[.ca] Sober for Good: New Solutions for Drinking Problems - ... (ISBN 0618233032)

From Amazon.com:
Anne M. Fletcher resolved her own drinking problem without Alcoholics Anonymous and was fascinated by other people who had found alternative methods to stop drinking. In the spirit of her first book, Thin for Life, for which she interviewed "masters" who had lost weight and kept it off, she decided to find people who formerly had drinking problems and learn how they got and stayed sober. She interviewed a range of ex-drinkers, from high-functioning people with mild or moderate alcohol problems to hardcore cases who had hit bottom. The amount of alcohol consumed ranged from three daily drinks to two daily quarts of vodka. Almost all these 222 "masters" had stayed sober for 5 years or more, averaging 13 years of sobriety. Sober for Good presents their stories: when they started drinking, how much they drank, how it affected their lives, why they decided to stop, what they tried, what finally worked for them, and their perspective now. The stories are compelling on their own, and Fletcher organizes them according to common themes and strategies. She also includes helpful information about different programs available and relevant research studies. This book takes some controversial stances. Fletcher chooses to use phrases like drinking problems and alcohol problems rather than alcoholic because she sees alcoholic as both outmoded and pejorative. Many of the masters found sobriety through AA, but more found alternative solutions, leading Fletcher to dispute the one-path solution. And although most of the masters abstain from alcohol completely, some have alcohol occasionally, challenging the accepted contention that abstinence is the only solution. Read what the masters say and judge for yourself. --Joan Price

This Book is Dangerous:
I don't know what people think of when the term Alcoholic comes up, but I see a meeting room full of people who smile and have hope in their lives for the first time ever! Do I belong to AA. Yes and No. I could, yet because I also am an addict I belong to NA. Alcohol is a drug...period! Anne is in some kind of a fog, maybe from one of her occassional drinks on the moderate plan. Or is it that she is not an Alcoholic, which is interesting because she refuses to even acknowlege the word. Why? Virtually MILLIONS of people Recovery with AA, and add another with NA. Which is simple: we don't use no matter what, no matter who comes up with either some "new" Scientific viewpoint, or demented thinking that seems to be intoxicated. I take the book as a very poor excuse to drink, no matter what. If it just so happens that someone, like an alcoholic, picks up the book and decides that he or she can do likewise, then God be with them. And as a side note: AA and NA is NOT religious, Spiritual yes, Religious no. For we know that our disease is more then just the drugs that we used. And developed an allergy to. Sheesh, you would think that someone would get some information correct on the disease first before bashing ANY 12-step Program and printing a dangerous manuel for relapse. I would love to see her in an AA meeting and discuss her viewpoints. Just once, which I sure would be enough for her. A very dangerous book.

The best, most reasonable book available on sobriety:
Contrary to what some reviewers have written, this book does not "bash" AA. Among the hundreds of people Fletcher contacted about their drinking problems (and their subsequent successful years of sobriety), it is clear that AA worked spectacularly for many of them; for others, not so well. This is because--as this book demonstrates so powerfully--we are all different, and no single approach can work for us all. What this book does provide, however, is an enormous set of strategies and information for getting clean, from a great variety of "masters"--what Fletcher calls people who have successfully mastered their drinking problems. There is something for everyone with a drinking problem in this book, and lots of great words of wisdom and sympathy from those who have been there. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who suspects they might have a drinking problem, or who has a loved one who does. It has everything you need to make an informed decision as to what to do about it, in an approach tailored to you.

If it works, don't fix it:
This is a book for people who want to get sober without doing any real spiritual work. In other words, a book for drunks who want to have an excuse to relapse. If you want to get sober and stay sober, try reading "Alcoholics Anonymous" and going to some meetings. At least that approach has a track record. If it works, why fix it?

Excellent Overview of Workable Options for Sobriety:
The evolution away from the inaccurate and counterproductive view of a "one size fits all" mentality for substance/alcohol abuse/dependency treatment has been underway for decades: long enough for individuals sober in alternative "non 12 step" programs to recount how they accomplished their stunning and uplifting successes in achieving genuine and lasting sobriety. Anne Fletcher interviews successfully sober individuals from a variety of programs, including those based on the religiously-oriented program of 12 steps (including AA), and in the process helps elucidate the various important components of a successful life in sobriety. Contrary to the "mainstream" notion that spirituality or belief in a "higher power" are necessary to achieve sobriety, Ms. Fletcher recounts numerous examples of successfully sober individuals who required neither. Powerful (and well established) "alternative" techniques for achieving sobriety and satisfaction, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, are presented. Anne Fletcher has provided an invaluable resource and reference for anyone looking for a way out of alcohol/substance abuse/dependency for themselves or someone they care about. Also, this book would provide tremendous insight and breadth in any training curriculum for substance abuse therapists.

A must-read for anyone concerned about their drinking:
Are you concerned about your drinking? Wondering if it is becoming a problem? Questioning, if I do have a drinking problem - then what? Or perhaps concerned about a loved one's drinking? Then this book is for you. Author Anne Fletcher, having overcome her own drinking problem, interviewed over 200 "masters" who overcame drinking problems about what worked for them. She allows readers to learn from her interviewees' experience - from determining whether drinking has become a problem to deciding what to do about it to building a life that doesn't revolve around alcohol - and supplements the masters' stories with findings from the most up-to-date research on recovery from drinking problems. The result is a highly readable book that covers a wide variety of approaches to quitting (or, in rare cases, moderating) drinking. The author handles controversial issues, such as moderate drinking or alternatives to the traditional AA approach, carefully and evenhandedly. There is also an excellent chapter on what family and friends can do to help. Reviewed by Deborah Van Horn, originally posted July 12, 2002.