Title: Successful Recovery and Relapse Prevention
Author: Dr. Bill McCausland
Publisher: Xlibris
ISBN: 9781524555535
Pages: 124
Genre: Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Krista Schnee
Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
Although The Big Book is well known to those in recovery, its guidelines can prove difficult to implement. The Twelve Steps are exceptional in their spiritual depth and have offered many generations with the means to obtain sobriety. Yet it is this generality that may not provide some with a structured approach that would greatly aid in their recovery. Certainly nothing could replace The Big Book as the central text in recovery literature, but a supplement could assist those on the path to sobriety.
Successful Recovery and Relapse Prevention by Dr. Bill McCausland gives recovering addicts with a workbook that has its foundation in the Twelve Steps. In addition to its interactive approach, McCausland’s book also includes pertinent information from the major scientific studies on sobriety. Beginning with the stages of recovery, the workbook leads the reader through each step in the process, always with a focus on avoiding relapse. By completing the discussion questions in each chapter, the reader will not only gain an understanding of addiction but also learn how to form support systems that are the basis for successful recovery.
Dr. Bill McCausland’s Successful Recovery and Relapse Prevention provides those in recovery with a workbook that informs and engages, thus laying the foundation for a sober and healthy life. The interactive nature of the text surely sets it apart from the typical recovery literature that only offers facts without the means to put that knowledge to use in the reader’s life. The workbook is written for the average reader; McCausland conveys even difficult concepts so that they are accessible to anyone, avoiding difficult wording that can diminish the usefulness of a text. The discussion questions serve to reinforce the major concepts while giving the reader tools to assist in their sobriety.
With its basis in the spiritual approach of The Big Book, Successful Recovery and Relapse Prevention, written by Dr. Bill McCausland, is unique in its engaging methodology and application. The scientific elements will be sure to appeal to those seeking an understanding of addiction that does not rely on spirituality, but they do not negate the Twelve Steps, rather illuminating some of the more difficult areas of the path to recovery. McCausland’s workbook would be a beneficial addition to the work of any addict in recovery. Due to its depth of research and clarity, though, it would also be a useful text for an addiction counselor as well. Successful Recovery and Relapse Prevention by Dr. Bill McCausland is a must read for anyone seeking a greater understanding of addiction and recovery.
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