You know, I've never really swallowed the idea that alcoholism is a 'dis-ease' and that someone struggling with addiction is 'powerless' over anything...my husband has been battling addiction for 10 years and I've always believed that there was an underlying cause that made him want to 'medicate' himself but had never found any major supporter of the idea until this book was released. It's like an AH-HA moment for those of us that believe in our own power. I've fought for years with my husband's fellow 'recovering addicts'; some of which have been sober for 15 years, that it's a choice, not an illness. When someone offers you that drug, bottle of beer, or whatever tool you've used, you have the choice to say 'yes, I'll take it' or 'no, thank you.' To me it's always been that simple...so you are NOT powerless...you HAVE the power to say yes or no. This book opened up the realm of self power to let me (and my husband) take back the responsibility for his actions...which, in itself, has begun the healing process; he's no longer a 'victim' of a dis-ease. We can't afford a place like Passages, nor can we afford all of the healers that they recommend; however, the mind is the MOST powerful of all healers and we have the power to heal ourselves once our plane of thinking has been opened. WE WILL SUCCEED!

I highly recommend this book to ANYONE that has been to AA but does not feel confident with its "give it to God" concept of lack of self-control; for you are the ones that 'know' deep down inside that there's more to this than a diagnosis of a dis-ease. READ THIS BOOK! Then continue on your path to soul search and find that hidden hurt that's taken you to this place. Set yourself free.


I am truly grateful to these two men for writing and publishing this book. They are true angels.

I have not read this book and likely will not read it. I cannot believe that any thinking (or mixed-up, addicted) person would read anywhere beyond being advised to hire all these practitioners or ask for free treatment. Folks in Malibu may be able to afford this treatment, but the vast majority of alcoholics and addicts couldn't even dream of it. And why would someone so deeply interested in sharing his suggestions for recovery possibly charge this kind of money? If you're wondering, don't doubt your gut instinct. Get a good therapist that you can afford or one who is on your health plan, go to AA, and learn some cognitive techniques to help you change your thinking. May recovery, health, and peace be yours.

I was trained in, arguably, the best psyc think tank in the world. This book's TV promotion piqued my curiosity. In fact, it offers nothing in the way of, "What you, yourself, can do" or any practical approach available to most people looking to help someone with any sort of addiction/dependency. Although a reasonably interesting read, it is shameless self promotion advocating a course of treatment requiring ridiculous expense through a multimodal approach with no explanation as to how the various parts work together, and certainly no scientific or controlled basis supporting the author's claims.

It's extremely high-priced, completely unsupported, pop psychology at it's worst preying on those most desperate. As much as I dislike AA's 12 step program, it is far more solidly grounded. Don't waste your time or hard-earned money on the book.

This book and the Promises Malibu Program are awesome. Chris Prentiss along with his Son Pax have the guts to stand up and speak out about the miserable failures of the old paradigm of alcohol and drug treatment programs. Their program is a bold step forward into the treatment of addictions and self sabbotaging behavior. There will be the old detractors who will scream from the mountain tops that this book and it's ideas are heresy, but that's because the old 12 Step model of addiction being a disease has now been proven false and people are getting cured and free from the recovery cults.

Roger D. Thompson. B.Msc. C.Ht.

I really think that this program can work, but with all of the counselors and Psycologists that are required, this is a very costly process.

I think that this book does a great job convincing people that addiction is caused by escaping from unresolved painful issues, not from the drug itself. The addiction to the drug Chris calls it dependency that can be dissolved within 3 weeks to 90 days. The story of his son is heartbreaking and is proof that Chris Prentiss is a saint and holy man. Thank God, for the people in the world trying to bring more joy and reduce the pain a person has to go through in a lifetime. I think this book will work better with some additional readings on eastern philosophy, which seems to be the foundation of Chris's personal faith.

This book does not offer a "cure" as the title suggests. A person MUST be abstinent for the rest of his life, so where is the cure?? The book does not offer anything different than Alcoholics Anonymous, in fact, it offers LESS. The need for regular meetings is ignored. Meetings with other recovering people are really important in maintaining recovery.

People who are addicted and their family members are so desperate and vulnerable that they are easy victims of this type of well masked advertisement. The book offers the hope for a cure that would be worth any amount if it was valid. The guarantee is that if you pay at least $55,000, you can attend the author's treatment center. If it doesn't work, that's just too bad.

