The War of the Gods of Addiction, based on the correspondence between Bill W., one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Swiss psychiatrist, C.G. Jung, proposes an original, groundbreaking, psychodynamic view of addiction. Using insights from Jungian psychology, it demonstrates why the twelve steps of AA really work. It explores, through theoretical and clinical material, modern and ancient myths, and fairy tales, the crucial process of neutralizing the archetypal shadow / archetypal evil, an aspect of all true addictions. It also explains how dreams may be used in the diagnosis and treatment of addiction. This book bridges the longstanding gap between the mental health and twelve-step recovering communities in ways that significantly encourage mutual understanding and benefit. Previously published by Spring Journal.

Using Jungian psychology, this book demonstrates why the 12 steps of AA work.

“Opioids claim the lives of 115 people per day. One of them could have been me.” When a near-fatal illness led his doctors to prescribe narcotics, media consultant Timothy McMahan King ended up where millions of others have: addicted. Eventually King learned to manage pain without opioids—but not before he began asking profound questions about the spiritual and moral nature of addiction, the companies complicit in creating the opioid epidemic, and the paths toward healing and recovery. We have become a society not only damaged by addiction but fueled by it. In Addiction Nation, King investigates the ways that addiction robs us of freedom and holds us back from being fully human. Through stories, theology, philosophy, and cultural analysis, King examines today’s most common addictions and their destructive consequences. In stark yet intimate prose, he looks not only at the rise of opioid abuse but at policy, pain, virtue, and habit. He also unpacks research showing patterns of addiction to technology, stress, and even political partisanship. Addiction of any kind dims the image of God and corrupts who we were created to be. Addiction Nation nudges us toward healing from the ravages of addiction and draws us toward a spirituality sturdy enough to sate our deepest longings.

Addiction is something that affects many different people from all walks of life and can be difficult for a therapist to treat, and the client to conquer. In this book fifteen people who have formerly had serious addictions speak about their experiences. Survivors of Addiction draws on first-hand narratives to provide an overview of how and why people become addicted, and explores what happens after the addiction is left behind. Divided into four sections it covers: being caught up in addiction how and why users stop being addicted the early days after surviving addiction long-term outcomes. By considering psychodynamic and Jungian perspectives as well as the clinical vignettes, this book examines the process of recovery from addiction. It will be key reading for therapists, clinicians and healthcare workers who encounter addictions in their day to day professions and will also be of great interest to those who are, or have been addicted, and their families.

"Social scientist and behavior researcher Joseph Grenny shares his ten-year experience with his son's drug addiction. Through faith, study and prayer, he found insights and revelation as he studied Moroni, military leader and man of God in the Book of Mormon (of the American Continent B.C.), which brought renewed hope in God's plan for his son's deliverance. Spiritual principles abound in the seventeen chapters in Alma that cover the war years of the Book of Mormon. Joseph encourages readers to pray and seek their own answers in the battle against Satan--seeking freedom from captivity in addiction for our loved ones."--From amazon.com.

Uses the hero's journey as the path on which to travel for overcoming addiction and crisis and rescuing your own story. This is a book about becoming heroic. A hero is a person who faces great danger, overcomes incalculable odds, and accomplishes that which would have been thought (especially by the hero) to be impossible to achieve. Considering the fear and pain that a person must experience in such an adventure, it is a role that few would desire for themselves. And yet, more of us find ourselves in circumstances demanding heroism than one might imagine. In fact, people who are never called upon to be heroic at some point in their lives are in the minority, if they exist at all. This is not a book for people who might want to become heroic someday. It is for people who are in the midst of a crisis, and who must make a decision about whether they are going to face their situation, survive, rise above themselves, and share their newfound knowledge with others who may need salvation. And it is for those who are already traveling such a journey and who would like to gain a new understanding of themselves, what their journey was and is about, and why it is so important. Using the twelve step framework for understanding the inner work a person must do in order to overcome addiction, Michael Cowl Gordon walks readers through the journey to inner salvation and peace. Using the hero's journey as the path on which to travel through these steps, he uncovers the deep work that it takes to be the hero in your own story.

America, one of the most religious countries in the world, is also the most violent. Do God and war define the American spirit as much as apple pie and baseball? This unsettling book illustrates how bellicose, war-like language is used to explain the spiritual quest. It explores the violence of God tradition as it exists in all religions (including Buddhism), and then examines how this dynamic is flipped, with political leaders using spiritual and religious language to sell war to the general public. Although God and religion have often been used to sell war in the United States, this has been especially true since 9/11. After surveying the relationship of war and the spiritual quest in the major world religions, this study concludes with an overview of how that dynamic has affected the contemporary American public discourse on war. Does this intermingling of war and spirituality prepare the population for the coming of war? The institutional blending of the sacred and human aggression appear to be fundamental to human society. The second section of the book concentrates on the political language and speeches of American politicians since 2002, following the run-up to the Iraq war and its continuation over the past decade, showing how this mystical/war conflation permeates American society.

With contributions from leading international academics across the social sciences, this accessible handbook takes a critical look at the key theories, disciplinary approaches, contemporary issues and debates in the field. · Part I Central Social Science Theories Drug and Alcohol Studies · Part II Pillars in Social Science Drug and Alcohol Studies · Part III Controversies and New Approaches in Social Science Drug and Alcohol Studies This Handbook is an excellent reference text for the growing number of academics, students, scientists and practitioners in the drug and alcohol studies community.

This inspirational memoir shares one man's journey through addiction, recovery, and the eventual realization that God is his savior. Mitchell Green has been to hell and back. For more than thirty years, demonic forces intertwined within him, tearing his life apart, testing his sanity, and destroying every good thing he ever found, created, or was given. In his moving testimony, Green shares his inspiring life story of addiction and of the glorious heights to which a soul has the potential to riseeven after its descent into darkness. In his candid portrayal of life before, during, and after addiction, Green recalls sitting in drug dens, his face sunken, skin ashen, eyes wild, and pumping cocaine into his systemall while wondering where he would find the money for his next hit. Most of all, Green remembers running. But when he was charged with assault during a robbery, the running stoppedat least for the next eleven years. As Green shares the challenging journey of his recovery, he describes the joyless process that it became until the voice of a loving God spoke to his suffering soul and revealed his true identity. The Gods of Addiction is an inspirational story about the power of the gods of addiction to destroy lives and the power of God to save them.

Dr. Michael Hoffman wrote The Thirsty Addict Papers for the thousands of counselors searching for practical wisdom and how-to instruction on enlivening spirituality in the delicate process of recovery. This is the first book to apply the diverse fields of Jungian depth psychology, Buddhist mindfulness practice, mythology and folklore, cognitive behavioral therapy and contemplative prayer to addiction. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous opened the door; now The Thirsty Addict Papers offers new knowledge for readers with open minds. Stories of courage combine with stark clinical facts about struggles with sobriety and death from self-destructive addiction. As Dr. Hoffman traces the roots of obsessive-compulsive behavior back to their ancient origins, The Thirsty Addict Papers provides a roadmap for expanding consciousness and enlivening the human soul. It is a provocative psychological work and a must-have reference for anyone struggling to find a way out of the nightmare of addiction.