Getting Sober: A Practical Guide to Making it Through the First 30 Days is a clear and accessible handbook through every step of the early weeks of sobriety, brimming with expert guidance designed to smooth the rough edges. Learn how to prepare for sobriety, find professional treatment, and manage cravings. A special focus on handling unexpected emotions, and avoiding situations that may trigger a desire to drink, are lifesavers to the person at the beginning stages of recovery. New concepts are introduced that can be put to work immediately to increase the chances of success, including Banned from Your Hand, and Triggerlocks.
All of the common concerns of those in early sobriety are thoroughly and respectfully addressed, from demystifying A.A., to unwinding without a drink. Discover how to use the Internet as a recovery tool, and how to differentiate between true support and drinking buddies. Find out why nothing seems fun when you quit drinking, and what to do about it. Learn how to restore your spirit, and how to begin to heal the damage that your drinking has done to your personal relationships. Finally, get an honest picture of what the future might look like.
Kelly's decades of working closely with people as they get sober are reflected in the solid practicality of her many suggestions. Getting Sober: A Practical Guide to Making it Through the First 30 Days does not ramble on about whether alcoholism is a disease or what causes it; instead it says if you want to quit drinking, do these things. Her tone is unfailingly respectful, kind and direct. Whether doing this at home, or with the help of treatment services, these are the simple techniques that work, spelled out in detail. This book is what every person suffering from a drinking problem needs at that moment when they become ready for help.
"A thoughtful and comprehensive guide to those early, crucial days of
sobriety. I wish there had been a book like this when I was getting
sober. Kelly Madigan Erlandson's book will help many who are beginning
their trudge on the road to happy destiny."
-- Christopher Kennedy Lawford, author of Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption
"Honest, direct, comprehensive and practical. Kelly Madigan Erlandson speaks to the
real questions people have -- how to find money for treatment, what
happens in AA, and how to deal with cravings. She even covers the
resources for sobriety in cyberspace. Her tone is unfailingly kind,
understanding and hopeful. She presents attaining sobriety as a series
of steps that anyone can take into a calmer, more creative, stable and
joyful future. This book is a unique contribution to literature in the
recovery field. I will give it to any of my friends who want to stop
drinking."
-- Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia
"I have been writing and publishing poetry for fifty years and I have yet to offer the public anything as helpful and useful as Getting Sober. It is extremely well-written, wise and welcoming."
-- Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate 2004-2006
"What I found most wonderful about it besides its simple (though not easy)
step by step guide to getting sober, was the no blame, no shame,
non-judgmental tone. Such a non-threatening voice will make it possible for
anyone struggling with addiction to read it while still maintaining his or
her integrity. It is a whole-person approach to addressing alcoholism. Its
message will stand the test of time."
-- Susan Richards, author of Chosen by a Horse
Getting Sober is a clearly written, no nonsense guide for anyone who
wants to stop drinking. At a time in our culture when the hard -
partying ways of "celebrities" are glamorized by the tabloids, Kelly's
book can serve as a helping hand to anyone who wants to get on the road
to sobriety. Getting Sober answers many questions and concerns one may
have about the process. And is a powerful tool, available to all,
towards a new sober life. I highly recommend this book for anyone who
may be curious about getting sober.
--Kristin Davis, star of Sex and the City