If it was a valid treatment method, insurance would jump to offer some reimbursement. It would save them money if it was valid. The desperate addicted person or their loved ones want a "cure" so badly that they may jump to fork over the money without researching why insurance companies don't want to offer reimbursement.

I hope the number of victims to this "cure" are small.

It's a thinking out of the box way to fight an addiction. Very good book

This book not only offers hope, but outlines very practical ways of understanding and ridding yourself of this dependency. I would recommend that even "recovered" alcoholics (and anyone with an "addiction" problem) would gain insight and relief from reading this book. Chris Prentiss is a healer and visionary.

This book is very inspirational, especially if it is you who are fighting drugs or alcohol. It gives a very different way to look at addiction. It is not traditional 12 step which is something I rebel against. Instead it has you look at your addiction from the reasons of why you abuse drugs and alcohol. Most traditional treatment only addresses addiction as the problem, but this book points out that addiction is only a symptom of your underlying problems. It gives the author's 3 step approach to digging deep to solve your addictions from the underlying problems. The author runs a treatment center in California that has a higher success rate than other treatment centers. The book also has the author's son's addiction story and how this plan has worked for him.

This book helped to give me a different perspective of my husband's issues with alcohol. This book gave me hope that a cure to alcoholism is possible if someone is willing. The chapter that helped me personally the most is the one that talks about nothing that happens is bad or wrong. I'm not someone who believes that AA works for everyone and this book explains that if someone is willing to get to the under issues and stop using alcohol as a coping mechanism, a cure is possible and someone can stop drinking for good and not white knuckle their way through life.

I wish everyone struggling with addiction of any type would read this book. This is not new information, just resisted by the average person because it's safer to stay average. If you truly, really want to be skyrocketed into the 4th dimension you so often hear about, then this book will (with it's extensively researched and proven method of healing) have to be taken to heart and accepted. Be corageous! Go back and get that little girl or boy, (your inner child) you abandoned so long ago. STRETCH, RISK, OR DIE! as Ronda Britten talks about in her book Fearless Living. I took the Alcoholism and Addiction Cure to show some friends at AA, and I felt so sad for them because they could not entertain the idea, just for a moment, that AA's 70 year old paradigm, or belief that they have been struck with a life long disease, COULD BE wrong! No, I choose not to drink, but my life long chronic depression is gone, and I am an integrated whole person now after doing the healing work, and truly see myself and this entire planet radically different than before when I was covering up my anxiety and pain with liquor and pills. Since I read this book, sitting in an AA meeting is a whole new experience because I have a more evolved perception of addiction. Step-1 should be more specific and read: My feelings were unmanagable. Step-4: Took a fearless inventory of my FEELINGS! FEEL, DEAL, HEAL! Alcohol is NOT the issue!!!!!A disruption in your energy due to underlying anxiety is! This book not only explains the truth of the problem, but has given you the path to healing on a silver platter. The only question now is how badly do you want the brass ring?? Carrie from Cameron Park

Lessee here. I pay $20.00 for a brochure on a $68,000.00 treatment program not funded by any insurance company offering a gaggle of techniques that do not appear to be algorithmically integrated... when I could simply buy a few -other- books on amazon.com to see the statistical evidence on the most effective treatment regimens.

Hmm. This is tough.

I rarely make blanket statements like this, but after 22 years in the field and working with a -wide- variety of approaches (from 12 Step, gestalt and hypnotic to cognitive, pharmacologic and psychodynamic), I'm forced to say, "Enjoy the book, but keep your credit cards in your wallet." And...

Look these up on amazon.com:

Beck, Wright, Newman, Liese: Cognitive Therapy of Substance Abuse; Gorski: Staying Sober, and Passages Through Recovery; Frances & Miller: Clinical Textbook of the Addictive Disorders; Ellis: A Guide to Rational Living; Perkinson and Jongsma: The Addictions Treatment Planner; Rotgers and Davis: Treating Alcohol Problems; and Rassmussen: Addiction Treatment - Theory and Practice; etc.

And if you can find Sharron Ekleberry's phenomenal Seminar on Substance Abuse and Personality Disorders, read -it- for sure.

Frankly, this book smacks of marketing scheme, though it does (all too briefly) chase down several of the issues that do need to be dealt with to assure long-term abstinence without relapse or addiction-switching.

One can get the job done for a lot less than $68,000.00, however. A -lot- less.

