Hi Folks,

I was wondering if anyone had read a useful book about (alcohol) addiction. I am currently reading a book entitled The Addictive Personality by Craig Nakken. In it, the author describes the addictive process and the stages of addiction. It deals with the topic of addiction in the broadest sense of the word - gambling, workaholism and, of course, alcoholism. I keep finding myself saying "that's me!" as I turn the pages. In that sense, the book is very good. It resonates with me and, in so doing, provides valuable insights into this condition.

The author is an advocate of Twelve-Step programs but I ran into problems here in my quest for a solution to my alcohol problem; I tried both AA and CODA and neither were to my liking. Having said that, the final chapter of the book is entitled Family and Addiction; this also makes for interesting reading.

So, does anyone have any recommendations?

V.

I read The Easy Way to Stop Drinking by Allen Carr prior to the Sinclair book. I found it very interesting in the theory of how a person becomes an alcoholic and looking at the topic in a rational way. The build up in the book leads to the 'easy' steps at the end to stop drinking. Frankly, by the time I was done with the book, I did have a better understanding of my addiction but then felt bad because I wasn't able to follow the 'easy' steps. It may work for someone who is early to the game of alcohol and recognizes a beginning problem, but not someone truly entrenched in addiction. The book does have good reviews by people who supposedly were able to quit completely as soon as they finished the book (Amazon).

Once I read the Sinclair book, I felt much more hopeful and not as ashamed that I couldn't follow the steps... anyway, I thought the information was good... just not the conclusion.

Curious to know if others have read it and their thoughts on it...

I've seen it. The one thing I like is that Nakken argues that the addictive personality is formed AFTER addiction has taken hold. But I find worse than useless anyone who advocated twelve step treatment.

Right now I'm focusing on curing my addiction in a way I'm certain Nakken would not approve.

Carr and his holistic approach but as with you, many of us just could not do it that way. I suspect that some problem drinkers whose brains have not (yet) been hard-wired for alcohol could find success.

I'm sticking to Eskapa/Sinclair so as not to overthink it, but I'm sure that all of our alcohol-battered bodies could benefit from healthy habits such as vitamins.