Cool, Hip & Sober: 88 Ways to Beat Booze and Drugs

by Bill Manville, David Moore (Introduction)

Overview

In a refreshingly clear-headed and informed approach to addiction, Bill Manville, noted writer and radio host of the popular talk show "Addictions and Answers," has compiled a list of 88 questions and answers from, "a ton of plain and fancy drunks and dopers" and their family and friends. Cool, Hip, and Sober offers valuable advice and information from his guests: noted psychiatrists, psychologists, rehab counselors, MDs, academics and more.

Here, in first-person detail, are responses to the issues faced by alcoholics, addicts, and their loved ones, such as:

* How can I stop for good today?
* How can I tell if someone I love will relapse?
* Alcholism . . . addiction . . . and sex
* Do interventions really work? And how do I set up one?
* How do I find the best rehab for me?
* The many faces of denial
* Is alcoholism inherited?
* And much, much more . . .

A brave, transformational look at the treatment of chemical dependency, Cool, Hip & Sober is a captivating, insightful and essential handbook for overcoming denial and achieving a peaceful, long-term recovery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780765303158
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/01/2004
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	687,884
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

After Sarah Lawrence College, Bill Manville attended the Universite de la Mediteraneen, "majoring in roulette and oranges." His career includes columnist for the Village Voice and the Key West Solares Hill, Contributing Editor for Cosmo and Madison Ave Vice President. "Got my first library card at six," he says, "and by seven no longer wanted to be a fireman but a writer. Most recently I've been hosting a radio talk show, Addictions & Answers, but primarily think of myself as a writer still."

His last novel, Goodbye, was a BOM selection. Sober now for over twenty years, and living in California, he says his hobbies are "maligning my friends and working on a new novel - or are they the same thing?"

Editorial Reviews

I praise it to the heavens. I was so moved time and again as I experienced the truth in these extraordinary pieces written by people who have been to edge, flirted with disaster, and returned to new and better lives.” —Dominick Dunne

“What an inspiring book! Doesn't hurt that the author is a superb writer. I never read anything like this and am thrilled to recommend the book to anybody with the problem himself/herself or with a suffering family member.” —Helen Gurley Brown, Editor-in-Chief, Cosmopolitan Magazine

“Poignant and poetic, frank and funny, Cool, Hip & Sober makes sobriety seem quintessentially cool—so hip it hurts. It is a book to be given to those who suffer and to the friends and loved ones who suffer along with them. It is a book destined to redeemed us all.” —Jack Anderson, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist

From the Publisher

Manville, a California-based radio show host, journalist, and rehab clinic volunteer, drew 88 questions from his program and provides answers based on research, expert opinion, and his own experience as a long-term recovering addict. Readers are instructed to consult sections of the book that concern their stage of substance abuse, from ambivalence about its costs/benefits to the recovery phase, and the questions are colorfully labeled to address specific problems (e.g., tests for assessing whether one is an alcoholic and choosing a rehabilitation program). Heavily grounded in Alcoholics Anonymous theory and a belief in a broadly defined higher power, the book successfully straddles the polar views of alcoholism as a disease and as a character defect. It also concisely presents the latest medications and common techniques for dealing with related problems, but fundamentally it is intended as a tool of encouragement and inspiration; readers seeking more in-depth information may need to go beyond the few listed web sites. Though the information is basic, Manville's presentation is attention-getting, and his message is delivered in a heartfelt manner. Recommended for personal collections and specialized collections on addiction.-Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, IN Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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