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Issue 27 | May 26, 2011 |
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As men in recovery, we need active ways to move beyond the boundaries of our own skins. We need to know we are part of a larger whole which has mysteries we cannot fully solve. When we identify our own ways of being spiritual, we can give them more respect. Perhaps we can also explore some other ways we have not developed.
Today, I will participate in the mysteries and beauties of life.
--from Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men, now available as an app for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Android devices |
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| Ask the Expert |
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Michael Shelton, M.S., C.A.C, outlines some of the unique cultural and personal challenges faced by gay men struggling with substance abuse and addiction in Gay Men and Substance Abuse.
This chapter explores how gay men and men who have sex with other men develop substance abuse problems. It is not due, of course, to a moral failing, laziness, or even a lack of willpower. I have never worked with a man who planned on becoming an addict; all begin with a belief that they can control their use and that it will never become a problem.
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| Story of Hope |
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 Joani Gammill, professional interventionist and recovering addict, intertwines her story of recovery with a depiction of one of her often harrowing and always inspiring interventions.
It's cold outside. There are many dry leaves on the uneven stone steps as I race from entrance to entrance trying to reach the door before Jeff locks us out.
Always wear sensible shoes. This is one of the important rules to live by as an interventionist. Early in my career I learned that running in heels is inadvisable. As with most careers, I think, it's the on-the-job training that proves to be the most valuable. And attention to what appear to be mundane details can sometimes make or break an intervention.
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| Spirituality |
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 A meditation from the author of Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men focuses our attention on springtime, the signs of life it brings, and the reminders of renewed life in recovery.
Springtime is a perfect metaphor for renewed life, recovery, and resurrection. All around us we see the buds of leaves and flowers bursting forth in celebration. Just like nature, we, too, experience our personal springtime of renewal.
Always wear sensible shoes. This is one of the important rules to live by as an interventionist. Early in my career I learned that running in heels is inadvisable. As with most careers, I think, it's the on-the-job training that proves to be the most valuable.
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| Sober24 News |
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The May selection for the Sober24 Book Club is Joani Gammill's The Interventionist. Join Joani and other site members as they discuss her captivating stories of intervention, including her own story of addiction and recovery.
Also, read new excerpts from 12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery, 50 Quiet Miracles That Changed Lives, and Walk in Dry Places at Sober24.com.
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| To purchase these and other products designed to enhance your recovery and personal growth, visit hazelden.org/bookstore or call 800-328-9000. |
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Michael Shelton, M.S., C.A.C, outlines some of the unique cultural and personal challenges faced by gay men struggling with substance abuse and addiction in Gay Men and Substance Abuse.
A Primer on Gay Men and Substance Abuse
This chapter explores how gay men and men who have sex with other men develop substance abuse problems. It is not due, of course, to a moral failing, laziness, or even a lack of willpower. I have never worked with a man who planned on becoming an addict; all begin with a belief that they can control their use and that it will never become a problem.
In the Beginning
Why does a gay man begin to use drugs and alcohol? Many of the reasons are the same as for anyone who uses substances, but some are more specific to gay men. The reasons below include both.
To feel good. Most abused drugs produce intense feelings of pleasure. Depending on the drug, users can feel euphoric and more powerful, self-confident, relaxed, and energetic than they usually feel.
To feel better. Drug use is "a means of changing one's experience of the world, whatever that experience may be for a particular individual... some individuals use drugs or engage in addictive behaviors not because it makes them feel good, but because it makes them feel less bad or, perhaps, not feel at all." (from Healing Addiction by Peter R. Martin, Bennett Alan Weinberg, and Bonnie K. Bealer). Drug use can reduce stress, anxiety, chronic pain, embarrassment, and shame. More than half of people with substance abuse problems have a chronic mental health issue, including depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. Social difficulties commonly predate substance abuse. For the man terrified of approaching a stranger in a bar, a few drinks will bolster his courage.
To do better and look better. Gay athletes, like other athletes, use drugs such as steroids to enhance their performance, but also for aesthetic reasons--to pack on muscle mass and look more desirable to a potential dating or sex partner. Male body image is an important factor in the gay male bar scene--if you don't look hot, you'll have a tougher time finding a partner.