I too, am a "recovering" alcoholic with 23 years of sobriety, and I am very grateful for the gift of finding the treatment that worked for me. I stumbled across Chris Prentiss quite by mistake today, after taping a 30 minute program on the subject "Alcoholism and Addiction Cure." I felt like I had found someone who heard the same "voice" that I had heard within myself for the past 20 years. I too, consider myself an intelligent (I cannot tell you what my IQ is and I am still going to college, part time, and working full time for a large healthcare concern, but I consider myself extremely intelligent and open to new ideas)and open minded individual.
What I do know? I come from a family of addicts; my father's father emigrated from Germany before Hitler's control over that country was irrevocable and he was an alcoholic who passed the "disease" down to his sons - my father, the youngest son, died an alcoholic at the young age of 58. I will not go into detail about my childhood traumas other than to say that I began my journey into my own addiction (lucky me, my drug of choice was alcohol) when I was 15 years old. It culminated with my experiencing panic attacks in my early 20s and subsequent heavier drinking ensued in my desperate attempt to quell my rising panic attacks - I was running away from my childhood pain and I was self-medicating.
What I discovered, quite by accident and to my great relief and immense gratitude was a therapist, who was one of, if not "the," early humanistic therapists in the treatment arena. This woman walked with me through my treatment, unpeeling the layers of protection that I had wrapped by battered and abused psyche within and, after seven years of on again, off again, therapy (each new level, each new unveiling, opened doorways that I had shut and hidden behind) I walked into my first Al Anon meeting and within a month's time, my first AA meeting. I remember the intense self loathing and reluctance that I felt at having to go to that meeting where I had to admit to myself and others that I WAS AN ALCOHOLIC - the one thing that I hated my father for I had become.
The main reason I began my road to recovery in AA was, I knew I needed the strength and support of a fellowship where meeting and talking to others, who were traveling the same lonely, frightening path that I was on, would help me to "stay sober," while I continued with my individual therapy. But as much as I cherish those first couple of years in AA, I came to the realization that there had to come a time where not drinking became a personal choice and not just the choice of the group. I saw too many people who switched their addiction from the drugs or alcohol, to the group and who wouldn't miss a meeting if their lives depended on it and for many it did. And then there were the ones who moved on to other 12 step programs because they were sober but now they were attending Overeaters Anonymous or Workaholics Anonymous or Co-Dependents Anonymous because the root causes for their original addiction remained. Yes, it was healthier than being in the addiction but they still seemed frozen in time because they were still "dependent" on something outside of themselves for validation and strength or had simply switched addictions.
I left AA, but I stayed sober because I began my journey in one-on-one therapy where I was willing to do the work, no matter how painful, to heal my wounded psyche. And I did it with a therapist who allowed me to heal at my own pace and who never, ever, led or told me what I should feel, think or do. She was my guide, my mentor, my belief system when I did not believe in myself, and she let me go when it was my time to go.
When I was in my addiction I always felt like I didn't fit in with the rest of the world; but when I left AA with the belief that one had to finally make their choice not to use, a personal choice and stop being co-dependent on an outside source, I felt like I was different, there, too, and did not "fit in" with the traditional treatment for addicts. I truly believe the reason for relapse is because AA cannot provide the intense therapy necessary to find the root cause of an individual's addiction - I think "getting sober" is the easy part, staying sober, is the hardest thing to do, because then all you have is this open, gaping wound and you will eventually return to the original addiction or find another one to cover the untreated wound.
Today, I feel exonerated and I would encourage anybody who is struggling with recovery to read the book and go find a good therapist, preferably one who is humanistic or holistic (I truly believe you have to treat the mind, the body and spirit because ALL of you is involved in the addiction not just your diseased physical being) and be willing to do the work - not just counting 12 steps and giving it all up to an outside source. I am a deeply spiritual being and I believe addiction stands between you and that spirituality but you must find your own path and be willing to go it alone while in therapy, but know that you are never alone in healing. And by all means, incorporate the individual therapy with a group, such as AA, because it is extremely healing to hear your fears, pain, anger and frustrations, echoed in others - it depletes that sense of aloneness.
I am grateful for 23 years of sobriety and I am grateful that there are those in recovery programs who finally "get it" and are working on treating the mind, body, spirit! Don't give up on yourself or someone you love in addiction - I only wish those who came before, and lost to addiction, had the same opportunity.
"Seek not the favor of the multitude, for it is seldom got by honest and lawful means. But seek the testimony of the few, and number not the voices, but weigh them." Immanuel Kant

I like the fact that it gives a more flexable approach to recovery than the very rigid (although , successful ) suggestions put forth by AA and NA. It looks to the underlying causes of the repatative destructive behaviors associated with alcoholism (in my Case). One more tool to help those still suffering that have a bias towards AA and other 12 step recovery groups.

