Showing results by publisher "Blackstone Publishing" in Addiction & Recovery

At seven, Brandon was a skateboard prodigy. By the time he was fourteen, he was living the dream. Discovered by skate legends Bucky Lasek and Tony Hawk. Touring the US with the elite Powell-Peralta team. Signing autographs and appearing in films and magazines. Brandon had it all. Then he got hooked on heroin. Soon he was living a down-and-out life in a garage, begging for change, and hustling to score his next fix. He stole from his family and friends. He pushed the fantasy that everything was okay, that he was going to rehab, getting help, and getting better. But it was all a lie.

Addiction is costly on many levels to the individuals affected, their families, and society as a whole, but science may soon be able to offer treatment options to make the road to recovery a little smoother. First, we investigate why and how people succumb to a veritable prison of the mind as sections one and two delve respectively into the psychology and the neurochemistry behind addiction. Subsequent sections break out addictive substances individually: recreational drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. Finally, section seven examines new avenues for overcoming addiction.

In a “more is better” society, it’s indisputable that we’ve all experienced cravings and denied the truth about our destructive behaviors - traits shared by addicts who’ve successfully overcome them. What Addicts Know offers the coping and wellness skills necessary to overcome life’s obstacles and self-improvement tips for everything from conquering an unhealthy consumption of junk food, to overcoming toxic relationships.

When you’re intimidated or overwhelmed, it’s easy to turn to alcohol to feel more relaxed and outgoing. But what if you want to cut back or cut out alcohol from your life? What do you do on dates? How do you soothe worries and hang-ups? And how the heck do you get up the nerve to be naked with someone new?

Meth alchemists all over the United States tap the occulted potencies of industrial chemical and big pharma products to try to cure the ills of precarious living: underemployment, insecurity, and the feeling of idleness. Meth fires up your attention and makes repetitive tasks pleasurable, whether it’s factory work or tinkering at home. Users are awake for days and feel exuberant and invincible. In one person’s words, they “get more life”.

The challenge: how to raise children in a drug-filled society and prevent substance abuse. How to listen and what to say in order to accomplish these goals is what Saying No Is Not Enough is all about. Now in its second edition, this valuable prevention and intervention guide for parents and professionals by Dr. Schwebel, one of the nation’s experts, presents his complete step-by-step program, refined and time-tested over the last 25 years.

Is everything terrible? Is your life going to shit and your brain’s convinced you that you’re utterly screwed? Have you found yourself in a dark place with no way out? Are you having trouble holding onto reality and getting out of the dumps? All of the above? Sounds like you’re freaking out. Simone has been there, and she made herself a book to remind her exactly what to do to get herself out of danger. She has used that template here, so that you can create your own guide suited to your needs. She also shares the vital skills that she has learned over the years.

This is the poignant life-and-death story of Johnny Stack, whose young and vibrant life ended by suicide after his descent into addiction to high-potency marijuana and cannabis-induced psychosis. You’ll laugh and cry with his mother, Laura Stack, as she retells the story of Johnny’s joyful childhood and then takes you through the unthinkable tragedy of his loss. It’s every parent’s nightmare. But this book is much more than Johnny’s story.

Leap of Power, written by psychologist and author Robert Schwebel, offers a fully articulated and proven programmatic alternative to the millions of adults who have a substance use disorder, and to their friends and families, and to the professionals who provide counseling to them. It casts a wide net with a welcoming and nonjudgmental tone, and is filled practical advice about how people can and do take control of their lives, including their use of alcohol and other drugs.

It’s always somebody else’s kid - until it’s yours. When Katherine James and her husband found out their son was using heroin, their responses ran the gamut: disbelief, anger, helplessness, guilt. As they struggled to come to grips with their son’s addiction and decide how best to help him, their home became a refuge for an unlikely assortment of their son’s friends, each with their own story, drawn by the simple love and acceptance they found there - “the Lost Boys”, James calls them.