Zak Parker
Books are still one of the most powerful tools to inspire and motivate people. Language turns into stories, and stories turn into valuable lessons that we can use in our everyday life.
This model can be taken to the most difficult aspects of people’s lives. Drug addiction leaves hundreds of thousands of us stuck. However, these books prove that there is a way out of the cycle. Spare nothing to get there. Read these valuable works.
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#1 Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by Adina Mahalli from EnlightenedReality. |
This is the diary of a teenage girls descent into drug use from her comfortable home with a loving family. Her diary was published by her parents and it was done so anonymously. Her descent into drug addiction started with drinking a soft drink that was laced with LSD at a party. This book gives an insight into how drug addiction slowly took over her life. The horrors of addiction are plainly shown in this diary.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#2 Four White Horses and a Brass Band by Violet McNeal
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by Christina Ward from Feral House. |
Violet McNeal at 16 years-old ran away from her family’s rural Iowa farm in the late 1880s and fell under the spell of conman and patent medicine “doctor” Will Archimbauld, who hooked her on opium and promises of fame and fortune. Violet soon learned to become Princess Lotus Blossom and was the best pitchman, nostrum seller, and conwoman to roam the west in a torch-lit wagon until her drug addiction escalated.
Violet’s story is a fascinating look into the realities of drug addiction and the criminal underworld circa 1900-1915. Her story is the harrowing tale of riding high and falling low as the newly enacted drug laws in the 1910s begin to constrict the rampant usage of opium, cocaine, marijuana and more.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#3 Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by Stefanie Lesser from Hope & Love Radio. |
A memoir of David Shef”s journey through his son’s addiction and tentative steps towards recovery. Here we have a story of a father who never gave up on his son, who be came a crystal meth addict. Before his addiction, he was a honor student, a varsity player and admired by so many. The addiction destroyed his life,he became homeless and stole from others. This worried his father constantly with trips to hospital and to the police. The father’s preoccupation with his son became an addiction in itself but researched all the treatment options available in the hope to save his son’s life. Here we have a story about truth, about family relationships ad love. A must read…
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#4 Mastering the Addicted Brain by Walter Ling MD
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by Daniel DeMoss from DumbBellsReview. |
I came across many books on this topic, but most of them were boring. I was not able to complete many, not because the author lacked knowledge by the sense of humor and intellectuality. I found the blend of these three in this book.
Mr. Ling has made the reader realized that leaving drug addiction would not happen only having good intentions. His writing also creates an image in the mind of the reader that he is not alone on this path of recovery. After laying this solid foundation, he has stated practical and effective ways to overcome drug addiction. I did not get bored while reading any chunk of this book. It is a quick read consisting of 160 pages. Addicts would get practical knowledge in a compassionate way that would keep them going on.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#5 The Night of the Gun by David Carr
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by D. Gilson from VeteransAutoInsurance. |
The Night of the Gun is a little trip. In this strange, intriguing, moving memoir by New York Times columnist David Carr, we follow the writer as he goes back to his years as an addict, utilizing the tools of an investigative journalist to investigate his own past, and one fateful night in particular.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#6 The Year of No Nonsense by Meredith Atwood
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by Jessica Gore from Moon 40 Marketing. |
The Year of No Nonsense is the upcoming book by Meredith Atwood. This revolutionary book is for the woman who is already amazing, but is ready to take herself to the next level on her terms, to rid herself of the Nonsense that is holding her back from her best health, (pursuit of) happiness, and success–finding her true spirit and self. There is nothing more spiritual or amazing than a women who knows herself.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#7 The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by Mark Shandrow from Asana Recovery. |
Brown’s message of radical vulnerability and acceptance is essential for the modern audience. It’s especially crucial for those who struggle with addiction. The Gifts of Imperfection encourages you to embrace your imperfections instead of striving for the perfection that is portrayed on social media and TV.
Many people who struggle with addiction also struggle with feelings of inadequacy. Brown takes you on a journey to out of striving for perfection and into living your most authentic life.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#8 Junkie (Cal Rogan Mysteries Book 1) by Robert P. French
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by Robert P. French from RobertP.French. |
I recommend it because, although it is fictional, it gives a very realistic insight into the life of a heroin addict living on the street. It gives the facts in a more visceral way than a non-fiction book may be able to achieve.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#9 If You Love Me By Maureen Cavanagh
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by Michele Fox from VIVITROL. |
Maureen Cavanagh’s gripping memoir is the story of a mother who suddenly finds herself on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic as her daughter battles – and ultimately reckons with – substance use disorder. Fast-paced and heartwarming, devastating and redemptive, Maureen’s incredible odyssey into the opioid crisis – first as a parent, then as an advocate – is ultimately a deeply moving mother-daughter story.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#10 Flowers in the Blood by Jeff Goldberg
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by Alam Hallan from Alam Hallan. |
The book provides a very good history of drug addiction in general and opium in particular as a riveting story through the ages. Very well laid out to help us understand the true reason for the drug crisis to help you rethink the current approach and help start to conversation towards meaningful solutions. A recommended read for anyone who is affected by addiction either personally or professionally to really start to think about addiction at a different level.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
#11 In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by MD Gabor Maté
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Who recommended this book? This was recommended by CJ Xia from Boster Biological Technology. |
This book describes addiction as a human response to trauma and an attempt to fill painful emptiness from the outside. The author clearly lays out for the reader how addiction starts, how it maintains itself, and how society views those who are caught up in its cycle. Dr. Gabor Maté researched the reason why people keep drinking beer despite its caustic and erosive taste, and even after knowing its effects.
The book described addiction as the continuous spectra of events, categorizing it as a medical disorder and discrete phenomena. He deduced this theory by working with patients of addiction in his clinic for two decades. In his letter to his reader, author Dr. Gabor Maté denounces addiction as the most misunderstood phenomenon of society. According to him, to associate addiction to only human’s health is illogical, the seemingly healthy man can also become a victim of it.
Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:
Christina Ward from Feral House
Stefanie Lesser from Hope & Love Radio
Daniel DeMoss from DumbBellsReview
D. Gilson from VeteransAutoInsurance
Jessica Gore from Moon 40 Marketing
Mark Shandrow from Asana Recovery
Robert P. French from RobertP.French
Michele Fox from VIVITROL
Alam Hallan from Alam Hallan
CJ Xia from Boster Biological Technology
