Overcoming Alcohol Misuse

Book excerpt: Addressing the alcohol misuser, their loved ones and addiction professionals, the book seeks to demystify the disease of alcoholism and the recovery process. Overcoming Alcohol Misuse deals with a vital component of recovery, from identifying whether there is a problem, to understanding associated conditions such as depression and anxiety, realising the need for change, and the nuts and bolts of the recovery process. Each chapter contains learning points, individual real-life stories about alcohol misuse and an installment of ‘Joe’s Story’, which is the day-to-day experience of one person as he journeys into sobriety over the crucial first twenty-eight days. Overall, the book’s message is hopeful: people can overcome addiction to alcohol, and their personal and professional lives can be repaired and even enhanced. Overcoming Alcohol Misuse is an important aid in achieving this. Dr Conor Farren is a consultant psychiatrist at St Patrick’s University Hospital, Dublin. For more information on Dr Conor Farren and the book see www.conorfarren.com "This is an excellent book which deserves to become an important and well known text. It is a valuable resource for sufferers, but will also provide support and information for families and carers. I would also highly recommend it to professionals working in this difficult field." Rachel X. A. Petrie, Consultant Psychiatrist (Addictions), Alcohol and Alcoholism, Vol 47, No. 1, 2012