Synopsis

A unique collaboration between Dr. Al Mooney, head of the Willingway Hospital, Arlene Eisenberg, coauthor of the What to Expect books, and medical journalist Howard Eisenberg, The Recovery Bookis the first book to explain exactly what a recovering addict and his or her family will face during every stage of living clean and sober.

The authors provide a wealth of information on in- and out-patient services, support groups, family relationships, temptations, and worries. Hundreds of questions and answers address every particular of what a person in recovery can expect, from mental and physical health concerns to why a former cocaine addict should not use Windex.

What withdrawal is like. When the euphoria of not drinking wanes. Feeling uncomfortable at AA. Regaining trust. Sleep problems. What to tell co-workers. Twenty ways to dump depression and anxiety. Making and using leisure time. Learning what normal is. From detox to the three phases of recovery--Saving Your Life, Enriching Your Life, Prolonging Your Life--The Recovery Book leads addicts through recovery's highs, lows, pitfalls, and challenges. Includes sections on AA and other support groups, exercise, health, the Clean and Sober Recovery Diet, and quitting smoking. First prize winner of the 1993 Markie Award, sponsored by the National Foundation for Alcoholism and Addiction Communication (NFAAC). Over 209,000 copies in print.

Annotation

A life-saving guide that answers all the questions and concerns of recovering alcoholics and addicts. With special setions on: family relationships, AA and other support groups, sexuality, non-drug medical treatments, work and money issues. Plus, a special section for teens. (Workman Publishing)

Library Journal

Addressed primarily to recovering addicts and their families, this book relies heavily on the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) game plan for success. The question-and-answer format is conducive to a personalized approach and will appeal to the individual struggling to make progress on the road to recovery. Beginning with ``First Step: Deciding to Quit,'' the book offers guidelines and encouragement and outlines the pitfalls and challenges that each addict must face and overcome. The detox process is graphically described, and the authors emphasize the hard work needed to maintain sobriety. The last part of the book is devoted to recommendations for rebuilding and restructuring one's life with the help of AA. For self-help collections.-- Carol R. Glatt, VA Medical Ctr. Lib., Philadelphia

Biography

Arlene Eisenberg worked on all three editions of What to Expect When You're Expecting and remained active in the What To Expect Foundation until her death in February 2001. She was also co-author, with Heidi Murkoff, of the "What to Expect" magazine columns.

A writer for all reasons, author Howard Eisenberg has been a Broadway and Hollywood publicist (singer Eddie Fisher, Howdy Doody), an adverstising copywriter (Grossinger's), a radio and TV scriptwriter (Coke Time, Name That Tune, and Night Line with Walter O'Keefe), co-author with wife Arlene of hundreds of national magazine articles (in Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated, Look, Saturday Evening Post, McCall's, Parade, Reader's Digest), a poet (his light-verse life-cycle anthology entitled, From the Cradle to the Gray currently being adapted as a musical revue), writer of book and lyrics for a musical comedy (Fame and Misfortune) and co-author of How to Be Your Own Doctor (Sometimes)--more than 200,000 copies sold in Grosset & Dunlap hardcover and Today Press trade paper; several bookclubs; chapters excerpted in three magazines; How to Be Your Own Laywer (Sometimes)--sales of 75,000 in Putnam hardcover and Perigee trade paperback, a couple of bookclubs, and an excerpt in Ladies Home Journal; Night Calls : The Personal Journey of an Ob/Gyn--published by Arbor House and as a lead non-fiction Berkley Book; one chapter excerpted in The New York Times Magazine and two in The Star.