Lifelong Sobriety is the first recovery book that emphasizes the importance of taking care of emotional health. This book is action-oriented. It will guide addicts on the path toward recovery while recovering addicts will find a resource for maintaining their sobriety. They will find new hope by easily relating to the book’s key concepts, which will contain interviews and anecdotes, relating the experiences of dozens of recovering addicts. Additionally, these stories will help readers gain insight into their own compulsive behavior, their distorted thinking and help them find the answers to their issues.

This book is a natural extension of my first book, Insanity Beyond Understanding. In that book, I helped readers understand the behavior and attitude of addicts that keep them sick. Now, in Lifelong Sobriety, my focus is on helping readers find solutions to their issues, change their past behaviors, attitudes and learn how to manage their lives more effectively. The key to this book is in its brevity and accessibility to an audience that typically lacks the attention span to sit down to read a fact-filled book.

As a drug and alcohol therapist over two decades, I have closely observed their behaviors and have found out that addicts allow their overwhelming emotions to govern them and consequently remain sick. I closely relate to these individuals because, after all, they are human beings and have same emotions as I do. I feel depressed, stressed, anxious, angry, frustrated, lonely, bored etc., as they do. Only difference is that they rely on drugs to deal with their issues and I manage them without using drugs.

My Thoughts:

Substance abuse/addiction is something I have had an interest in for much of my young adult and adult life. I have personal experience with my father being an alcoholic; I have worked in the field of substance abuse; and I have been attending school since 2007 with my primary focus being substance abuse. When I have an opportunity to read and further my education and knowledge in substance abuse, I take the opportunity.

I liked that the book was direct. It was straight to the point, no messing around, no beating around the bush. It was what it was and that was that.

While it may be just me, sometimes I found it too direct.

There were parts – specifically case scenarios – that did not specify why the person was being seen in treatment (if they were addicted or not) and the directness was abrasive, in my opinion. For example, there is a person in the book named Tina who the author states “has an extremely negative attitude toward life. She doesn’t ask for help, nor is she helpful. Since she doesn’t like to help others, she doesn’t feel comfortable asking for help, even when she needs it. She would rather be anxious, stressed and depressed”.

Maybe it is me being overly sensitive because I clearly do not know the individual, nor do I know their situation, but being someone who not only studies substance abuse, but mental illness as well, I felt this was presumptuous of the author to say those things.

At one point the author states “most people go haywire because they lack a sense of direction and have trouble taking direction from others”. I am not sure who the author is stereotyping, but again, I became defensive.

I felt like there was a lot of negative talk within the book and that the author and I clearly think of substance abuse on different levels.

While it personally is not a favorite of mine, I can see this book being helpful in the proper group setting with substance abusers. I could see this book being a great tool for juvenile substance abusers because of the directness, but it is something I would be cautious with if dealing with more than substance abuse (such as mental illness).

About the Author:

Author Bajeerao Patil possesses an enormous wealth of knowledge on the subject of addiction from his over 20 years work as an addiction counselor. He has a masters’ degrees in Social Work and Human Resources.

Author Patil was born in India and now lives in Media, Pennsylvania with his wife and three children. Passionate about his work, he toils sixteen-hour days, seven days a week in pursuit of helping others overcome their addictions.

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