentic Hippie life. I felt priviledged to read such an honest and transparent bio. His utter pain and suffering were really humbling and in contrast, his redemption was truly glorious.

I find that this book and mainly the "Lectures" that I purchased additionally (listed in the back of the book) helped to transform my life to what is true freedom and our purpose for existence. The material is truly profound and rich with guidance and insight that will last for life and cannot be replaced. This is my favorite spiritual literature and is such a gift left by a very courageous and talented woman. The book and the Lectures are channeled material by a "Guide" who comes through Eva. The Lectures begin around the 1950s with material that will always be timely. If you discover this book with the Lectures you are blessed and if you can manage to stay with the Lectures this Pathwork is for you.

I bought this book 20 years ago and even now when I read it I come to new realizations about myself. The material present in the lectures goes so deep that you can read the lectures again and again and continue to get insight from them. It is the best guidebook for life and for understanding our shadow selves that I have ever seen. If you want a true change of self and freedom from your compulsions this is the best place to start. Mind you, it is a slow process but the book is just the thing to turn to when you feel stuck and hopeless. It has the keys that will lead you to just the understanding you need to free your mind.

This book totally answered almost all of my questions about life. It CHANGED my life. I introduced it to my roommate, and we kept stealing it back and forth from each other. It is the single most important book I've ever read. It seriously changed my life- how I saw things, how I lived. It's background may make people a little skeptical, but I swear, if you read it, you will know... I don't care what the circumstances were for it's being written, it combed my soul and lifted me PERMANENTLY from the depression that was always lurking somewhere in my life.

This book both saved my life and changed my life. It's interesting that I've been reading it, off and on, since 1990 and in all these years different phrases, paragraphs and chapters keep "jumping out at me," sentences that I bypassed so many years ago, because I did not begin to understand those concepts. Now I am beginning to, as I see and understand more and more of what this book & the author is saying. I guess that means "progress!"

This is the book which told me that "the SPIRITUAL world is the world of EMOTIONS." I had never had it presented to in this way, especially growing up where "emotions" - all except anger - were completely "verboten." Finally, I can begin to understand just what this means. Peace, patience, tranquility = "heaven," anger and resentment = "hell."

I actually allow myself to write in the margins and date my observations and questions, so it's like a diary of sorts, and I am able to see the changes over the last - gasp! - 18 years. Every time I think I don't need this book anymore, and might as well give it away, poof... here comes something else, and I pull it down from my "reference" shelf. Now I'm going to order the rest of the books by Eva Pierrakos, who gets 5 star reviews every time.

One of the most important messages and insights I got from this book was the connection between "states of being."

The spiritual world IS our emotional world. That is the difference between "Heaven and Hell." It is all in the way we FEEL.

I have heard that "our state of mind" created heaven or hell, but it isn't my mind that does me in, it is my EMOTIONS. It's not my attitude, it's not my thoughts; my mind is sharp as a tack and very well disciplined; it's my emotions that knock me for a loop every time. They control my thoughts and come first in the arena I live in. They are wild horses that take me for a ride, I am not a master in that area.

When I read the correlation between "emotions" and "spiritual world" something clicked! One door flew open while another one shut, and I have never been the same since. Not to say that I've made all the "changes" necessary as yet, but at least I am on the right path. I have tons of books that I read all the time, but this one stays on my shelf.

As people used to say, and I still mean it: "Thanks for sharing!" You have made my day!

This is a profound book that delves into the essence of what it means to be a human being. Everything is covered - from advice on efforts to face our own inner gremlins, letting them go, to advice on how to start relaxing and creating with one's consciousness.

"Creating is pure fascination" (p. 218)

This is also a book that talks about dissolving structures, entering the chaos consciously, and formulating a will to happiness so strong, so unyielding, so determined that the intent becomes creating power itself. And that is where we truly start living. A great book.

What's in your mind is often quite literally, or "anatomiically" what is in your body. It's called mind over matter. Anything that offers hope has the potential to heal, including thoughts, suggestions and symbols. Feelings are chemical and can kill or cure; there is not 'false hope.'

Sometimes, iit is a person who is the cause of internal healing because a significant change in their life prior to the miracle. An existential shift occurred in them (call it love for and by the other person), and for the first time in their lives they are truly living. For them, it was a new beginning using peace, love and healing together. I call them angels even though they are real humans in the right place at the right time and one's sixth sense, your healing system, accepts them. Don't internalize whatever you do, as it is self-defeating. The goal is peace of mind, which can give your healing system a true "live" message. Love, joy, and egolessness are aids to achieve peace of mind. Worry is your enemy because of its destructive power to play havoc with your emotions by creating a viscious circle of pain and doubt.