To enhance sexual pleasure. For many gay men, sexual activity goes hand in hand with drug and alcohol use. Many drugs heighten sexual arousal and extend performance. As a result, sober sexual activity may seem boring and bland.
Curiosity and "because others are doing it." One of the strongest predictors of substance use for adolescents is use by friends and acquaintances. If friends both approve of and use drugs, it is difficult for an adolescent to avoid doing so as well. A similar pattern exists for gay men. Much of gay male socializing occurs in settings in which substance use, particularly alcohol, is prevalent. Indeed, gay bars are often the social setting in which many gay men feel "most at home." Other settings include bathhouses, private house parties, and gigantic circuit parties (a large dance party that extends through the entire night and is preceded and followed by smaller events) that are held across the country (and even the world). All of these settings are replete with substance abuse.
Shame. Substance use is common during the coming-out process since, for so many gay men, this is a stressful time. Being a sexual minority is confusing and frightening, and drug use is one means of succor. Sadly, for gay men who struggle with their homosexuality, drug use often helps them hide from themselves, deny their same-sex yearnings, and cover up those conflicts. Many gay men began using substances at a very young age as they grappled with the confusion of being "different" from their peers. Some gay men hate themselves and are repulsed by their own sexual identity. . . .
Delayed adolescence. The majority of straight men and women date and begin experimenting sexually during adolescence. The same is rarely true when it comes to gay men: gay adolescents have far fewer opportunities for dating simply because they are a minority and not surrounded by obvious and viable dating partners. In addition, the discomfort many gay male adolescents feel about their sexuality prevents them from opening up to other male adolescents who might have an interest. Because so few gay men experiment with dating in their teenage years, many experience a sort of delayed adolescence in their twenties and thirties when they begin to explore romantic relationships and sexual activity. Once they finally do begin to experiment, gay men are often flushed with excitement at their freedom to express the sexual urges and longings they so carefully hid in their younger years. As they abandon their repression, they embrace their new identity and participate in a wide array of gay male activities. This release from boundaries often includes substance use.
Of course, not every person goes on to develop a substance abuse problem. Even gay men from strikingly similar backgrounds who begin using drugs at the same age have vastly different long-term experiences with substance use. Most will use only recreationally for the rest of their lives, some will stop completely, and a few will experience significant problems related to their use. Even the most shame-cloaked man who lives his day-to-day life hiding in the shadows and uses drugs and alcohol to manage the terror of his sexual identity will not necessarily become an addict. If almost all gay men begin using substances for one (or more) of the reasons listed above, why do only a few experience severe consequences? What is different about those men?
A Disease of the Brain
On a typical Friday night at one gay bar in Philadelphia, at least several hundred men pass through the doors before they close at 2 a.m. In the five-hour period before last call, the crowd will be buying drinks as fast as the bartenders can make them. On my last visit there it seemed as if every other person had a drink in their hands (and a cigarette in the other). Yet, the majority of these men do not have a substance abuse problem. Even those slobbering men who can barely remain upright on their stools are probably not alcoholics. Ditto for men across the country on that same evening who are smoking marijuana, downing Ecstasy or Xanax, snorting cocaine, or injecting meth. Ironically, some of the men in the bar who aren't drinking actually are alcoholics. Using one or more addictive substances does not make you an addict.
At this point you might conclude that it's the quantity of substances used that indicates addiction: If a person is using of lot of alcohol or other drugs, then they are probably addicted. This may be true in some cases, but other times it's completely wrong. Many, many gay men go through a period in their lives when their substance use escalates. I see this frequently in men who are in the process of coming out and who embrace the bar and club scene as their major recreational outlet. They may go quickly from drinking once or twice a year to spending every Friday and Saturday night in a drug-induced fog. Still, the quantity of substances used is not an automatic link with addiction. Addiction also does not necessarily follow a linear progression in which recreational use devolves into abuse and finally addiction. Most gay men who use drugs (even a lot of drugs) do not go on to abuse them; the majority will never experience any serious consequences from this use.
If a large quantity of substance use isn't a definitive marker for addiction, is a man an addict if he uses one or more addictive substances and has serious consequences from his use? Maybe. The combination of drug use and consequences is a starting point for a clinical diagnosis. But even this definition is not an unyielding rule. What looks like addiction could be a combination of drug use and impulsivity, bad judgment, bad luck, or just plain old stupidity. Consider Patrick. He interviewed at an investment firm and was relieved that the process went quite well. The interviewer told Patrick it would take at least a month before he made a hiring decision because there were so many candidates for the position.
