Sobering Wisdom

Originally developed by Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Step program now provides life direction for the millions of people worldwide who are recovering from addiction and undergoing profound personal transformation. Yet thus far it has received surprisingly little attention from philosophers, despite the fact that, like philosophy, the program addresses all-important questions regarding how we ought to live. In Sobering Wisdom, Jerome A. Miller and Nicholas Plants offer a unique approach to the Twelve Step program by exploring its spirituality from a philosophical point of view. Drawing on a variety of thinkers from Aristotle to William James and from Nietzsche to Foucault, as well as a diverse range of philosophical perspectives including naturalism, Buddhism, existentialism, Confucianism, pragmatism, and phenomenology, the contributors to this volume address such questions as the relation of personal responsibility to an acknowledgment of powerlessness, the existence of a "higher power," and the role of virtue in recovery. Ranging in tone from deeply scholarly to intensely personal, their essays are written in an accessible way for a broad audience that includes not only philosophers, theologians, and psychologists but also spiritual directors, health professionals, and addiction counselors. Perhaps most important, the book is also conceived for those involved in Twelve Step programs whose lives are being transformed by the experience.

A RAW, FUNNY, HELPING HAND OF A BOOK, BY THE CO-PRESENTER OF BBC RADIO 5 LIVE'S PODCAST HOOKED: THE UNEXPECTED ADDICTS. 'Unique, honest, witty, occasionally shocking, you need this uplifting, amazing book in your life.' Steve Bland, You, Me and the Big C 'I don't know if I was born with it, caught it or bought it; I just know that, at some point in my life, a line was crossed: I needed a drink to get through life, to calm the nerves and quiet the head, and I became reliant on alcohol to change how I felt.' Sobering is the story of an insecure teenager turned Liverpudlian party girl, schoolteacher turned alcoholic and now recovering alcoholic turned award-winning podcaster. Melissa's story is as dramatic as her unique voice, but her message is universal: mental health issues often drive vulnerable people to addiction and working on mental health and personal development can help recovery. Written with the expert help of rehab and addiction specialists, and with insights from other recovering alcoholics and addicts, Sobering covers everything from denial, isolation and shame to getting help and rebuilding relationships. This is a personal story with a mission: to help anyone worried about their drinking to understand themselves and move forward with wisdom to make that hardest decision of all – to stay sober. 'Melissa's unique combination of authenticity, personal experience and humour makes for an incredibly refreshing take on addiction and recovery. A much-needed book that will help individuals to find hope and society to rethink substance misuse.' Shahroo Izadi, author of The Kindness Method

Julia Cameron returns to the spiritual roots of the Artist’s Way in this 6-week Program Author Julia Cameron changed the way the world thinks about creativity when she first published The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity thirty years ago. Over five million copies later, Cameron now turns her attention to creative prayer, which she believes is a key facet of the creative life. In Seeking Wisdom, a 6 Week Artist’s Way Program, readers, too, will learn to pray. Tracing her own creative journey, Cameron reveals that prayer led her forward at a time of personal crisis. Unexpectedly, prayer became an indispensable support to her artistic life. The tools she created to save herself in her darkest hour became the tools she would share with the world through The Artist's Way. Seeking Wisdom details the origin of these tools, and by Cameron's example, the central role that prayer plays in sustaining a life as an artist. In this volume, Cameron shares a mindful collection of prayer practices that open our creative souls. This path takes us beyond traditional religious rituals, welcoming readers regardless of their beliefs and backgrounds. As you journey through each week of the program you’ll explore prayers of petition, gratitude, creativity, and more. Along the way, the three beloved tools of The Artist’s Way—Morning Pages, Artist Dates, and Walks—are refreshed and reintroduced, to provide a proven, grounded framework for growth and development. Additionally, Cameron introduces a fourth tool, Writing Out Guidance. She believes this powerful practice will greatly aid aspiring artists. Seeking Wisdom issues an invitation to step further into exciting creative practice.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. Maybe you’ve just started on the road to recovering from addiction. Or you’ve tried to stop abusing alcohol or drugs before, but haven’t been successful. Perhaps you’re making progress in a support group or 12-step program, but want to add an approach grounded in science. No matter how far you’ve come, how far you still have left to go, or which path you’ve chosen, this book can help you end your struggle with addiction. The Wisdom to Know the Difference is an addiction recovery workbook based in acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT. Research shows that ACT is a powerful treatment for alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, and other issues, and it can be used alone or in combination with any 12-step program. On this particular path, you’ll learn to accept what you can’t change about yourself and your past and commit to changing the things you can. You’ll overcome your addiction by focusing on what you value most, like your talents, friends, career, relationships, and family. There’s no need to wait any longer. This book will help you find the serenity, courage, and wisdom it takes to leave substance abuse behind for good.