By sharing your concerns with people who really care about your welfare, emoting allow their feelings to express their fears, optimism, and desires. Hence by doing so they gave their bodies "live" messages. Writing the encounters down in a diary allowed them to rethink possibilities, a simple form of cognitive retraining. The events themselves remained the same but lost their destructive power. Dr. Blake admitted that he believes in faith healing.

Working with the healing system that constitutes a sort of superintelligence within us can eliminate stress which harms the immune system. The brain is not just for thinking; it is a survival organ -- thanks, Mark. Keeping a daily journal recording your feelings creates a more active immune system and less stress. Even after they stopped keeping the journals, the immune system remained more active for up to six months.

To be exceptional doesn't always mean having to perform extraordinary feats. It's your attitude about living and loving which makes you exceptional. Love is the miracle. Love makes us immortal in the only true sense of the word. We all need a purpose in life. Purpose, like hope, is physiologic. Some people seem to have limitless amounts of courage as they find new paths to healing and love.

Peace, Love and Healing: Bodymind Communication & the Path to Self-Healing: An Exploration was a book for myself when I was battling Lymphoma. It was a great deal of help and support for me. Since then I have given it to others diagnosed with cancer.

This is a great book for anybody but especially for cancer patients like myself. The book was very inspirational and uplifting. I highly recommend this book.

I just love Bernie Siegal, and admire his openness and willingness to speak out and risk the ridicule of the traditional medical community. It seems his ideas really are important in healing!

I've submitted essentially the same review for Love, Medicine and Miracles as for Peace, Love and Healing. I read Love, Medicine and Miracles first and then Peace, Love and Healing and also recommend that others read them in that sequence: Peace, Love, and Healing is very much a continuation of the earlier book. Having said that, the most important thing is for anyone facing a health crisis to read them both. The sequence in which they're read is less important than that they be read--and absorbed.

I was introduced to these books shortly after having been diagnosed with cancer by another person who was (and still is, unfortunately) dealing with some major health issues. Although I've read tons of stuff relating to cancer and, especially, treatments of various types and stripes, I can't think of anything that provided greater value and (even) guidance to me during those challenging days, mainly because getting the "head" right is half the battle--and the half of the battle that far too many completely neglect. One of the things that Bernie makes imminently clear to the reader is that he/she, the reader, has a great deal of influence over the course of his/her illness. That's an important message to someone feeling powerless. Plenty of powerful examples, thought exercises, etc. The messages are uplifting, hopeful, life-affirming, empowering, and above all, realistic.

Although I was vaguely aware of the mind-body connection before reading these books, I now understand that psychoneuroimmunology (if that is an unfamiliar term, you will become familiar with it by the time you've read Peace, Love and Healing) is real and can potentially be harnessed to the patient's great benefit: change the mind, change the body.

Naturally, I can't do justice to these books with a few short sentences here. But here's the bottom line: these books should be read by anyone facing a health crisis who sincerely wants to get well. But they should also be read by anyone who has a friend or loved one facing a health crisis. Read them yourself before you send them on to the friend/loved one. You'll find them valuable both for yourself and also for helping your friend/loved one deal with it. The books should be read by anyone facing a life-threatening illness, but their value transcends cancer (or other serious illness) self-help by a long shot, valuable as that is. Even if your present health seems to be good, you should still read these books. They will help you live more effectively even if you never get sick. And they will surely equip you to deal with a major illness if you ever have to face one.

I read this book many years ago. It is still on my bookshelf. Standford likened marriage to two halves of an eggshell, but they are from different eggs, and they have to grind together to become one egg. This is very powerful imagery. But it is good preparation for marriage. We like to think that we are from one egg, our other half. For most people the reality is different. We have to grind together to become one flesh.

If you need lots of perspectives, angles, definitions and reflections, plus over 24,000 hours of combined experience in healing folks with mental and emotional illness, you need to read this book. In the end, it is simplified for lay folks and we can all benefit and use it to help others through the rough spots of their journeys, no matter how big the problems seem. It thoroughly changed my counseling methods and kept me from being drained at the end of the day.

I read through this book a number of times and am still not too sure about some of the more "charismatic" things like dealing with the sins of parents, for one example.