After the interview, as he had planned, Patrick traveled to a beach house that belonged to his friend's parents, and the small gaggle of assembled friends quickly morphed into a rather gargantuan event. Patrick did imbibe that night--he smoked marijuana and ingested a "Xannie [Xanax] or two." He was certainly not unfamiliar with these drugs, but his use occurred at most six times a year and never led to complications. Imagine his alarm when the interviewer called the following Monday offering him the job with two caveats: background clearances and a urine test. He needed to give a sample within the next few days. Although Patrick drank as much water as he could over the next two days to flush out his system, the urine test still detected the presence of marijuana. Patrick did not get the job.
Did this make him an addict? A diagnosis requires a combination of substance use and consequences, and Patrick did indeed lose a job he both needed and wanted. In reality, however, his predicament was a combination of recreational use, bad judgment, and bad timing; it does not necessarily indicate addiction or even drug use problems (as defined by accepted clinical criteria). Consider that people overdose and even die every week from their first experimentation with drugs and alcohol.
Returning from a graduation party, the eighteen-year-old son of a friend was driving drunk when he lost control of the wheel, killing himself and two other young men. Friends later reported that this was the first time the young man had ever drank alcohol, and he had been giddy with inebriation before he left the party. Most of us would agree that death and manslaughter rank as extremely serious consequences of substance use, but in this young man's case the tragic consequences still do not qualify as addiction. It was a combination of substance use, youthful exuberance, lack of experience with alcohol, and overconfidence in his ability to drive after drinking.
What, then, is addiction? Those who adhere to the Twelve Step principles often state that they have an "allergy" to drugs of abuse. This is not technically true, but it does help illustrate the concept of addiction. When addicts come into contact with one or more substances--by ingesting, snorting, smoking, injecting, inhaling, or any other method of use--their brains react in a vastly different way than do the brains of non-addicts. While both the addict and the non-addict may speed up, slow down, hallucinate, or zone out dependent on what drug they are using, for the addict something else happens in the brain. This "something else" does not happen to recreational drug users or even abusers. And it is this difference in addicts' brains that is key to today's definition of addiction: addiction is a combination of substance use, consequences, and an individual's brain functioning.
The definition began to take shape approximately twenty years ago when the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) began promoting a new theory of addiction, one that is very different from earlier models that viewed it as a moral failing or one requiring spiritual triage (as with the Twelve Step model). NIDA defines addiction as "a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences."
Let's look at how brain functioning comes into play with addiction. All drugs of abuse directly or indirectly target the reward system of the brain by flooding the circuit with the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is a natural chemical in the brain that makes us feel good. For most people, dopamine levels rise when they eat good food, have sex, or engage in other activities they find pleasurable. When our system is flooded with dopamine and we feel great, we're motivated to do, and/or continue doing, whatever is producing that dopamine. Unfortunately, the feel-good chemicals produced by naturally rewarding behaviors don't begin to compare with how drug use affects the brain's pleasure circuit. Indeed, drug use triggers the release of an excess amount of dopamine, overstimulating the reward system and producing a euphoric effect. Such a powerful reward is what teaches people who abuse drugs to repeat the behavior. They are strongly motivated to take drugs again and again.
Excerpted from Gay Men and Substance Abuse by Michael Shelton, M.S., C.A.C. Shelton is a nationally certified treatment counselor who works with males with substance abuse and sexual disorders at four facilities in Philadelphia. He's the author of four other books, including Boy Crazy: Why Monogamy Is So Hard for Gay Men and What You Can Do About It.
Gay Men and Substance Abuse
Softcover, 216 pages
Gay Men and Substance Abuse fills a tremendous void, serving as a valuable resource for gay men, professionals, concerned partners, friends, and family members in need of solid information and guidance. Whether faced with a traumatic coming out process, caught up in personal struggles with body image, engulfed in the club culture, or navigating a family system that does not accept his sexuality, a gay man struggling with substance abuse or addiction often faces cultural and personal challenges unique to his life experiences. Yet many men and their loved ones in search of help are forced to adjust to a traditional treatment system, self-help groups that center on heterosexual relationships, or family groups that neglect to include partners or address what can be a uniquely challenging family dynamic.
