There are many books written by and for those in addiction treatment and recovery. Of course one of the most well known is Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book. This is a list of just 13 books but keep in mind there are many more out there. If you enjoy reading or just looking for some information or inspiration try reading one of these books. Here are Recovery Way’s top 13 books to read in recovery.
- Recover To Live by Christopher Kennedy Lawford: This book offers understanding of general and specific conditions related to behavioral and chemical addictions. It has conversations with top experts on addiction across the globe. It explains addiction and the causes of addiction as well as issues like cross-addiction.
- A Million Little Pieces by James Frey: Frey recounts his journey through rehab, as both an alcoholic and a crack cocaine addict. Although this book was first released as a memoir, Frey later admitted that many of the instances described within never happened. Regardless, his representation of the lack of control that addicts experience on their journey to rock-bottom struck a chord with millions of readers. He details his rehab experience in a 12-step oriented facility, and offers an honest viewpoint of both the pros and cons surrounding this therapeutic model.
- Sober For Good by Anne M. Fletcher: This is a book of hundreds of stories from men and women who resolved their drinking problems. The author gives suggestions, advice, support, and inspiration for those recovery from drinking with other people’s stories of success.
- A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown: Is a lifelong autobiography that talks about the author’s descent into teenage prostitution and drug abuse and how she overcomes it all to become a practicing lawyer at a global law firm.
- What’s Left Of Us by Richard (Richie) Farrell: This memoir is a true story of heroin addiction and offers a understanding to the motives of heroin users and the fight to get their life back. It is a memoir of his true story.
- The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll: A memoir penned in the 1970’s, this book documents the the adolescent years of musician Jim Carroll. His writing draws a vivid picture of his descent into heroin use and addiction. His inner tumult seems to reflect the paranoia and uproar of the 60’s era, creating an intense portrayal of his formative years. The Basketball Diaries exemplifies the euphemistic fall from grace that an addiction can cause, as well as the devastation that relapses can wreak upon an addict’s life.
- Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel: Wurtzel’s book clearly illustrates the link between mental health issues and addiction. As a young woman, Wurtzel struggled with severe depression marked by manic highs and extreme lows. She turned to alcohol and drugs in an attempt to self-medicate and treat her emotional pain. She also poignantly expresses the feeling of emptiness and longing that so many addicts seek to fill through the consumption of their drug of choice. Prozac Nation is an important piece of work, notable for its distinctive youthful voice and confessional nature. It also chronicles the true pain that stems from depression and anxiety, the causes that lead many people to engage in substance abuse.
- Survivors Of Addiction by Mary Addenbrooke: This is a book of 15 different people’s stories to help see why and how they became addicted and what happened after recovery. It explores the healing process by asking how and why.
- Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines by Nick Sheff: This book Sheff paints a disturbingly honest portrait of addiction to methamphetamines and the ruin it caused to his life. Sheff conveys the pain and loneliness that both causes and fuels addiction. His story ultimately yields hope for the future.
- Co-occurring Addiction and Mental Health Disorders by Mark McGovern: He informs and empowers those who are living with addiction and co-occurring disorders to choose their treatment path, and create a treatment program (along with a trained clinician) that can address their specific needs. Working with the right team and with an approach fit for your needs, you can set achievable goals, make positive changes, and build a support network of family and friends while in co-occurring disorders recovery. It is a handbook written and designed to help people with co-occurring disorders thrive in recovery.
- The Dual Disorders Recovery Book: A book that can help people suffering from substance use disorders and an emotional or psychiatric illness to better understand the 12 Step program and help the addiction recovery process. It brings you closer to the ways substance abuse and mental psychiatric disorders are intertwined, while offering a very realistic and empathetic solutions for recovery. It is based on science, but so well-written that it can explain even more complicated states of mental health problems even to people who are not afflicted with dual diagnosis.
- Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery by Bill Clegg: Clegg recounts his stumbling journey to recovery: full of fails, relapses, confusion, self-realizations and moments of redemption. He delves with honesty into the torment that a recovering addict often must face in the early phases of sobriety. This book is an excellent reference for those hoping to understand the emotional toll of addiction and recovery.
- Gun. Needle, Spoon by Patrick O’Neil: this is a memoir that begins with a violent and terrible arrest after being busted for several armed robberies, the method by which he supported his heroin habit. His incarceration leads him toward recovery and rehabilitation from which he emerges a person who is not only able to forge a sober life, but whose primary aim is to never forget and never return to his stifling cell in 850 Bryant.
More Books to Read in Recovery
If there is a book you think should be added to the list, please let us know in the comments below. If you have read one or more of these books, feel free to let others know how they helped or inspired you. If you are struggling with addiction issues or relapse we can help. Our admissions coordinators can review your insurance benefits and find out if it will cover costs associated with addiction treatment. If you’re ready to reach out to Recovery Ways, the premier drug rehab in Salt Lake City, please call 1-888-986-7848 or contact us here.