Would life be better without alcohol? It’s the nagging question more and more of us are finding harder to ignore, whether we have a “problem” with alcohol or not. After all, we yoga. We green juice. We meditate. We self-care. And yet, come the end of a long work day, the start of a weekend, an awkward social situation, we drink. One glass of wine turns into two turns into a bottle. In the face of how we care for ourselves otherwise, it’s hard to avoid how alcohol really makes us feel… terrible. How different would our lives be if we stopped drinking on autopilot? If we stopped drinking altogether? Really different, it turns out. Really better. Frank, funny, and always judgment free, Sober Curious is a bold guide to choosing to live hangover-free, from Ruby Warrington, one of the leading voices of the new sobriety movement. Drawing on research, expert interviews, and personal narrative, Sober Curious is a radical take down of the myths that keep so many of us drinking. Inspiring, timely, and blame free, Sober Curious is both conversation starter and handbook—essential reading that empowers readers to transform their relationship with alcohol, so we can lead our most fulfilling lives.

This new translation of Pindar's songs for victorious athletes marries philological rigour with poetic sensibility in order to represent the beauty of his language for a modern audience as closely as possible. Pindar's poetry is synonymous with difficulty for scholars and students of classical studies. His syntax stretches the limits of ancient Greek, while his allusions to mythology and other poetic texts assume an audience that knows more than we now possibly can, given the fragmentary nature of textual and material culture records for ancient Greece. It includes an authoritative introduction, both to the poet and his art and to ancient athletics, alongside brief orientations to the historical context and mythological content of each victory song. The inclusion of a glossary supplies additional mythological and historical information necessary to understanding Pindar's poetry for those coming to the works for the first time. His is the largest body of textual remains that exists for ancient Greece between Homer (conventionally dated to 750 BCE) and the Classical Period (480–323 BCE), and constitutes a rich resource for politics, history, religion, and social practices.

This is more than just daily meditation book—this is a book of Twelve Step quotes and daily reflections that come right from the meeting rooms of recovery. These are the ‘Aha' moments shared by people in the program, like: "Humility is not thinking less about yourself, but rather thinking about yourself less." Each timeless piece of practical recovery wisdom like this is followed by a three-paragraph reflection of "What it was like, what happened, and what it's like now." The most loved recovery quotes, across our Twelve Step programs are here: "There are no victims, only volunteers—you always have a choice," and they instantly offer the perspective we need to keep growing along spiritual lines. Fill your spiritual toolkit with your favorite quotes, "Once you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change," and see why these unique quotes resonate deeply with members—because they come directly from the meeting rooms of recovery. These quotes—by newcomers as well as old timers—offer people in recovery the experience, strength, and hope, they need, just when they need it: one day at a time. This book will remind you that "It is what it is, but it will become what you make it." The 365 Twelve Step Quotes collected here are the ones we hear in meetings, the quotes and sayings that offer us instant relief and revelation—the ones we wish we had written down and saved. Now you have them all at your fingertips. Quotes like, "We go to meetings for relief; but we work the Steps for recovery," and "Half measures do avail us something—it's just the half we don't want," and "When I say NO to you I'm saying YES to me," and hundreds of others help us all in the Fellowship both develop our practice of daily meditation and deepen our experience in the program. The Wisdom of the Rooms aids in our individual practice of recovery as well as provides inspiration for group discussions, reminding us all that "I'll never be all right, until it's all right, right now." Other Wisdom examples include quotes such as: "Instead of telling God how big your fears are, start telling your fears how big your God is." "The most spiritual thing you can do today is to help someone else." "Wisdom is the knowledge you learn after you know it all." "Let go of your old ideas, even the good ones." "When you own your part, you own your power." "Anger is one letter away from danger." And hundreds more…

Finally someone has gone straight to the real experts: hundreds of men and women who have resolved a drinking problem. The best-selling author Anne M. Fletcher asked them a simple question: how did you do it? The result is the first completely unbiased guide for problem drinkers, one that shatters long-held assumptions about alcohol recovery. Myth: AA is the only way to get sober. Reality: More than half the people Fletcher surveyed recovered without AA. Myth: You can't get sober on your own. Reality: Many people got sober by themselves. Myth: One drink inevitably leads right back to the bottle. Reality: A small number of people find they can have an occasional drink. Myth: There's nothing you can do for someone with a drinking problem until he or she is ready. Reality: Family and friends can make a big difference if they know how to help. Weaving together the success stories of ordinary people and the latest scientific research on the subject, Fletcher uncovers a vital truth: no single path to sobriety is right for every individual. There are many ways to get sober - and stay sober. SOBER FOR GOOD is for anyone who has ever struggled not to drink, coped with someone who has a drinking problem, or secretly wondered, "Do I drink too much?"