Jane S., Q & A: Alcoholism and Sobriety

Q & A: Alcoholism and Sobriety

Jane S.

Jane S., Q & A: Alcoholism and Sobriety, March 2007, ISBN 0-595-42334-5, xvi + 135 pp., $14.95.

AN OLD-TIMER ANSWERS YOUR BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT ALCOHOLISM AND SOBRIETY

I think I have a drinking problem? What do I do?

How does A.A. work? What are the meetings like?

What is a sponsor? What are the Twelve Steps?

Are there answers other than A.A.?

What about alcoholics who are also manic-depressive (bipolar)?

A GUIDEBOOK TO RECOVERY

This is a book you can hand the person who comes up to you and says, "I think I may have a drinking problem, but I don't know." You can also give it to the person who has just started attending A.A. meetings, who is having a hard time figuring out what is going on and what it is all about. It was inspired by the early A.A. classic, Marty Mann Answers Your Questions about Drinking and Alcoholism, and brings things up to date for this new century.

But it is more than just a beginner's book. It is also a good book for people who have been attending A.A. meetings for two or three years, who are now interested in becoming involved in A.A. service work. And it is full of rich insights on the working of the steps, and on working with newcomers, from which both experienced A.A. people and professional counselors can learn a good deal.

Perhaps especially important, it broaches the rarely explored issue of people who have problems not only with alcohol, but also suffer from serious mental disorders like manic-depression (bipolar disorder). Thank goodness someone has finally written a book which says something helpful to all the good men and women who are having to work the twelve-step program under this additional burden!

About the Author

Jane S., originally from rural Pennsylvania, had her first drink at fourteen and drank regularly until she was twenty-nine. After joining A.A. in 1970, she became active in both A.A. service work and the National Council on Alcoholism Women's Division. She believes that virtually any alcoholic can recover following A.A.'s twelve suggested steps. Now retired from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, she lives in central Pennsylvania with her husband and son and their German Shepherd Loki. Of course every weekend finds their home busy with the activities of Jane's grandson Jeffrey.

Wow! This is a solid book in a helpful format.

"Wow! This is a solid book in a helpful format. It should attract a wide readership who will enjoy its story; as importantly, it will serve as a significant reference work for researchers interested in the development of recovery."

Ernest Kurtz, author of Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous

An invaluable gift of words and wisdom.

"Jane S. offers us an invaluable gift in the words and wisdom that fill this book. Based on more than thirty-six years of personal recovery and service work, the lessons contained here reveal how a courageous woman, through Alcoholics Anonymous and the help of a gifted physician, found long-term solutions to the problems of alcoholism and manic-depressive illness. This engaging guidebook to recovery is highly recommended."

William White, author of Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America