Main description:

Addiction is something that affects many different people from all walks of life and can be difficult for a therapist to treat, and the client to conquer. In this book fifteen people who have formerly had serious addictions speak about their experiences.

Survivors of Addiction draws on first-hand narratives to provide an overview of how and why people become addicted, and explores what happens after the addiction is left behind. Divided into four sections it covers:

being caught up in addiction
how and why users stop being addicted
the early days after surviving addiction
long-term outcomes.

By considering psychodynamic and Jungian perspectives as well as the clinical vignettes, this book examines the process of recovery from addiction. It will be key reading for therapists, clinicians and healthcare workers who encounter addictions in their day to day professions and will also be of great interest to those who are, or have been addicted, and their families.

Contents:

Introduction. Setting the Scene. Part I: Lost in the Labyrinth of Addiction. A Shameful Secret. Down and Out. Ambivalence Second Time Round. Lost in the Labyrinth of Addiction. Part II: The Turning Point. I Did it My Way. Time to Stop Drinking with the Boys. I Was Able Just to be Me. The Prize Fighter. The Turning Point. Part III: The New Task. Starting from Scratch. Putting Away My Crutches. What I Learned When I Stopped Drinking. A Most Astonishing Thing Happened. The New Task. Part IV: In the Long Term. A Bleak Picture: Hoping Against Hope. A Very Major Change for Me. Stepping Away from Co-dependence. This Intense Relationship with Life Itself. In the Long Term.