By exploring the social and psychological factors that play into homosexual men's addictions, nationally certified treatment counselor Michael Shelton presents a timely, comprehensive look at best practices in meeting the unique needs of gay men in recovery, offering keen insight on a range of issues, including
- common therapeutic approaches, such as motivational enhancement therapy and Twelve Step strategies
- successful relapse prevention protocols
- tools for recovery from co-occurring sexual disorders
- the importance of a loved one's role with regard to intervention and support
- the complicated relationship between gay male drug use and sexual behavior
- how to talk knowledgeably, and with care and sensitivity
List Price: $14.95
Online Price: $13.45
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Joani Gammill, professional interventionist and recovering addict, intertwines her story of recovery with a depiction of one of her often harrowing and always inspiring interventions.
Over Threats, Memories, and Car Trauma
It's cold outside. There are many dry leaves on the uneven stone steps as I race from entrance to entrance trying to reach the door before Jeff locks us out.
Always wear sensible shoes. This is one of the important rules to live by as an interventionist. Early in my career I learned that running in heels is inadvisable. As with most careers, I think, it's the on-the-job training that proves to be the most valuable. And attention to what appear to be mundane details can sometimes make or break an intervention.
So in my sensible shoes I run from door to door. The sky above is gray. It's late winter. Even drunk, disheveled, and in his bathrobe, Jeff manages to reach each entrance before me, leaving me breathless and cold, locked outside along with his stressed-out family. His mom has stayed behind, and from the bottom of the driveway, where she is clutching her walker, she stares up at us, hope and worry in her eyes.
The call had come a week earlier. A frantic and personable sister telephoned from overseas. She is a professional with an extremely high-level job in a part of Europe most people will never visit.
I always try to answer my phone. I do this for two reasons. The first reason is that I assume it takes a huge amount of courage to finally pick up the phone and summon help for a loved one’s chemical dependency. By the time an interventionist is called, this living hell has been brewing for a long, long time.
So finally the moment is here. The miseries, worry, and trauma can no longer continue. The interventionist is called. And she answers the phone! The caller's relief at hearing a voice at the other end of the phone is prize enough for me.
Well, not completely. I also do this for a living. Like many Americans, we are a two-income family with two kids. The person who answers the phone also gets the job. That's the second reason.
When Jeff's sister calls, I am driving up Route 2 on my way to the New Way Clinic in Crofton, Maryland. I'm scheduled to talk to a group of patients, many mandatory DUI clients. This is my second such talk, and I'm apprehensive. Sharon's call concerning her baby brother is a relief from my own self-absorbed insecurities.
Sharon describes a potentially desperate situation regarding her brother's condition. Neighbors and an ex-wife in the neighborhood report increasingly erratic behavior and isolation.
"He won't open the door completely when people stop by and won't answer his phone,” Sharon reports. "He's behind in his rent and has not been seen consistently at work."
"When was the last time you spoke to him and the last time the neighbors reported seeing him?" I immediately want to know.
I sense her urgency as I feel my own escalate.
Single male alcoholics have one of the highest rates of suicide and accidental death.
"Three days."
Bad news.
Before we can talk about the logistics of an intervention, we must make sure this guy is okay. As luck, or fate, would have it, I'm driving insanely close to his house. Fate or luck--who cares, really? It's convenient, and I'm happy for it.
So from some faraway country way overseas, a desperate big sister stays on the phone and guides me to her brother's house.
He lives on a hill on a crowded and winding street back in the woods. Under other circumstances I would have called the neighborhood "quaint." Tonight it's dark and hard to see. I drive slowly past his house. I think I see the curtains move. Turning my van around for another pass, I look up and see a man peeking through the drapes.
I chuckle lightly to myself, partly out of relief that we have a sighting but also because of a comic moment: we've got ourselves a "window ninja." Paranoia is never pretty, but at times it's amusing. Either amphetamines or end-stage alcoholism can produce this paranoia, which inspires people to "guard" themselves from imaginary enemies.
Every little bit of information I'm obtaining I am cataloging for my next move on helping this guy. I'm on the job.
Sharon is still on the phone, and I ask, "Any cocaine or amphetamines in his history?"
"No," she says, "he has never been a drug guy."
