Recovery Memoirs

That day started like any other but by lunchtime, I was fighting for my very life. A stroke is like that. You don't see it coming. There was nothing to do but let nature take its course—no guarantee I'd live much less return to full health. So, be prepared to travel through the terror and frustration of paralysis to a place of peace and gratitude where life resides with hope.

I have been a hardcore junkie for many years and I am certain that I will never stop using heroin or any other street drug. I love to get high. Point-blank. I’m sure I will overdose again and my body will be found in a gutter somewhere in Los Angeles.

Roma brings authenticity and refreshing keys that guide you out of despair, pain, and grief to a place where you can smile again. A life filled with one trauma after another: her daughter brutally murdered, and her husband and grand-daughter killed in a light plane crash. Roma has stepped out of the prison of grief and become a prisoner of hope and wholeness.

Trouble is a Gift is the story of a recovered alcoholic who humbly asked for help in finding a purpose and meaning in his life, whose prayer was answered, and who then turned his dream into a reality devoted to the care and treatment of millions of sick and suffering addicts and alcoholics. James S. Cusack, alcoholic, caregiver, and astute businessman, recounts his inner struggles and self-doubt, the stages of his recovery from alcohol addiction, and the moment of clarity when his mission came to light and he saw how, with the help of God and a Twelve-Step program, he could fulfill his purpose.

Drawing from his leadership and ministry experience as president of Alpha USA and Vineyard Churches USA and from his own life experiences as an ordinary Christian, Hunter calls us to reframe our salvation and discipleship. He believes that God intends us to become cooperative friends of Jesus, living in creative goodness for the sake of others through the power of the Holy Spirit.

When SPC Kayla Williams and SGT Brian McGough met at a mountain outpost in Iraq in 2003, only their verbal sparring could have betrayed a hint of attraction. Neither could have predicted the sequence of events that would shape their lives. Brian, on his way back to base after mid-tour leave, was wounded by a roadside bomb that sent shrapnel through his brain. Kayla waited anxiously for news and, on returning home, sought out Brian. The two began a tentative romance and later married, but neither anticipated the consequences of Brian’s injury on their lives.

Dan W., possibly related to Bill W., shares his experience, strength, and hope in this powerful book, Dan 2. 0, on recovering from his addictions to alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. Following his childhood in Africa, the son of missionaries, he became a career Marine, serving nearly 39-years on active duty. Deciding to quit his three addictions, after retiring from the Marines, he discovered that he could not do it on willpower and discipline alone. He needed help, which he found in a Higher Power and in the rooms of AA.

My name is John, I’m an alcoholic. At the age of 52, I checked myself into rehab. 21 days. This book is an honest account of my experience; the triumphs, the setbacks, the profound connections, the trials endured, the solace found in Faith, and ultimately the reclamation of my life. In my early teenage years, alcohol found its way into my life; initially serving as a source of enjoyment among friends. As time progressed, weekend binges became the norm, reserved only for those days, or so I believed.

After Bill had accumulated significant sobriety a celebratory dinner was held in New York City at which Bill gave an AA talk. (Bill drank for 17 years and staying sober for an 17 years was a notable milestone not only to him but to Lois as well.) Bill talks about the role that Ebby played in getting Bill interested in sobriety and the role of Doctor Silkworth in helping him stay sober.

In the tradition of My Stroke of Insight and Brain on Fire, this powerful memoir recounts Barbara Lipska's deadly brain cancer and explains its unforgettable lessons about the brain and mind. Neuroscientist Lipska was diagnosed early in 2015 with metastatic melanoma in her brain's frontal lobe...

Reclaim Your Power is a groundbreaking guide for women seeking to rise from the ashes of betrayal, heal from toxic relationships, and reclaim their emotional and financial independence. This book is a beacon of hope for anyone recovering from infidelity, betrayal, or emotional abuse. Perfect for fans of healing books, self-discovery books for women, and personal development books for women, this empowering story combines personal reflection, practical strategies, to help women rebuild their lives and emerge stronger than ever.

Growing up an only child of a cop and secretary in Las Vegas, life started out pretty uneventful, however, the events of her upbringing brought fear and uncertainty into Deborah's life and caused her to make choices that were fraught with risk and danger. Coming into her own at a time when organized crime dominated Las Vegas, she began to experience growing pains, and her life became dangerous. Deborah fled her persecutors and moved to Los Angeles to start again where the allure of the ocean and her lifelong love of horses brought her joy and comfort.

Leslie Schwartz's powerful, skillfully woven memoir of redemption and reading, as told through the list of books she read as she served a 90 day jail sentence In 2014, novelist Leslie Schwartz was sentenced to 90 days in Los Angeles County Jail for a DUI and battery of an officer. It was the...

A Life Long Spiritual Walk as a Friend of Bill W. is a tribute to her formative years, being around her grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, mom and dad, and all her loving animals. She has Native roots in Canada with the Blood tribe and in Montana with the Blackfeet tribe, all of which contribute to the woman she is. She attributes the beginnings of her walk to being led to the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous on her most vulnerable and most teachable day, that being the day she began to hear for the first time in a long time. The rest of the journey speaks for itself.

Waking Up Tomorrow chronicles my struggles against anxiety disorder and depression. It's a no-holds-barred account of how I have coped with anxiety-related issues over the years and the methods I adopt to continue to move forward, day after day. I share my analysis on what I perceive to help listeners progress more positively with their lives and what I also found does not help and can be counterproductive.

As kids, we all dream of becoming successful in life, whether as doctors, lawyers, or corporate employees. Chris had these dreams, too. Like every other child, he wanted the best out of life. But while he was planning his future, life had its own plan. This is the true story of Chris, whose life took an unexpected turn, leading him on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

The year 2013 was my year of Job. In the Bible, Job was a very wealthy man with a large family who loved God. For reasons Job did not understand, he lost his family, wealth, businesses, and then health--quickly and violently. For about nine months, he was lost to grief and despaired even of life. But God. But God.

Grit Over Shame is the raw, inspiring true story of David A. Douglas — a man who rose from the chaos of addiction, incarceration, and personal wreckage to build a life of purpose, recovery, and service. From a turbulent childhood in Tacoma to a spiral into methamphetamine use in the 1990s, David’s journey is one of deep lows, powerful turning points, and the long road back.

"Recovery from the Passage of an Iron Bar Through the Head" is a report by Dr John M Harlow on the case of Phineas P. Gage who survived an accident in 1848 in which an iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, and for the injury's reported effects on his personality - friends considered him “to be no longer Gage." The author states that the case serves to show the wonderful resources of the system in enduring the shock and overcoming the effects of so frightful a lesion....

Sherri Wyatt was raised by loving parents in a Christian home. However, perversion of grace by religion and religious rituals spoke the fire-and-brimstone message of condemnation, guilt, and shame. Confusion prevailed from an early age about the love of God. As life-threatening childhood health issues mounted, she felt God was mad at her. She tried to do good and be good, yet more trauma was inflicted.