Addict: A Memoir That Explains Addiction From The Inside

Why can't I stop?Why does my daughter keep relapsing?Why does my husband keep drinking?Why do I still feel broken after getting sober?In Addict, bestselling South African author Milton Schorr gives readers a look at addiction from the inside out.A memoir that serves as a field guide to recovery, Addict traces the development of addiction through a lifetime. From childhood wounds and the first search for escape, to alcohol at thirteen, heroin at seventeen, obsession, self-destruction and ultimately recovery, Schorr shows how addiction grows, adapts and becomes a force that cannot simply be willed away.At the heart of the book lies a powerful insight:Addiction becomes a solution to pain long before it becomes a problem in its own right.Drawing on more than two decades of recovery and a deep understanding of the Twelve Steps, Schorr explains why addiction behaves the way it does, why recovery is so difficult, and why simply putting down the substance is rarely enough.As the story unfolds, a deeper truth emerges:Addiction is the symptom, not the cause.Recovery requires more than abstinence. It requires facing the reasons we picked up the substance in the first place.Written to make sense of a complex and often misunderstood disease, Addict offers something many sufferers and their families desperately need: understanding.Addiction is logical. Recovery is possible.All it takes is the willingness to face what has been buried.A memoir that explains addiction from the inside. "Reading the recovery section was like an 'Aha!' moment for me last night, and I honestly read it at just the right time... it landed like a rising star in my heart." — Wilmayne Van Der Westhuizen"What a blessing to read. I was deeply touched and confronted with my own inability to connect, and ways of coping." — D Booysen"This book came across my path as if it were sent from God. I could not put it down! Even though I do not have an addiction to drugs or alcohol, I believe that I have other addictions. I battle with approval addiction. Lust and pornography are problems for me as well. The 12 Step program and the way you explained each step in detail, and how you applied it in your life, made me think a lot. I plan to work each step through similar to the way that you did. I am a medical professional and also work with people who have all sorts of addictions." — H Paul"Very impressive. Instead of a rehash of topics related to addiction, it places a keen eye on the family dynamics that often re-enforce addiction patterns. Essential reading." — Nanci Read more