Addiction Recovery Books 2023

Behavioral, alcohol, and drug addiction is a severe problem that affects millions of people around the globe. It is beneficial to be part of peer groups and personal tales of others who understand what they are dealing with, regardless of where they are in their addiction recovery path. This is also beneficial to the family members and friends of persons who are recovering. While self-help publications are never a long-term answer, they can be extremely beneficial for emotional sobriety during the recovery process. For those battling substance misuse, there is no substitute for a complete treatment program, but reading actual tales from those who have gone through similar circumstances can be a wonderful companion to treatment.

Best Books on Leadership And Management 2023

There is indeed some sort of self-help literature word for anything in today’s modern world. These books provide guidance, knowledge, and encouragement for improving one’s life in a particular area. Recovery from addiction is not unusual. There have been numerous books produced on how to cure addiction and get one’s life back in order. Below is a list of some of the most famous books on the subject of addiction, along with a brief explanation of their subject. We selected these books from a long list of recommendations and we hope these books help you in your journey through addiction recovery.

Best Addiction Recovery Books Including Personal Stories

A Very Fine House: A Mother’s Story Of Love, Faith, And Crystal Meth By Barbara Cofer Stoefen

A Very Fine House is an emotional book of a mother’s Norman Rockwell family being flipped upside down by her daughter’s meth addiction and criminality. Annie, who is bright and attractive, seems an odd target for meth. She commits a crime against herself, breaks community laws, and harms her own family in various manners while living hard and fast on the sidewalks of Bend, Oregon.

Overcome: A Memoir Of Abuse, Addiction, Sex Work, And Recovery

Amber van de Bunt wrote with the same fearlessness and zeal with which she experienced her childhood. She realized she wasn’t like the other females because she suffered from severe depression and eating issues from a young age.

Years as a shirtless dancer in Florida ensued, as did an abortion, an attempted suicide, and a venture into a fresh start as a pornstar.

Van de Bunt has survived her violent mother’s relation, acquired abstinence, and started to live a healthy lifestyle in the times since.

Despite this, her colorful, witty personality comes through, turning a potentially bleak story into something cheerful, humorous, and encouraging.

Between Breaths: A Memoir Of Panic & Addiction By Elizabeth Vargas

Elizabeth Vargas openly shares her story of recovery from addiction. She describes her life in this book, beginning with an anxiety-ridden childhood, rough adolescence, and the shame, hardships, and rejection of a working parent struggling with alcoholism.

Letting Go Of The Thief: A Ninety Day Journey Inside The Thoughts Of An Alcoholic By Pamela D. Pesta

This book is for you if you are struggling with alcoholism. Letting Go of the Thief is a 90-day journey through the mind of an alcoholic. Listen to the tumultuous whirling of a mind pulsing with euphoria. Take a few minutes in the whirlpool of humiliation, remorse, and complete despair. The thief will deftly reveal the anguish of that remorseful and terrified human being. You’ll never completely comprehend the horrors of this sickness until you join the circus.

Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction David Sheff’s Contribution

David Sheff’s biography Beautiful Boy is a heartbreaking account of his son’s meth addiction and the effect it had on the family members. This writer not only discusses the difficulties but also the optimism that can be discovered in recovery.

Comfortably Insane: A Journey From The Hell Of Alcoholism To A Healthy And Productive Life

Comfortably Insane is the tale of how Neal Linares slipped into the bottles and remained there for decades following an uncertain childhood spent moving between the United States and El Salvador.

He describes how he drank himself out of military school, relations, and sanity before reaching eight years of sobriety and a joyful second marriage solely through the force of his will.

Nevertheless, sanity was unpleasant for him, and he reverted to cozy insanity until a run-in with local cops jolted him up, and he began a long journey back to normalcy and wellbeing one day at a time.

Linares’ book is more than a biography; it’s a guide for anyone who wants to recognize and eliminate their own weaknesses.

Save Me From Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs & Lived To Tell My Story By Brian Head

Save Me from Myself is an honest account of out-of-control artist Brian “Head” Welch’s fight with addiction and recovery. Welch attributes his recovery from his terrible lifestyle to his trust in God.