But the material on depression was amazing for a fundamentalist preacher. Ground breaking and sensitive and balanced.

I cannot evaluate the parts of the book that I wonder about, but the other parts were very impressive to me.

This is the finest book I have ever read on human emotional development and healing. I have significantly highlited at least 50% of the pages of this book, and cannot stop promoting it to everyone I talk to. If you you want to be more whole than you ever dreamed you could be, READ THIS BOOK.

Somehow I recall reading this book in my late teens. It was a positive experience, guidance towards attaining fulfillment through realization of Truth/Essence.

Hello
Like many of you, I love to read. I often get lost in books for hours and dream of one day writing one of my own. I was online one day looking for volunteer opportunities in rape crisis centers, shelters, etc. and I stumbled across www.watchyourdrink.com. I read the details on the website about the book, "Who's Watching Your Drink?" and immediately sought contact with the author. When I received the book a few days later after having asked her to send me a copy, I read it in one sitting. I was suprised, upset, crying, laughing - it was a mix of emotions because I could relate. When I was 15 I was date raped and that person had used GHB. To this day I still don't know everything that happened. It was comforting to know, though, that his woman was dedicating her time, money - life - into spreading awareness of these horrible occurrences. I would strongly suggest that every person buy this book. Statistics show that somewhere (now, don't quote me on this) around 1 out of every 4 women are sexually assaulted - before the age of 18! If you are one of the fortunate ones you haven't experienced this terrible assault, chances are you probably know someone who has. This book contains information on date rape drugs as well as the author's horrific experience. You will be shocked to see just how easily men and women fall into others' traps when they accept a beverage they themselves did not pour, or if they consume a drink they temporarily left unattended. Ms. Jackson wrote this book to educate others. Please check out this book. It helped ME to know I wasn't alone, and it also educated me. Hopefully, it could do the same for you.

Once I began reading the book, I couldn't put it down. It is more than just an ordinary book to read. It is a true life story that really happened. It made me realize that it could happen to anyone, including myself. I admire Sharon for having the courage to bare her soul to the world by writing this book. While reading I tried to imagine what it was like and simply couldn't get to that point. It was too difficult to even imagine some of the things she shared in the story.

I would encourage everyone to read this book. Mothers should read it and pass it on to their daughters.

Hats off to you Sharon for sharing this experience with me and the rest of the world!

I am a male and was totally captivated and amazed at what we do to each other. Sharon is one of the most courageous women in the world to share this incredible story.

It is remarkable how our minds work and how much Sharon was able to recall after so many years. She includes a free coaster with the book so that your loved ones don't go through what Sharon did.

Sharon, you are deserving of the greatest rewards that come your way for caring enough to share your story with others. I hope your foundation takes off in great multitude for men and women alike. I have an 8 year old daughter and when she gets older, she WILL have one of your marvelous coasters to protect her from what you went through.

What an incredible story and tremendous lesson of forgiveness and determination! Amazing author and an amazing story!

This is a great book to read whether you are male or female. If you have daughters, be prepared to be very angry and extra protective!

Sharon Jackson's 'Who's Watching Your Drink?' is not an easy read, but it is a 'must'read. You will be stunned, outraged, angry and then thankful that Sharon was courageous enough to tell her story so that others could be warned of the increasing dangers of date rape drugs in our society. Mandatory reading if you are a parent! The drug coaster to test your drink that comes with the book and can be re-ordered is a stroke of genius! I now make the coasters available and emphasize date rape drugs at the monthly Reality Tour Drug Prevention program I direct in Butler, PA. This book will change lives and save lives! Give the book to students going off to college. I only wish the circumstances endured by Sharon were extremely rare. Her tools for recovery are just as remarkable as her willingness to suffer the sharing necessary to write the book.
Thanks Sharon!

Sharon's book is wonderful! Once I began reading, I could not put it down! All of the different emotions I had while reading this book was unreal. I felt sadness, anxiety, tension and most of all compassion for Sharon. This book is a must for all adult readers! Thank you Sharon for having the courage to tell your story to people like myself!

AS A PROFESSIONAL IN THE SOCIAL SERVICES FIELD, I FOUND THE BOOK AN INVALUABLE GUIDE FOR THE CLIENTS THAT I SERVE. THE BOOK IS ALSO A RESOURCEFUL AND INFORMATIVE TOOL WHICH WILL ENHANCE MY SKILLS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR PEOPLE IN OUT OF THE FIELD BECAUSE IT PROVIDES A HELPING HAND FOR PEOPLE SEARCHING FOR HOPE AND UNDERSTANDING.

