Four books have advice for addicts and families
Published 3:28 pm Thursday, June 19, 2008
Addiction, warns Marilyn Freimuth, is not just about junkies on street corners but also about clients and co-workers, friends and family. A professor of clinical psychology, Freimuth includes in “Addicted? Recognizing Destructive Behaviors Before It’s Too Late” (Rowman and Littlefield; $16.95) screening questions for both chemical and behavioral addictions, in the hope of helping readers recognize problems — in themselves or in others — before they wreak too much havoc.
This is a book its author, Patricia Olsen, says she could have used. Her brothers’ drinking, she writes, “tromped on every aspect” of their lives; it also tromped on her life as she visited them in the hospital or tried to help them with housing. Written with addiction specialist Petros Levounis, the forthcoming “Sober Siblings: How to Help Your Alcoholic Brother or Sister — and Not Lose Yourself” (Da Capo; $14.95) combines emotional support with practical guidance.
In her upcoming book, “Eating for Recovery: The Essential Nutrition Plan to Reverse the Physical Damage of Alcoholism” (Da Capo; $17.95), registered dietitian Molly Siple takes the goal of sobriety one step further: Focusing on foods “that not only taste good but that will help your body heal,” she encourages former alcoholics to create a diet that can help make up for the some of the bodily harm, such as digestive problems and fatty liver, wrought by drinking too much.
This is the fourth in a series of “Voices of” books, edited by the Healing Project, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people with life-threatening diseases, and “written by people like you.” Through these first-person accounts, “Voices of Alcoholism: The Healing Companion: Stories for Comfort, Courage and Strength” (LaChance; $16.95) describes living with the bottle — and the often challenging steps toward recovery.
