Dr. Patrick Carnes

Facing Addiction is the first book to apply Dr. Patrick Carnes' research-based thirty task model to treating addiction to alcohol and drugs. This revolutionary model helps therapists and recovering people understand the interaction between trauma and brain science, and how these factors play a role in the development of addiction to drugs and alcohol.

 

The tasks provide a step by step guide to help those suffering from the disease of chemical dependency break through denial and begin the process of engaging in a lasting, long term recovery process. Basic, practical exercises are provided throughout the book with examples geared specifically towards chemical dependency. Topics such as denial, the addictive system, damage done by the addiction, the first step, sobriety, developing a support system are explored.

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Excerpt from the book:

"The hardest challenge for some addicts is acknowledging that they have a problem. Addiction cripples the core ability to know what is real - our most essential skill - because addicts weave a string of rationalizations and delusions that make it impossible to cope with details like jobs or families. [...]

By working on your sobriety challenges, addicts notice that the very groundwork of their lives change. They start to see that they have spent so much time and energy on escaping from reality, from their own thoughts and feelings, they they do not really know themselves. Part of recovery will be discovering a self, allowing yourself to know what your feelings really are, knowing your vulnerabilities, and valuing the person you are, with all your fears and imperfections and needs. It will also mean recognizing and valuing your true strengths. For all the focus addicts put on themselves, they really do not know themselves well at all."