Impaired: A Nurse’s Story Of Addiction & Recovery By Patricia Holloran

This book was written by Patricia Holloran, a nurse who was caught in the middle of the pharmaceutical opiate crisis. This writer published this book to bring motivation to all individuals who have unknowingly earned the label “addict” by swiping narcotics from the facility where she worked to support her addiction.

Blackout: Remembering The Things I Drank To Forget By Sarah Hepola

Blackouts are a unique kind of anguish and shame, and they don’t happen to everyone who drinks. Hepola explores the scientific knowledge of blackouts and recounts her own drinking history in this book, concentrating on the blank places where recalls should be – putting together nights out, close calls, poor mistakes, and even odd kindnesses. Hepola’s tone is typically lighthearted and lighthearted, but she wrote with journalistic rigor, and the book feels like a thriller. Hepola becomes clean after a particularly traumatic episode in a motel, and the reader realizes she has been holding her breath for several hundred pages.

In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction By Gabor Mate

Gabor Mate wrote In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, which is centered on his professional experience as a physician for addicts. Addiction, according to this author, is a complicated combination between a person’s history, growth, chemistry, and the substances they take.

From Chains To Saved: One Man’s Journey Through The Spiritual Realm Of Addiction

From Chains to Saved is a collection of short stories that depict the intersection of spirituality and addiction. It has been lauded as a text that will transform your perspective on spirituality, offer an additional glimpse into the mind of addiction (for those who aren’t personally having problems), as well as provide faith to those who are still fighting it.

Adam Vibe Gunton brings you to a spiritual, seeking, and often hilarious journey from Columbine to divine contacts and political photo opportunities, providing startling insights without preaching.

Gunton isn’t suggesting a strategy or a path to recovery; all he’s saying is that it can be accomplished; sobriety is possible, and the journey isn’t the same for all. Gunton provides hope and reassurance that you are not alone.

Therapy Based Addiction Recovery Books 

Being Sober: A Step-By-Step Guide To, Getting Through, And Living In Recovery By Harry Haroutounian

This iconic recovery book, written by Dr. Harry, the previous physician director of The Betty Ford Clinic, outlines a stagewise process approach for staying sober. Being Sober leads readers through the numerous stages of addiction and recovery without criticism or the overtly “cultish” rhetoric of typical 12-step approaches, focusing on recovering the confidence that comes with a life of freedom, without dependency.

Rewired: A Bold New Approach To Addiction And Recovery By Erica Spiegelman

Writer Erica Spiegelman’s book is widely regarded as one of the best addiction recovery publications in recent years, laying out a route to recovery that is both powerful and simple to follow. Rewired is all about having a different view about living clean and accepting recovery, as the title suggests. Integrity, evolution, isolation, love, empathy, and optimism are among the twelve time-honored potent concepts presented in the book, which promote successful rehabilitation. Erica Spiegelman is a well-known addiction counselor, writer, and educator who has battled alcoholism and addiction herself. She advocates for a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation that includes more than just refraining from alcohol and drugs. Her book’s clever reality is that addiction is fueled by the beliefs and attitudes that come with it. If you shift your perspective, you’ll find yourself making healthier choices that will refresh your mind, body, and spirit. To assist you, the book contains action-oriented, positive thoughts and objectives.

The Language Of Letting Go: Daily Meditations For Codependents By Melodie Beattie

Ever since its publication in 1990, another book by the same writer, The Language of Letting Go, has been a mainstay in the field of recovery. In this daily meditation book, the writer incorporates her personal experiences in life and recovery thoughts. Codependency and our struggles with it are also addressed in this anthology.

Drop The Rock: Removing Character Defects, Steps Six & Seven By Multiple Authors

Drop the Rock is a self-help book that explains how to fix character flaws that prevent many people from recovering. This 2005 book, written by Bill P., Todd W., and Sara S., discusses how to implement the 12-steps to our recovering lives in depth.

Best Books Focused On Behavioral Aspects Of Addiction

Codependent No More: How To Stop Controlling Others & Start Caring For Yourself By Melodie Beattie

As per Amazon sales, Melody Beattie’s book Codependent No More is one of the most popular recovery books. This work, first released in 1986, examines addiction from the viewpoint of a codependent, with implications for various aspects of life. Most people will find this book to be related to their condition because it is packed with case studies and real-world situations, and it gives guidance for assuming charge of one’s own life.