Jim Bowen

I have noticed that some posters are upset about the price of being "cured." I am not an addict, but my best friend was, and I would have sold my house out from underneath me if it could have cured him.

I knew that he had a real problem when he was fourteen years old, and knew where he was heading from my experiences in college -- people I knew. He was given an unnecessary tonsillectomy, and the well-meaning surgeon prescribed (Acetaminophen) #4 (with codeine). This was in 1971.

I have taken the same drug, without problems, usually for dental pain. I have never taken it for more than two days.

Well, my best friend was introduced to the same feelings that I get when I do something exceedingly well, only his performance dropped off to near zero. Later, he met a junky nurse, and I knew that it was game-set-match. I intervened and ran her off.

I knew I had no control over his addictions, but I did everything I could do to buy time. He finally went to a detox center and became a sponsor at Narcotics Anonymous. By this time he was married, and my wife learned that they were beginning to use again (she went through detox with him), and I had a decision to make. Something told me that he would not survive the year.

He had learned that narcotics lead to institution, jail, and death. Well, he was arrested for "uttering a forged instrument," which is to say, forging a prescription. Back to detox.

By this time, he was, in my opinion, too old for me to treat him as a child, and I made it clearly known to him that I would be there to intervene only if he asked. I had pulled him out of desperate straights before, but against his (temporary) will.

His junky wife found him dead one Christmas morning, about ten years ago. He had accidentally overdosed. I had an intervention plan set up for the 26th, and missed it by one day.

One of the lines of a poem I wrote to him before his first detox included, "May you find peace in Oaklawn's Gardens, and Sleep the Never-Ending Sleep you Seek. I have seen it all before, but this was my best friend Keith." I hope, somehow, that he did find that peace. He was a gifted person, and my best friend. I frightened him with that poem, and in his last days, he somehow knew what was going to occur. He reported "lucid dreams, where he was with (a friend who had died of drug abuse). I was supportive, and only this one poem was pessimistic.

A copy of that poem is in his casket. It should not be forgotten that people do manage to become addicted to drugs and return to a normal life. These drugs were designed for pain, not getting high. He slipped away one day before I was going to intervene with his recovered addicts alongside me.

If you have an addicted friend, their life is in your hands. Please do not forget that. The price of the regimen in this book is the price of life. Find a way to do whatever it takes, or lose your friend or loved one.I know this post is too long, but it, like and along with the book, will save lives.

I AM AN ADDICT.... AND I UNDERSTAND TRYING TO FIND THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF MY USING DRUGS. BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THIS BOOK WAS A COMMERCIAL FOR PASSAGES (WHEN I CALLED THEY TOLD ME TO COME UP WITH 68,000 DOLLARS). I CAN'T EVEN AFFORD ALL OF THE COUNSELORS AND HOLISTIC PRACTITIONERS THEY ADVISE I USE. HOW COULD I AFFORD TO GO FOR 30 DAYS TO A PROGRAM THAT MAY OR MAY NOT WORK. WHEN I GOT TO THE CHAPTER OF THE BOOK THAT TOLD ME TO GET ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT DOCTORS, I WAS HEARTBROKEN. BECAUSE OF THE TITLE OF THE BOOK, I HAD SUCH HIGH HOPES, BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS WAS IT, THIS WAS THE ONE THING THAT WOULD HELP ME GET OVER MY ADDICTION FINALLY. BUT AS EVERYTHING ELSE I'VE TRIED IT FAILED ALSO. I AM GOING TO TRY THE ACCUPUNCTURE AND MY MEDICAL DOCTOR IS WEANING ME OFF OF OXYCONTIN RIGHT NOW. BUT THAT IS MY PLAN. I PRAY AND PRAY AND PRAY THAT IT WORKS. MY FAITH IN GOD IS WHAT WILL PULL ME THROUGH THIS, I KNOW IT. THE ONE THING IN HIS BOOK I TOTALLY AGREE WITH IS THAT EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE.. GOOD OR BAD ALL WORKS TOGETHER FOR OUR GOOD. EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE, EVEN BEING ADDICTED TO DRUGS, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW I AM LEARNING A LIFE LESSON. AND THAT IS A GIFT FROM THE LORD.

