Readers Corner
Our members have found reading a positive step in their recovery, For SMART recommended books, please check out the SMART official US website
Click Here for SMART Recovery US Recommended Reading List
The following are recommendations from individual local members, we hope you find them useful
Enjoy the journey!
Are you looking to help a loved one with an addiction?Is someone else's addiction negatively affecting you?
Designed for people affected by the addictive behavior of a loved one, this 138 page Handbook contains 14 sections with a wide range of topics including: Change and Motivation, Positive Communication, Healthy Boundaries, Safety and Support, Coping with Lapses, Disable the Enabling, Trust and Forgiveness – and much more. It can be used in conjunction with attendance at SMART Family & Friends (F&F) online or community meetings, or on its own.
The Handbook includes SMART Recovery’s tools for coping in a healthy way with the many emotionally challenging situations frequently encountered in relationships where addiction is a factor. A Family & Friends meeting participant states: “I came to SMART to get help dealing with my partner's addiction. What I got are tools that help me deal more effectively with almost every aspect of MY life.”
Additionally, the Handbook incorporates the principles of the evidence-based CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) approach. Studies have shown CRAFT to be significantly more effective than either Al-Anon or Johnson interventions for getting addicted individuals into treatment.
Kindle version is also available!
Visit Amazon.com: SMART Family & Friends Handbook for Kindle
A Guide For Families, Beyond Addiction, How Science and Kindness Help People Change
The groundbreaking method that upends current treatment models and "offers collective hope to families of substance abusers" (Kirkus Reviews), helping loved ones conquer addiction and compulsion problems through positive reinforcement and kindness—from the leaders in progressive addiction treatment in the US.
Beyond Addiction goes beyond the theatrics of interventions and tough love to show family and friends how they can use kindness, positive reinforcement, and motivational and behavioral strategies to help someone change. Drawing on forty collective years of research and decades of clinical experience, the authors present the best practical advice science has to offer.
Delivered with warmth, optimism, and humor, Beyond Addiction defines a new, empowered role for friends and family and a paradigm shift for the field. This new approach is not only less daunting for both the substance abuser and his family, but is more effective as well. Learn how to use the transformative power of relationships for positive change, guided by exercises and examples. Practice what really works in therapy and in everyday life, and discover many different treatment options along with tips for navigating the system. And have hope: this guide is a life raft for parents, family, and friends—offering "reminders that although no one can make another person change, there is much that can be done to make change seem appealing and possible" (Publishers Weekly).
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, Catherine Gray
Ever sworn off alcohol for a month and found yourself drinking by the 7th? Think there's 'no point' in just one drink? Welcome! There are millions of us. 64% of Brits want to drink less.
Catherine Gray was stuck in a hellish whirligig of Drink, Make horrible decisions, Hangover, Repeat. She had her fair share of 'drunk tank' jail cells and topless-in-a-hot-tub misadventures.
But this book goes beyond the binges and blackouts to deep-dive into uncharted territory: What happens after you quit drinking? This gripping, heart-breaking and witty book takes us down the rabbit-hole of an alternative reality. A life with zero hangovers, through sober weddings, sex, Christmases and breakups.
In The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, Catherine Gray shines a light on society's drink-pushing and talks to top neuroscientists and psychologists about why we drink, delving into the science behind what it does to our brains and bodies.
Much more than a tale from the netherworld of addicted drinking, this book is about the escape, and why a sober life can be more intoxicating than you ever imagined. Whether you're a hopelessly devoted drinker, merely sober-curious, or you've already ditched the drink, you will love this book.
Publisher: Octopus Publishing Group
ISBN: 9781912023387
The Sober Diaries: How One Woman Stopped Drinking and Started Living, Clare Pooley
Like many women, Clare Pooley found the juggle of a stressful career and family life a struggle so she left her successful role as a Managing Partner in one of the world's biggest advertising agencies to look after her family. She knew the change wouldn't be easy but she never expected to find herself an overweight, depressed, middle-aged mother of three who was drinking more than a bottle of wine a day, and spending her evenings Googling 'Am I an alcoholic?'
This book is the bravely honest story of a year in Clare's life. A year that started with her quitting booze and then being given the devastating diagnosis of breast cancer. By the end of the year she is booze-free and cancer-free, she no longer has a wine belly, is two stone lighter and with a life that is so much richer, healthier and more rewarding than ever before. She has a happier family and a more positive outlook. Sober Diaries is an upbeat, funny and positive look at how to live life to the full.
Interwoven within Clare's own very personal and brilliantly comic story is research and advice as she discovers the answers to questions like: How do I know if I'm drinking too much? How will I cope at parties? What do I say to friends and family? How do I cope with cravings? If I stop drinking will I lose weight? What if my partner still drinks? And many more.
Synopsis from Amazon
This New York Times bestselling memoir of a young man’s addiction to methamphetamine tells a raw, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful tale of the road from relapse to recovery and complements his father’s parallel memoir, Beautiful Boy.
Nic Sheff was drunk for the first time at age eleven. In the years that followed, he would regularly smoke pot, do cocaine and Ecstasy, and develop addictions to crystal meth and heroin. Even so, he felt like he would always be able to quit and put hislifetogether whenever he needed to. It took a violent relapse one summer in California to convince him otherwise. In a voice that is raw and honest, Nic spares no detail in telling us the compelling, heartbreaking, and true story of his relapse and theroadto recovery. As we watch Nic plunge the mental and physical depths of drug addiction, he paints a picture for us of a person at odds with his past, with his family, with his substances, and with himself. It's a harrowing portrait—but not one withouthope.
Unsure what to do about your addiction-related troubles?
Do urges and situations rapidly un-do your best intentions to change?
Do life's difficulties frustrate you and leave you wanting to escape?
Does it seem like you're missing out on life due to an addiction?
The SMART Recovery Handbook will provide you with a number of tools and ideas to help you toward your ultimate goal of recovery from addictive behaviors.
- Learn the SMART Recovery 4-Point Program
- Explore the SMART Recovery Toolbox
- Learn about SMART Recovery Meetings
- Learn Practical Strategies to Addiction Recovery
Written in simple, straight-forward language, the SMART Recovery Handbook also offers exercises, techniques and strategies to help you with drinking and substance-abuse addictive behaviors (including smoking) as well as behavioral issues including compulsive gambling or sexual activity, self-harm, and eating disorders.
Kindle version is also available!
Visit Amazon.com: SMART Recovery Handbook for Kindle
We All Fall Down - Nic Sheff - Haven't read it yet; follow-up novel to Tweak, portrait of sober/clean living after active addiction
Synopsis by Amazon
Nic Sheff was drunk for the first time at age eleven. In the years that followed, he would regularly smoke pot, do cocaine and Ecstasy, and develop addictions to crystal meth and heroin. Even so, he felt like he would always be able to quit and put his life together whenever he needed to. It took a violent relapse one summer in California to convince him otherwise. In a voice that is raw and honest, Nic spares no detail in telling us the compelling, heartbreaking, and true story of his relapse and the road to recovery. As we watch Nic plunge the mental and physical depths of drug addiction, he paints a picture for us of a person at odds with his past, with his family, with his substances, and with himself. It's a harrowing portrait -- but not one without hope.
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff, (Nic Shieff’s father)
A father's journey through his son's addiction; portrait of a father (and family members) who tries to support/help his addicted son
