Reading is a private pleasure in which I indulge. I'm not a fiction reader. I much prefer books explaining something that is a mystery to me. Anything from cutting a perfect dovetail or tuning a plane or coming to grips with drug addiction and its effects on me, the addict and society as a whole.
Funny thing, when I was school all the way from elementary school to high school English Class was the subject I hated most. I hated reading and giving book reports, although I did gain a huge appreciation for the great fiction writers of our time, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Mitchell, Orwell and even Clarke with science fiction. Biographers are genius, they had a way to make larger than life names into real people. Reflecting back maybe my dislike for English and Literature in school was not so much a painful class but more of a painful appreciation process.
With that I want to recommend a couple of books that I have found very good. I'll put an Amazon link to make sure you know exactly but I'm not pushing Amazon.
Don't Let Your Kids Kill You Charles Rubin
This is a very good book I wish I had found it 3 or 4 years ago. I'd probably say it would have been great to have this book from day one of my son's addiction but I think I needed some time of pain to reach a point to accept the wisdom in this book. I highly recommend this book for parents of an addict. It answers questions and helps with things that took a lot of time and pain to discover.
Madyson007 at "A Mom's Serious Blunder" commented on my last post, "STOP THE CAR I WANT TO GET OUT". This book helps with getting out of the car.
Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption William Cope Moyers with Katherine Ketcham
This book chronicles the depths to which an addicted person, the author, can fall. It just so happens that this addicted person is also the son of famed journalist, Bill Moyers. What I got out of this book is "addict think". Cope Moyers does a great job of detailing how even when great things are happening with an addict the brain of an addict can screw it up without constant diligence by the addict.
11 comments:
Thanks for the book reviews. I too like to read biographies and books about doing something. I am reading about old boats at the moment. Interesting stuff.
i have the first book and haven't read it yet! May get to that next.
I will second the recommendation of Don't Let Your Kids Kill You. I read it several years ago and could relate to SO much of what the author had to say. It is really really worth your time to read. I have given it to other parents who are struggling and in fear with their kids and they have also really related to so much.
Don't Let Your Kids Kill You is very helpful. I've not read the other one - am adding that to my list!
David Sheff's BEAUTIFUL BOY is also helpful for people who love addicts... Sheff is a journalist and chronicles his own descent into despair and obsession with his son's behavior as his son descends into addiction (he uses methamphetamine).
Thanks for your blog... --G
Both books are excellent but the one book that proved to be the most helpful to me in understanding my new normal and giving me more of a sense of hopefulness through appropriate action(s) was "No More Letting Go" by Debra Jay.
Moyers also produced an excellent DVD with other addicts, listening to their conversation is a real awakening to the addicted person thought processes.
Dad 4 Truth
"No More Letting Go" is also in my library. I read it before I started this blog and probably read it too early in my process of learning to have the impact that was needed.
I believe in being a parent of an addict, learning is a much more complex issue. You not only have the acceptance of new information to absorb and digest you also must deal with the overwhelming emotional issues that at time appear to be at odds with the parenting experience.
I have recognized some very good information and resources are available in the printed word from books to blogs but until a person is ready, the info can be lost. This opiniion may be controversial but I am looking back over my own experieince and realting it to others experieinces that are communicated on blogs and through comments.
We are all responsible for our own learning. My wish is that at some point it is possible to shorten the curve.
I have "Don't Let Your Kids Kill You" and "No More Letting Go" also. I also have now read David Sheff's "Beautiful Boy" and will be starting his son's book "Tweek". I agree that the first book was a huge help to me, and like you, wish I would have found this material earlier, but pretty sure I was not ready for it. I am now ready and will put the William Moyer's book on my list also. Thanks for putting the info out there.
Dad and Mom
Your words speak volumes and really targets why we continue to lose so many of our children to this disease. We are not told the truth, we will not accept the truth if told and we allow our denial to protect us from the truth.
Blogs like yours are a window to the truth. A light into the darkness that conceals this insidious monster. I would suggest that everyone of your followers pretend they are the lead detective in a major homicide investigation. Take every clue you read as the potential to break the case wide open. Never pass over any clue that may seem too insignificant or irrelevant. If you find a clue you cannot accept, investigate it fully and reconfirm your initial suspicions.
I am always looking for more information out there, thank you for posting this.
Cat
I think you recommended this before because I got it, and know it was because another Blogger (you?) wrote about it.
Good book.
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