Recovery: Freedom From Our Addiction By Russell Brand

Russell Brand’s Freedom from Our Addictions is yet another amazing self-help book. This well-known humorist, actor, and writer share his personal story of addiction and recovery, as well as practical advice for anyone facing similar challenges.

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, And The Drug Company That Addicted America

This is an engrossing illustration of how personal stories and investigative journalism may come together to produce surprising results. Macey’s research starts with a single dealer who arrives in small-town Virginia and continues to turn nearby high school football heroes into heroin overdose victims.

Dopesick is an instant New York Times bestseller that examines everything from the emergence of OxyContin in 1996 to the current impact on families. In her analyses of courtroom practices, medical treatments, family crises, and the social ties that bind rural communities in particular to addiction, Macey is frank and exhaustive.

Macey transforms what may have been a scientific report into an indelible human product by looking at individual stories.

Clean: Overcoming Addiction & Ending America’s Greatest Tragedy By David Sheff

Clean, also by David Sheff, argues that addiction is a disease, not an ethical fault. This book serves as a resource for those who are battling with addiction, as well as raising awareness about the general objective of fighting addiction in the US and embracing proper treatment.

Breathing Under Water: Spirituality & The Twelve Steps By Richard Rohr

In his book Breathing Under Water, Richard Rohr ties the concept of surrendering to God with the cure of addiction. This work, centered on the 12-steps, examines the devastation that people experience in various aspects of their lives.

Spirit Junkie By Gabrielle Bernstein

Spirit Junkie’s most prevalent message is one of self-love, which is expressed in a way that is both approachable and non-corny. This book mirrors a lot of what we are taught about mindfulness, challenging the reader to pay attention to their thoughts and differentiate between negative and positive signals. Gabrielle Bernstein expresses the life-changing impact of properly understanding how the mind works and being empowered to choose a healthy reaction. Spirit Junkie can help people suffering from addiction reconnect with feelings of optimism, appreciation, and empathy – all of which are useful skills in recovery. Recovery should emerge from a position of tranquility and delight, as Gabrielle Bernstein’s definition of “love” demonstrates. She has a knack for making the ineffable seem more tangible. Transformative methods look like easy, logical actions as a result.

Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach To The Treatment Of Alcoholism & Addiction By John Dupuy

Integral Recovery, written by John Dupuy, aims to revolutionize alcohol and drug therapy by including the most up-to-date research, procedures, and data. This author gives an instructive and research-based book as to why the treatment works, encouraging a comprehensive recovery.

Best Addiction Recovery Books To Enhance Coping Mechanism

Alcohol Lied To Me: The Intelligent Way To Escape Alcohol Addiction By Craig Beck

In Alcohol Lied to Me, Craig Beck chronicles his own sobriety path. Even after attempting many techniques to stop it, this wealthy businessman spent twenty years being ruled by his problem drinking. Beck has finally come up with his own successful strategy, which he endorses in this book.

Recovering From Trauma, Addiction, Or Both: Strategies For Finding Your Best Self By Lisa Najavits

Writer Lisa Najavits looks at the impact of traumatic experience on a person’s current addiction in her book Recovery from Trauma, Addiction, or Both. This motivational book provides actual examples of how to develop coping skills and set achievable objectives for a healthy life.

High Achiever: The Incredible True Story Of One Addict’s Double Life

Tiffany Jenkins is a natural storyteller; High Achiever is engrossing, heartfelt, and genuine, but most astonishing of all, it is completely real. Jenkins delivers a harrowing account of America’s opioid catastrophe, refusing to shy away from any information, even if it is unflattering to her.

She recounts her trajectory from high school cheerleader to four months in a Florida jail for withdrawal and recovery. Jenkins does not provide a system, lecture, or sermon; instead, she offers hope and, above everything, the naked and shocking reality.

Smacked: A Story Of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction, And Tragedy By Eilene Zimmerman

Eilene Zimmerman, a writer, and journalist share the dramatic moment she found her children’s father and ex-husband was a drug user. She then takes the readers on a personal journey of how she began to reconstruct her life for her children and herself while studying the rates of drug abuse in white-collar environments.