It's not a disease but it can be cured? What's to cure then? only illnesses or diseases need cures. well normal conditions don't require a "cure." And if they are "cured" why can't they drink normally? If there is no disease, no alcoholism, why don't they serve wine at dinner? Once the "core issues" are cleared up and gone around day 15 of the $70,000 plus a month program they should be able to toast with a cocktail like normal folks can on occasion. I just don't see how a non-disease would require a cure and if there is no condition after 30 days why can't the residents drink normally like people who have never struggled with addiction? Isn't that what a "cure" is? A return to normal? If someone was completely cured of their peanut allergy wouldn't that mean they could eat a PBJ? If they can't drink safely doesn't that mean they are not cured of the disease they never had? And if they can't relapse why does Passages send residents home with sober companions and readmit them after they pick up a drink or drug again (what other places call a relapse)? Bit of a contradiction it seems.

The story that the son, Pax, wrote about his addiction and recovery was great. It rang brutally true. I was into the book and ready to see how they could translate their $50,000/month Malibu treatment plan to the masses. The answer? They can't. They recommend hiring a western medical doctor, a clinical pyschologist, a massage therapist, a nutrionist, an acupuncturist, a hypnotist, and a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine as the minimum "holistic treatment team". They recommend going to clinical pyschologist at least 3 times/week. During a question/answer part of the book, it was asked "What if I can't afford all of this?" The answer? Ask to be treated for free. Tell them that they'd be part of a "Passages model team".

Okay...

My HMO pays for 10 counseling sessions per year with a social worker. And the copay for that is $40 per visit. Somehow I don't think I'm going to be able to assemble this psychological dream team without a load of cash and a lot of free time.

Oh, and what should you do if your dream team doesn't live in your small town? MOVE to a big city (just for a month).

I'm not a big fan of AA and their dogmatic religiosity, but at least they're free and close by!

this book was unimpressive to me. just a waste of money as very little in it is of much use.

Great Book! A lot of really good information to help understand addictions, which in turn helps understand how to plot a course to overcome addictions. A lot of resources suggestions included.

Beware of words like "total" and "cure"

Alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases much like heart disease, lifestyle related. Anyone who makes high risk alcohol and drug choices can develop this disease. Some people have an increased biological risk.
People can recover from these illnesses and live relatively normal lives. Some addicts and alcoholics, just like people with heart disease, don't follow their treatment and get sick again.

Just like I am skeptical of books about weight loss, easy heart condition fixes and cancer cures, so I would also beware of a book that promises total recovery or a cure for a disease. These are the words of book sellers, marketing and profiteering, not science.

I really enjoyed the author. Chris Prentiss has been there, so his view is real. This book gives hope to a close friend of mine who is dependant on alcohol. The fact that you are in charge of your life,you, not alcohol,is a fresh look at your future.

Anyone who does or has ever known the trials of dealing with addiction -- either with themselves or a loved one -- needs to know there is hope for a healthy life without the pain of whatever the underlying cause of the addiction. Freedom from any substance is possible when you truly can believe and understand the truth about WHY addiction happens. Just as with human health in general, there is true healing when we realize that any and all illness and disease can be completely healed by learning how our bodies will heal themselves. When we understand that pharmaceutical drugs, surgery, and anything other than natural healing are only "bandaids" -- never a CURE -- then and only then will we find true health and happiness. This book helps to reveal those truths, and point you in the direction of positive change and knowledge that is about finding the way to the truth about ridding lives of addiction to any substance. Buy one for yourself and everyone you know, it can change lives!!! Thank you!!!

I give the author credit for being outspoken about the topic. But he just isn't knowledgeable enough to take an authoritative approach to the subject although he comes off as though he is on the ads. His premise is correct that an addiction is the body and minds way of getting something that it needs. But he leaves out too many cures and doesn't discuss some of the worst addictions at all - like eating disorders, gambling. There are much better books in my view that explain chemical dependence and treatments.

Anyone suffering from an addiction would do well to read this book. It treats addictions as cureable rather than an incurable disease. It certainly is "food for thought," and not to be dismissed out of hand because of the word "cure" in the title.

this book speaks to the issues of addictions / addictive behaviors in a way I've never read / heard before. A must read for anyone struggling not only with addiction, but the conventional view of and treatment of said addiction.

