Cool, Hip & Sober: 88 Ways to Beat Booze and Drugs

by Bill Manville

Overview

In a refreshingly clear-headed and informed approach to addiction, noted writer and radio host Bill Manville sums up what he's learned in more than forty years of research . . . twenty as a demon-driven drunk and twenty in recovery.

From his popular show "Addictions and Answers," broadcast from KVML in Sonora, California, Manville has compiled a list of 88 questions and answers from, as he says, "a ton of plain and fancy drunks and dopers and their friends and families." As well, he offers valuable advice and information from his guests: noted psychiatrists, psychologists, rehab counselors, MDs, academics, and more.

Here, in first-person detail, are responses to the issues faced by alcoholics, addicts, and their loved ones, such as:

· How to intervene with a substance-abusing friend
· How alcoholics can protect themselves from relapses
· Evaluating therapies, both individual and group
· How alcohol affects sex
· Definitions of "social drinker," "heavy drinker," and alcoholic
· The many faces of denial
· Is alcoholism inherited?
· How to choose the right rehab
· Is there an addictive personality?
· What role does spirituality play in recovery?

A brave and transformational look at the treatment of chemical dependency, Cool, Hip, and Sober is a captivating, insightful and essential handbook for overcoming denial and achieving a peaceful, long-term recovery.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466835276
Publisher:	Tom Doherty Associates
Publication date:	10/01/2004
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	342,957
File size:	985 KB

About the Author

After Sarah Lawrence College, Bill Manville attended the Universite de la Mediteraneen, "majoring in roulette and oranges." His career includes columnist for the Village Voice and the Key West Solares Hill, Contributing Editor for Cosmo and Madison Ave Vice President. "Got my first library card at six," he says, "and by seven no longer wanted to be a fireman but a writer. Most recently I've been hosting a radio talk show, Addictions&Answers, but primarily think of myself as a writer still."

His last novel, Goodbye, was a BOM selection. Sober now for over twenty years, and living in California, he says his hobbies are "maligning my friends and working on a new novel - or are they the same thing?"

After Sarah Lawrence College, Bill Manville attended the Universite de la Mediteraneen, "majoring in roulette and oranges." His career includes columnist for the Village Voice and the Key West Solares Hill, contributing editor for Cosmo and Madison Ave Vice President.  "Got my first library card at six," he says, "and by seven  no longer wanted to be a fireman but a writer. Most recently I've been hosting a radio talk show, Addictions&Answers, but primarily think of myself as a writer still."  His novel Goodbye was a BOM selection. Living in California, he says his hobbies are "maligning my friends and working on a new novel--or are they the same thing?"

Editorial Reviews

Manville, a California-based radio show host, journalist, and rehab clinic volunteer, drew 88 questions from his program and provides answers based on research, expert opinion, and his own experience as a long-term recovering addict. Readers are instructed to consult sections of the book that concern their stage of substance abuse, from ambivalence about its costs/benefits to the recovery phase, and the questions are colorfully labeled to address specific problems (e.g., tests for assessing whether one is an alcoholic and choosing a rehabilitation program). Heavily grounded in Alcoholics Anonymous theory and a belief in a broadly defined higher power, the book successfully straddles the polar views of alcoholism as a disease and as a character defect. It also concisely presents the latest medications and common techniques for dealing with related problems, but fundamentally it is intended as a tool of encouragement and inspiration; readers seeking more in-depth information may need to go beyond the few listed web sites. Though the information is basic, Manville's presentation is attention-getting, and his message is delivered in a heartfelt manner. Recommended for personal collections and specialized collections on addiction.-Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, IN Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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