As a professional with over 35 years experience in the fields of corrections and substance abuse, I didn't realize how limited my knowledge of the various aspects of 12-step programs was until I read this book . I thank God for blessing me with the opportunity and the curiosity to read this book and highly recommend that it be read by anyone in the field! I feel that Ms. Anderson had three goals in mind--information, enlightenment, and resourcefulness.

I appreciate the book, 12-Step Programs: A Resource Guide for Helping Professionals. I have worked in the field of addictions for over 5 years and found that this book has a variety of self help programs that fit the needs of anyone seeking freedom from any addiction! It is a great reference guide for any professional who seeks to enhance and further their knowledge on the 12-step programs.

Ms. Anderson has done all of us a tremendous service by compiling and explaining all the existing 12-step programs. This is a guide that should be available to social service agencies, counselors, or anyone who works with people who are addicted and who needs to refer them for help and supportive recovery. And, finally, this is a work of love for Ms. Anderson, who has regained hope in her own recovery and in helping others to recover. She is an inspiration when she speaks, and she continues to inspire us with this comprehensive guide.

12-Step Programs was really helpful to me in evaluating myself as well as friends and families. I know some people that have problems that are in this book and think it would be very helpful. Some people feel embarrassed to talk with someone or have no idea how to get help for there addictions. This book changes all of that!

Perhaps this book is not suitable to those who dismiss medicine as a science, but for readers in search of scientific facts, this book is indeed insightful as it adds valuable knowledge to the field of substance treatment. I commend the authors of this book for stating a fact that had been unexposed for too long. After watching Dr. Nikakhtar on CNN, I ordered this book and found it useful and intelligent. The authors of this book look far into the biological factors of addiction and diligently report what the scientific community has held to be true for a long time--that substance abuse is not the fault of the addict but the result of biological conditions that can be addressed and treated. The authors have painstakingly outlined the source of addiction and have finally de-stigmatized addiction, explaining that it is a medical condition that can be treated and CURED!!!
I've recommended this book to my colleagues in the field of health care and they have found it equally helpful in their treatment of addiction.

The empire of Alcoholic's Anonymous and its enfeebled crew of inbred 12 step groups have occupied the field of "substance abuse recovery" to the point of becoming a dictatorship. This volume appropriately calls this bully to task for its monolithic and monotheistic occupation of the medical field and calls for research that goes beyond that which currently panders to the 12 step oligarchy. Thanks to pioneers like Dr. Nikakhtar and Dr. Stanton Peale this archaic AA orthodoxy which has so slowed medical advance and kept addiction science in the dark ages may soon deservedly lose its exalted status and be sent packing to join like minded control cults in the relative obscurity now enjoyed by the flat-earth society.

The authors have dissected the anatomy of addiction and have exposed the causes of substance abuse. This book is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to understand drug addiction and recovery. Finally, the authors cleverly illustrate how recovery is achieved and successfully maintained. The book is quite an accomplishment in the field of health and science.

Perhaps this book is not suitable to those who dismiss medicine as a science, but for readers in search of scientific facts, this book is indeed insightful as it adds valuable knowledge to the field of substance treatment. I commend the authors of this book for stating a fact that had been unexposed for too long. After watching Dr. Nikakhtar on CNN, I ordered this book and found it useful and intelligent. The authors of this book look far into the biological and psycho-social factors of addiction and diligently report what the scientific community has held to be true for a long time--that substance abuse is not the fault of the addict but the result of biological and psycho-social conditions that can be addressed and treated. The authors have painstakingly outlined the source of addiction and have finally de-stigmatized addiction, explaining that it is a medical condition that can be treated and CURED!!!
I've recommended this book to my colleagues in the field of health care and they have found it equally helpful in their treatment of addiction.

This book, written in layman's terms, is a fast read while loaded with invaluable information. It is the most innovative approach to substance abuse recovery. The authors dispel the notion that substance abuse is a character flaw, from which one will never recover. They set about empowering the medical community to take action in helping those who are self-medicating via substance abuse. It inspires those who are self-medicating via substance abuse to feel empowered to resolve the underlying issues that have caused the substance abuse in the first place. This is a book that eliminates the victim mentality of typical 12-step programs and encourages self-empowerment. It is a must read for anyone in the medical field, as well as for anyone who has or is self medicating via substance abuse, or has someone in their lives who is self-medicating via substance abuse.