This book was well worth the time to read, no matter where you are at in your life. It makes a strong point that addictions can be cured instead of lived with like a disease forever. I did not agree with their approach on spirituality and some of the Chinese healing philosophy, but I still learned a great deal that helped me and I think would definitely help others. I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you have a friend or loved one who struggles with any addiction. Certainly, the same would be true if one personally suffers from the same. If the success statistics from the approach used in this book are true, anyone with any addiction should read this. It is much cheaper to buy this book from Amazon, brand new. It sells in many places for over twice as much as I paid for it on Amazon.

This book is disguised as some new way of beating addiction but really it's nothing new under the sun, it mainly talks about getting to the route of what ails you mentally, emotionally. Haven't we already done that through counseling? For most of us counseling, that approach does not work. The author plugs his addiction recovery program located in some state that I don't even remember. He also disses the AA program, that it is an out dated approach to recovery. I do not recommend this book but I do recommend however, the author's I Ching books, those are very good.

This book/audio CD is great for anyone who wants to quit drinking and/or using drugs. I have been to other Rehab centers and AA but neither has worked. After many stints in rehab and AA ,I felt comletely hopeless and I decided to give soberity one last shot and I'm glad I did. This book has given me what no other program has been able to give, and that is HOPE. This common sense approch to soberity is the way all rehab centers should be.This is a truely wonderful program that has saved my life.

By far the most logical, intelligent, and practical analysis of this subject I've ever seen on this subject and I've seen a lot! Thank you Chris Prentiss. I'm immediately ordering additional copies of your book for interested and intelligent friends and family. By the way, I noticed WITH GREAT INTEREST a previous "ONE STAR" review of your book submitted in late March that went on and on broadcasting the reviewer's pride in his own atheistic views along with his damning of AA with faint praise. I'd give that review FIVE STARS FOR POMPOSITY! Reminds me of my experience in grad school at one of the most liberal, if not THE most liberal university in the United States. That review of your book drives home the primary reason why your book, a very effective debunking of current mainstream thinking re treatment rationale is so very, very important and unique. Thank you again Chris Prentiss for your work and insight.

By far the most logical, intelligent, and practical analysis of this subject I've ever seen on this subject and I've seen a lot! Thank you Chris Prentice. I'm immediately additional copies of your book for interested and intelligent friends and family.

People, look up the definition of a disease. The definition is that a disease is progressive and incurable. An alcoholics tolerance will always increase, and never decrease. This is the progressive side of the disease. The incurable side is that an alcoholic can stop drinking for 20 years, then have one drink which leads to 20 more every time. This is the incurable side of the disease. Never can a recovering alcoholic have just one drink. It is an all or nothing addiction for the rest of their life.

I went to Hazelden treatment facility twice. The first crack at sobriety rarely works. They had me take the 550 question MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) which measures psychological disorders. Some 75% of people in treatment suffer from some sort of mood disorder. A mood disorder can simply mean depression, or it can mean bi-polor disorder. There are many levels to bi-polar disorder, some very mild but they will show up in the MMPI. It is said in AA that "Alcohol is but a symptom" AA teaches you to focus on the underlying issue at hand.

With this said, it is the Psychiatrists and Psychologists who know how to read these MMPI's and this is why treatment facilities work to some extent. They attempt to get at the root of the problem.

The majority of successful sobriety is when counselors set up a STRUCTURED LIVING ENVIRONMENT transitioning after a 28-day treatment stay. 28-day treatment programs are like taking aspirin to cure cancer. The real work will come in the next two years. Maybe 5% of people will still be sober in two years. This is why it is critical for people to humble themselves enough to live in some sort of Oxford Sober house or other sober structured living environment.

At the Oxford Sober I lived in for two years, there were people from all sorts of professions. There were two Ph.D's in the house I lived in. Some people were high school drop outs while one was a self made millionaires who suffered from omnipotence. Alcoholism does not discriminate.

It is very unfortunate that AA is religious based. It is very sad that the Christian based Lords prayer is said at the end of some AA meetings. But there is no other game in town. The fellowship of AA is that you can reach out and ask for help anytime you want. You can call up your sponsor and say that you are struggling in your sobriety. You can say that sobriety sucks and life is boring as hell in an AA meeting and dozens of people will befriend you with caring and supportive open arms. It's all about NOT BEING ALONE. It's about getting out of your own head. No other method towards sobriety will include support groups.