I'm relieved; amphetamine psychosis can be very dangerous and unpredictable. I have found myself crawling on my belly under a locked airport bathroom stall, removing a needle from a woman's neck as she seized, her head rhythmically hitting the base of the toilet. In a beautiful seaside town, in a home so lovely it defied description, an accomplished man attempted to harm me with a power tool.
Cocaine is THE BEAST. Cocaine is an upper, a stimulant sold on the street.
But cocaine is not the enemy tonight. Alcohol is.
I stop the car and get out, with Sharon still on the phone. We have agreed to maintain verbal contact, if possible.
Jeff sees me from the window and seemingly in no time at all cracks the front door open. With only his head sticking out of the door, he stares at me.
"Hey, buddy, everything okay up there?" I ask. The phone is still to my ear, with his sister on the other end. I can hear her breathing as I reach out to her brother. I am the conduit between two siblings separated by oceans, miles, and alcoholism.
"Who are you?" Good, a rational question, I think to myself.
"I am a friend of your sister's. She's concerned that you haven't answered your phone."
"Don't feel like talking to anybody,” he counters.
"Fair enough, buddy. We just wanted to make sure you're okay. I have her on the phone."
"Tell her I'm okay, okay?"
"You bet."
He closes the door. The curtain shudders as he watches me leave, back at his watch post.
I don't presume that I'm always right. And God, I hope I'm rarely wrong when it comes to getting a feel for the situation at hand. Active addiction is a dangerous game. I depend heavily on my gut reaction when confronted with addicts and alcoholics. This intuitive sense has served me well in my nursing career. No doubt the skill was honed growing up in my chaotic and challenging family.
Let me rephrase that. The family I grew up in was messed up, full of fear, and devoid of any real healthy love or guidance. I felt my mom loved me, but love alone without the benefit of good parenting left me psychologically compromised. My father, an alcoholic, showed absolutely no love at all. When he was present, the atmosphere at home was intolerable, the air heavy with tension and fear. My mother had personality changes when she drank her nightly beer. As the years progressed, she used tranquilizers as well. Her obsession with my father was complete, as she spent all her time trying to placate a man incapable of any visible joy. She offered no protection or guidance to me in my journey to adulthood. Because of my parents' problems, I was on my own from an early age. To survive emotionally and physically, I learned to read the mood of all the players. I would then calculate my next move based on the information I was collecting in my increasingly injured mind. The birth of exceptional intuition was the result; it was an unexpected gift.
I do not view myself as a victim. That ship sailed years ago with the help of my psychiatrist, Dr. James Kehler; the fellowship of ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics); and simple maturity. I am merely stating the facts.
So, cold and curbside, I quickly size up the situation with the window ninja and give the sister my assessment and options. I base my information on the history that the sister has given me and on my observations. He is on an alcohol binge. He is a heavy, daily drinker who is having a private party. He is slightly paranoid but still able to talk rationally and stand up. Standing up is good.
The option that's always important to consider is calling 911.When in doubt, this is the safest thing to do. It allows paramedics to assess the patient and make the decision as to whether the person needs to be taken to the emergency room. In Maryland, the second option is getting an emergency petition through the local courthouse for a seventy-two hour hold. Again, the patient is taken to the hospital, but this time the person is required to stay for three days for physical and psychological evaluations. Anyone, not just family, can request this of the court.
In the back of my mind, I am always balancing patient safety and my liability risk. An ugly fact of life for any health care provider is the need to remember the motto "Do no harm and don't get sued." Of course, you can do no harm and still get sued. This thought does not consume me, but I know in modern life it is a reality, and I weigh it accordingly.
"What do you think?" Sharon anxiously asks me.
"I think we have a few days to plan an intervention."
It's traumatic to be dragged off to the hospital. Generally you are put in the most uncomfortable emergency-room bed, way in back, guarded by some underpaid security guard, with crappy food and no TV. You are detoxed while there. Not fun.
If tough detoxes kept us sober, there would be no need for interventionists, rehab facilities, and recovery. I did a million detoxes. They don't stop people from using again. Somebody, I can't remember who, explained it to me this way: Detox is like mowing all the weeds down. Rehab, and especially recovery, is like pulling the weeds out by the roots.
