The Soul of Recovery : Uncovering the Spiritual Dimension in the Treatment of Addictions

millions Of Alcoholics And Addicts Recover Through Spirituality. In the Soul Of Recovery: Uncovering The Spiritual Dimension In The Treatment Of Addictions , Author And Journalist Christopher D. Ringwald Tells How And Why They Seek And Achieve These Transformations. Ranging As Far Back As The Washingtonian Total Abstinence Society In 1840, Ringwald Illuminates The Use Of Spirituality Within A Wide Range Of Treatment Options—from The Famous Twelve Step-style Programs To Those Tailored To The Needs Of Addicted Women, Native Americans, Or Homeless Teens Not Ready To Quit. Focusing On The Results Rather Than The Validity Of Beliefs Espoused By These Programs, He Demonstrates How Addicts Recover Through Practices Such As Self-examination, Meditation, Prayer And Reliance On A Self-defined Higher Power. But The Most Compelling Evidence Of Spirituality's Importance Comes From Those Directly Involved In The Process. Ringwald Traveled Across The Country To Visit Dozens Of Programs And Interview Hundreds Of Addicts, Alcoholics, Counselors, Family Members, Doctors And Scientists. Many Share Moving Stories Of Suffering, Survival, And Redemption. A Homeless Man, A Surgeon, A College Student, A Working Mother-each Describes The Descent Into Addiction And How Spirituality Offered A Practical, Personal Means To Recovery. Ringwald Also Examines The Controversies Surrounding Faith-based Treatment And The Recovery Movement, From The Conflict Between Science And Spirituality, To Skepticism About The New Age Brand Of Spirituality These Programs Encourage, To Constitutional Issues Over Court-mandated Participation In Allegedly Religious Treatment Programs. Combining In-depth Research With Powerful Personal Accounts, This Fascinating Exploration Of Spirituality Will Provide A Fuller Understanding Of The Nature Of Addiction And How People Overcome It. publishers Weekly last Year's Marvelous Book Seeds Of Grace: A Nun's Reflection On The Spirituality Of Alcoholics Anonymous Told The Story Of One Woman's Recovery From Alcoholism And How She Found Deep Spiritual Sustenance In The Aa Program. Now Comes The Soul Of Recovery: Uncovering The Spiritual Dimension In The Treatment Of Addictions, A Sweeping Study That Describes The Role Of Spirituality In A Number Of Treatment Programs. What Is Special About This Book Is Its Broad Ethnographic Approach; Author Christopher Ringwald Traveled Across The U.s. To Seek Out The Stories Of Individuals From All Walks Of Life Who Feel They Have Recovered From Addiction Through Some Kind Of Spiritual Transformation. Ringwald Also Interviewed Doctors, Family Members And Counselors To Understand More About The Role Spiritual Belief Can Play In Successful Treatment Programs. This Is An Encouraging, Well-researched Book On An Important Topic. (june) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information. CONTENTS......Page 8 PREFACE......Page 10 CHAPTER I: Addictions, Spiritual Solutions, and the Insights of Alcoholics Anonymous......Page 16 CHAPTER II: The Middle Class and Mainstream Treatment......Page 42 CHAPTER III: Women’s Treatment, Women’s Spirituality......Page 64 CHAPTER IV: Native American Treatment and Indian Spirituality......Page 92 CHAPTER V: Measuring Results, Measuring the Soul: Science and the Spirit......Page 122 CHAPTER VI: Our God, No God: Religious Methods and Secular Approaches......Page 148 CHAPTER VII: Harm Reduction: Challenging Tradition on the Street with Transcendence......Page 172 CHAPTER VIII: Treating Hard-Core Addicts: From Secular Practicality to Practical Spirituality in Therapeutic Communities......Page 199 CHAPTER IX: The Recovery Movement: Recovering God, Recovering Self......Page 227 CHAPTER X: Faith-Based Solutions in a Democracy......Page 252 NOTES......Page 284 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 300 A......Page 312 E......Page 313 J......Page 314 N......Page 315 R......Page 316 T......Page 317 Y......Page 318 It is common knowledge for most alcoholics and addicts recovery programes like AA seem to hold out the best hope of conquering their addiction. Most of us also know that such programmes usually stress reliance on some sort of ""higher power"". This book shows that in fact spiritual development is the central factor in the recovery of a significant percentage of substance abusers, and that spirituality is the lynchpin of many if not most recovery programmes in the US. Journalist Christopher Ringwald visited many treatment centres and interviewed hundreds of recovering alcoholics and addicts, co Christopher Ringwald's purpose in this volume was to find out how spirituality figures in an individual's recovery from alcohol or substance abuse and how it is deployed by the treatment programmes. He explores a range of programmes: 12-step; Christian; Muslim; and Native American among others It is an autumn day in 1993. Timothy H. Green stumbles down a street in Rochester, New York, his hometown.