Sober living10 Best Books on Addiction and Recovery

February 18, 2025by laskary0

He used heroin as a teenager and into his late twenties, but says he kicked the habit in 1983—a year before his brother died of a drug overdose, and a decade before Nuzzi was born. “His mission is to use his lifelong experience with addiction to teach addicts how to save themselves and achieve long-term recovery,” it says. “Within the pages of DC Hyden’s book, addicts, family members, enablers, and helpers will find unconventional ways to combat addiction from Onset to Remission,” the synopsis reads. “12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery” by Allen Berger, Ph. D., delivers concise, direct advice on recognizing and overcoming the biggest obstacles to long-term sobriety. Learn how to develop healthier behaviors, make amends, seek help for relationship challenges and value growth over perfection. Terry achieved long-term sobriety at one time, and she helped many women.

#6 – Addicts in the Family: Stories of Loss, Hope and Recovery by Beverly Conyers

the sober addict book

Roxanne’s experiences drive that home and show that being of service to others helps her sobriety, even when the people she’s trying to help change their minds or back out. That’s the thing – the people you help may not get it, but helping them will keep you sober. Running with Scissors is true-life memoir that recounts Burroughs’ troubled childhood. His mother suffered from mental illness and addiction, creating a situation in which Burroughs was raised in a tumultuous and unpredictable manner. This book is unique in the fact that it chronicles his childhood trauma, as well as how it directly related to his first forays into drug and alcohol use.

“High Achiever” by Tiffany Jenkins is an authentic, encouraging and page-turning memoir that reads like suspenseful fiction. From opioid addiction and felonies to an inspirational path to recovery, this story is a gripping account of Jenkins’s experiences and healing journey. The “Big Book” was primarily written by William G. Wilson, one of the organization’s founding members. It’s designed to be a fundamental treatise on how to achieve recovery from alcohol addiction. The book, published in 2018, discusses various aspects of alcoholism, such as stories, studies, research, and arguments.

’12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery’

With compassion and an erudite viewpoint, this book offers advice and hope for those who struggle with a loved one’s addiction. The author reveals startling details of her own struggle with her daughter’s addiction, reassuring the reader that she truly empathizes and understands the complexities of loving an addict. She educates the reader on how to best stop engaging in enabling behavior, in order to truly begin helping a loved one find the road to recovery.

The Addiction Recovery Workbook: Powerful Skills for Preventing Relapse Every Day

This collection is ideal for sponsees working through the steps with guidance, as well as for AA step meetings seeking discussion material. The stories are current enough to address modern recovery challenges while staying true to the fundamental principles that have helped millions achieve a life of sobriety. The book particularly shines in its treatment of Steps 8 and 9 (making amends), showing how contemporary AA members navigate complex family dynamics, workplace relationships, and social media connections while making authentic amends. Knowing about different perspectives of sobriety can profoundly impact your or your loved one’s journey to sobriety. Whether you choose a book with a scientific approach or a funny or raw memoir, Quit Lit can offer hope, guidance, and relatable experiences, encouraging individuals to take that first step or continue staying sober. Quit Lit has emerged as a response to the growing need for best alcoholic memoirs narratives that address addiction and recovery.

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

But they struggled with how to have that life without alcohol. Most of their friends spent their weekends living the “rose all day” lifestyle, and every first date https://ecosoberhouse.com/ wanted to meet at a bar. Wondering if you need a drink to live a rich, colorful life?

This book helps readers understand the relationship with alcohol and why it persists despite the psychological and physiological effects on the body and mind.
See, look at me quickly admitting I have a problem, and I don’t want to stop reading this book.
Wishful Drinking, by Carrie Fisher, is a one-woman show converted into a memoir.

Because alcoholics and drug users have notoriously terrible memories, he went back and interviewed the people in his life who had been there to try to piece together what really happened. The fact that he survived his addiction is a miracle in itself. I can’t relate to much of Carr’s experience with drugs and alcohol, but I could connect to the inner demons that drove him to it. This is the second addiction book I read at the beginning of my sobriety, and I loved it for vastly different reasons. I felt so much shame towards the end of my drinking and couldn’t talk to anyone about it.

the sober addict book

Sober Speak is a recovery-focused podcast and online community dedicated to sharing people’s experiences, strengths, and hope in long-term sobriety and early recovery. While we focus on sharing powerful stories of hope through the lens of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and the 12 steps, we also support those beginning their journey to sobriety, especially those looking to find a rehab that fits their needs. The book’s treatment of Steps 6 and 7 (being ready to have God remove character defects and humbly asking Him to remove shortcomings) is particularly helpful for newcomers who may feel overwhelmed by these concepts. The book’s focus on creating meaning and purpose in sobriety directly supports the spiritual awakening described in Step 12. Sarah shows how helping others—whether through formal sponsorship or simply living as an example—becomes a natural outgrowth of finding fulfillment in alcohol-free living.

This is a memoir by Augusten Burroughs of Running With Scissors fame. This gem of a book by Clare Pooley is a nice departure from the intensely introspective books I just mentioned. And that’s not to say that it isn’t introspective (it is!), but it’s also funny and more lighthearted. She takes the reader on a very humbling journey through her recovery and experience with AA where she (rightfully so) gets knocked off her high horse and into a reality that I believe saves her from herself. In a brilliant narrative style, she constantly flips back and forth between her personal story and the history of the alcoholic creatives who came before her, their lives intersecting in fascinating ways. I would not classify David Carr as a high-functioning alcoholic or drug user.

Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnson

Because we aren’t hobbling out of a bar or having that third mimosa with Sunday brunch, space is freed up for other things. This leaves many of us seeking stories or instructions, a friend, a guide, an explanation for why what is alcoholism it feels so weird. We might see less of our own friends, but find friendly voices on the pages of books that tell us we aren’t crazy, we aren’t sick, and, most of all, we are not alone.

I used to work in fashion/beauty/celebrity PR, and I related to her lifestyle before she got sober. I thought my party-girl ways were so glamourous, but it was really sad and unfulfilling, despite the glitz and glamour. In addition to authoring two books (her second comes out March 2023), McKowen hosts the Tell Me Something True podcast. Ahead, see the 15 stories of struggle, failure, recovery, and grace that have moved us the most.

#6 – Addicts in the Family: Stories of Loss, Hope and Recovery by Beverly Conyers

’12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery’

The Addiction Recovery Workbook: Powerful Skills for Preventing Relapse Every Day

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

Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnson

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