By the time I show up to do interventions in the ER, you would think patients would be agreeable. Tired of the ER bed and having their freedom taken away, you would think that they would eagerly jump up and run off to the greener pastures of a respectable rehab.
Nope, they are pissed! With a foggy memory of cold handcuffs and a squad car dragging them to the ER and away from their beloved booze, dope, crack, and so forth, they usually loudly declare that everything is the family's fault. Counting down the seventy-two hours of prison, they call a cab and hurl obscenities at us. Because they have usually been stellar patients (ha!) in the ER, the staff eagerly calls the cab for them. I swear I've gone to the bathroom and come back and the patient has been discharged.
I do not like to do interventions in the ER.
So it begins. The sister and I plan the intervention, with her talking from airports as she makes her way from eastern Europe. It's my first private intervention. I worked for an intervention company out of Los Angeles in the beginning of my career. Now I'm on my first independent job, and it will rank as one of the hardest and most traumatic for me. It will inspire me to always have security on call. The memories it will invoke in me will take me by emotional surprise.
I do not like this man or enjoy being with him. This is new for me. There's a part of me that almost always falls in love with my fellow addict. Not this guy. Hate and fear will fill my car and my head during our time together.
Still, I must carry on professionally and get this man safely to rehab. I have a strong work ethic. Prayer will become my constant companion.
Excerpted from The Interventionist by Joani Gammill. Gammill appears regularly on Dr. Phil, where she leads interventions that have inspired millions of viewers. Before her career as an interventionist, she worked as a registered nurse in medical facilities and a drug-and-alcohol rehabilitation center.
The Interventionist
Softcover, 336 pages
"Exuding the same passion and purpose as the author herself, Joani Gammill's The Interventionist is a heartfelt game changer and long overdue. You deserve to read it."
--Dr. Phil McGraw, host of CBS's nationally syndicated show Dr. Phil
Inspiring stories from the frontlines of the battle against addiction by Dr. Phil's leading interventionist, Joani Gammill.
Joani Gammill, an average suburban mom on the outside, was secretly addicted to multiple forms of opiates and amphetamine for years, and almost died as a result. Through the life-changing intervention staged by Dr. Phil on his show, Gammill not only committed to getting help for her addiction, but she also went on to become a professional interventionist, helping hundreds of others in distress.
In The Interventionist, she intertwines her story with depictions of her often harrowing and always inspiring interventions of the addicts and families she's worked with over the years. In each chapter, she recounts details of a client's unique battle with addiction and the devastation that led to a loved one's request for her help.
Gammill's intriguing story--and the equally captivating stories of the brave people who come to her for help--demonstrates how it is possible to emerge from the seemingly hopeless world of out-of-control drug use and not only regain one's sanity, but actually discover that life clean and sober can be more meaningful than it ever was before.
List Price: $14.95
Online Price: $13.45
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A meditation from the author of Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men focuses our attention on springtime, the signs of life it brings, and the reminders of renewed life in recovery.
Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone but in every leaf of springtime.
--Martin Luther
Springtime is a perfect metaphor for renewed life, recovery, and resurrection. All around us we see the buds of leaves and flowers bursting forth in celebration. Just like nature, we, too, experience our personal springtime of renewal. Our personal anniversaries are worthy of celebration, whether it be one day, one month, or many years of recovery.
Some people are shy about celebrating their days and years of recovery. Maybe they feel unworthy, or they don't want to draw attention to themselves. But the true spirit of celebration is humility. It's not because we have worked so hard that we deserve it; it's that we have been given the gift promised in the Twelve Steps. Because we submit to the grace of God, we celebrate the gift we have received.
Today I see the symbols of renewed life within me and all around.
Excerpted from Wisdom to Know: More Daily Meditations for Men from the Best-Selling Author of Touchstones.
Wisdom to Know
More Daily Meditations for Men from the Best-Selling Author of Touchstones
Softcover, 400 pages
With a quotation, a reflection, and an action for each day of the year, Wisdom to Know is your trusty compass for the often-tumultuous recovery journey. Daily passages underscore lessons about intimacy, integrity, and spirituality, providing you with an inspiring and accessible source of healing, support, and encouragement. Beginners and old-timers alike in recovery will find affirmation and insight in this small but powerful book.
List Price: $13.95
Online Price: $12.55
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©2011 Hazelden Foundation
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