Another thing I do not like about AA is that they say "relapse is ok" No it isn't. The definition of a relapse is that you need at least 3-6 months sobriety in order to relapse. A weekend binge drinker doesn't relapse every friday night. Someone coming out of a 28-day treatment facility who starts drinking again did NOT relapse. They were never sober. 28 days is not being sober. If someone has 6 months without a drink, then starts drinking again, this is a relapse.

AA is the only game in town, like it or not so deal with the GOD wording in AA. Nothing is perfect so realize it may be your own mood disorder which is fighting the God thing in AA. Good luck.

An alcoholic for 15 years, the 12-steps don't work for me because I don't want to turn my life over to a religious cult. I sobered up using Rational Recovery, but it was difficult to say the least.
I saw an info-mercial for this book, and found some of it helped me even after sobriety.
It was great to finally read someone de-bunk the ridiculous "disease" idea!
It wasn't a disease that put the beer to my mouth, it was my hand.

It never ceases to amaze me how cunning, baffling and powerful the "lower power" is. This country wants "drive thru" sanity. The only way Chris's book is going to keep you from drinking is to stuff it in your mouth. It not that people have forgotten what it is like to work hard for something, just look at all the Mercedes, Mansions and Millionaires. They are all working, drinking and drugging hard in a vien attempt to fill a God (insert God preference here) sized hole. Never at a time in our country has there been such gross materialism.

12 step programs are wonderful and they are free. If you keep going out there and beating yourself up with booze, drugs, high mortgages, gambling whatever, I'm glad. Because eventually you will scream out "God Please Help Me!" and It will be there to lift you up.

My message is simple. If you can't help an alcoholic for free, then mind your business, your heart is in the wrong place.

This is a fantastic book for addicts as well as people whose lives are affected by living around/with an addict. I believe this is the answer. If someone really wants to quit, this is the way to do it.

I am a psychologist and a not-for-profit substance abuse treatment clinic. The clinic policy is based on 100% abstinence, the disease model, and loosely around AA core values. I treat a great deal of mandated patients and others who assert they have no problem, yet they are in my room for some "issue" involving alcohol or drugs. I have learned never to dismiss any new slant or approach to anything in science until I know it is not valid, and even then it has value. When it come to issues of maladaptive behavior, organic roots or not, the approaches to remedies will very likely be as varied and numerous as there are personalities. The possible permutations for "causes" of behaviors are near infinite. What works for one person does not necessarily work for another. The wide range of reaction to this book has given me reason enought to buy it. When I finish it I will certainly post my reaction.

Truth when understood cannot be denied...this therapeutic approach is comprehensive & effective in that it addresses the heart of addictive issues as opposed to a cure for the symptom(s). Anyone of us who are not living life to the fullest might check the closet for unaddressed addictive behavior (I've a few of my own.) Ahhhhhhh that this love cure could be bottled and prescribed. Addiction is a route we choose for various reasons in order to cope.... yet are oft unaware of why we made this (these) choice(s), nor of the ultimate price of these choices.

To acknowledge the choice(s), sincerely repent , identify the root and discover higher ground in the process is nothing less than love in motion. The painful road of this path less chosen is cushioned with gems of equal or greater opportunity. Gratefully, the path for Pax and the choices he made were well seasoned with an intrinsic love and purpose. May others discover the love that resides in each Spirit and brings us to our true purpose.

I've a niece, not yet 16, who has walked this rocky road for years. The financial well is tapped and the symptoms persist. I've sent this material to her mother and am hoping that the message might somehow unveil a light that shines, the true beauty of this young woman.

Very well written and encouraging. Gives us HOPE - Hope for the addict, hope for the family members. I finally feel there is a light shining at the end of the tunnel. We have implemented two of the recommendations for two weeks now, and I see improvement - baby steps nevertheless, but improvement. Wish we could afford "Passages" but we can't, so we are trying Chris Prentiss' theory to get to the "why" issues. I couldn't put the book down. It arrived on Friday and I stayed up til 2 am reading.

In spite of the regular reference to the medical staff at passages and their constant and detailed involvement in the treatment of patients at Passages, there is a conspicuous absense of professionsl medical knowledge and reference in the book.