Girl Walks Out Of A Bar: A Memoir By Lisa Smith

Girl Walks Out of a Bar delves into the early years of writer Lisa Smith, as well as her years of alcoholism and substance abuse, separation, and recovery. Smith tells how her conditions coincided with her propensity to depression and self-medication in a community and the environment suitable for addiction to grow in this darkly humorous and achingly honest memoir. Girl Walks Out of a Bar is an honest account of alcoholism seen through the eyes of a gritty New Yorker.

Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way Of Understanding Addiction – Maia Szalavitz

Maia Szalavitz offers a fresh take on addictive personalities. She offers a new perspective on addiction theory. Perhaps addicts aren’t born with “broken brains” or a lack of self-control. Could habits be formed as a result of development and learning?

She also looks at novel therapy options, such as the LEAD program in Washington State. Maia digs into neurochemistry, addiction biology, and the social impact of drug usage politics.

She explains the 12-step program and identifies some of its flaws. This book presents several innovative approaches to the battle against substance misuse.

I Love You More: Short Stories Of Addiction, Recovery, And Loss From The Family’s Perspective

Blake Cohen is particularly qualified to give aid and understanding to the families of those battling with drug and alcoholism addiction because he is a recovering alcoholic, a trained addictions specialist, and a bachelor’s degree holder in psychology.

I Love You More is not only honest, intelligent, and truly helpful; it is also distinctive in that these 3 short stories (each with a different outcome) are intended for individuals who love and support those who are struggling with addiction.

Cohen identified a noticeable dearth of assistance for the family members and has gone some way toward filling that void with a book that could not be overlooked.

Terry: My Daughter’s Life-And-Death Struggle With Alcoholism By George Mcgovern

George McGovern held a position in the United States Senate for 18 years and was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1972. Seldom has a public personality shown such bravery and fortitude in confronting such challenging, personal hardships. Former Senator George McGovern remembers the events that led up to his child Terry’s death from alcoholism in a touching and passionate memoir.

Guts: The Endless Follies And Tiny Triumphs Of A Giant Disaster By Kristen Johnston

Actress Kristen Johnston talks about her experience in her first book, which is so honest and relatable, and so astonishingly original, that it guarantees to stay with you for a great, long time. “It felt like I was speeding on the Autobahn toward hell, trapped inside a DeLorean with no brakes. And even if I could somehow stop, I’d still be screwed, because there’s no way I’d ever be able to figure out how to open those insane, cocaine-designed doors.”

The Big Fix: Hope After Heroin – Tracey Helton Mitchell

The Big Fix tells the story of a heroin abuser who overcame her addiction and regained control of her life. She wandered the streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District for so many years.

She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in public administration and is currently a trained addiction specialist. Her main focus is on her transformation from a homeless addict to a prosperous, respectable mother of 3 kids. Those who fear there is no route out may find hope in her inspiring narrative.

Chasing The High: An Entrepreneurs Mindset Through Addiction

As many recovering addicts know, it’s easy to fall prey to a substitute addiction; but, as Michael Dash demonstrates in his fascinating and incisive Chasing the High, we could become addicted to accomplishment, ambition, and passion just as easily as we can to cocaine, heroin, alcohol or gambling.

Dash realized that his persistent partying, as well as his chase of big victories at the office and casino, were all driven by the same thing: the thrill of success.

He reveals an aspect of addiction that is less recognized in this insightful and plain piece: the circumstance where we are hooked to the sensation of fulfillment rather than a specific drug or activity.

Dash was able to comfort his inner turmoil, reset his life, and build a pattern that helped him maintain recovery after he realized this.

This book is his method of sharing his practice with others who are facing similar problems.

Don’t Stop Dancing: My Story Of Tragedy, Loss, Addiction, And Darkness

Eric Anderson’s experience is both unusual and all too familiar in many respects. He was a talented athlete and an energetic social butterfly with several loved ones, wonderful looks, and a bright future at the age of 21.

Anderson believed that everything had been taken away from him when a lack of judgment and a horrific event left him in a wheelchair.

It took years, a protracted battle with addiction, and the determination to commit suicide for him to discover that his physical attributes had remained unchanged.

Don’t Stop Dancing is more of a debate than a manual. Anderson acts as a buddy rather than a guide, as he is motivated by his own core operations and realizations.