I went to see “Avatar” last night.  I originally hadn’t planned on going, but heard amazing things about how beautiful the movie was and that the message was profound.  I know absolutely nothing  about all the technical voo-doo that went into making this  $300,000 million dollar movie, but I do know that it has left an imprint in my heart.

The movie takes place in the 21st century and tells the story of a mission by U.S. Armed Forces to mine an indispensable mineral that is plentiful on a moon called Pandora, somewhere out in the universe.  The inhabitants of Pandora,…

Reviewed by Ginger B.

“A Piece of Cake” is a memoir written by San Francisco attorney, Cupcake Brown, in which she painstakingly chronicles her life beginning at age 11, when her mother suddenly dies, through the hell of the next 15 or so years,  and eventually to the awakening she finds in recovery.

The reader is immediately plunged into the violent, malicious, sexual world in which Cupcake will live, with a description of Cupcake’s first foster home - a place where she is repeatedly raped, physically assaulted and verbally and emotionally abused by Diane, and her daughter and nephew.  She runs away…

I’m just finishing Undrunk - A Skeptic’s Guide to AA, by A. J. Adams (Hazelden, 2009).  Undrunk may be the most lucid explanation of what AA is (and is not), how it functions and “how it works” that I’ve ever read, including all of the AA-Approved literature.  It is at once a primer for the reader who just isn’t quite sure, an explanation for newcomers, and a great narrative of a personal journey, written with eloquence and wit.  Along with being funny (at least to those of us who have been there), it’s almost never boring.

Still, as impressed as I am…

For years now I have used the understated elegance of many Buddhist practices to work toward living life in the present moment, and to being an integral part of this earth, while allowing myself not to be attached to it.  There is no success or failure rate in the Buddhist path.  There is only the awareness of the ebb and flow of living, the constancy of change and the acceptance of things as they are.

That is why I am totally smitten by Joni Kay Rose’s book,  “The Joy Beyond Craving - A Buddhist Perspective on Addiction and Recovery.” In this…

This past week-end I went to see the movie “Julie and Julia,” a story about a young woman who decides to make every one of Julia Child’s 524 recipes in her famous book in the period of one year and write a blog about it.  She becomes obsessed with this project and as she progresses through each recipe, she becomes more like Julia Child, even to the point of wearing a single strand of pearls, just like Julia’s.  The movie also is about the real Mrs. Child and how she got her start in cooking and became the icon for…

by Richard G. Hartnett

It’s taken me a very long time to read Richard Hartnett’s new book, “SOBRIETY and INSPIRATION - Entrusting Ourselves to the Source of Our Healing and Creativity.” Although this book is written in a language that is very comfortable, it is a very thorough description of the process  involved in finding self-healing, recovery from addictions and and actually how to  enjoy the process while you’re doing it.  This book cannot be read like a work of fiction.  It must be read slowly so that the reader may ingest, then digest each topic Mr. Hartnett addresses.  This is…

by Carrie Fisher

My very best friend just sent me an early birthday present.  It is a copy of “Wishful Drinking” by Carrie Fisher.  I read it in one sitting.  I read “Postcards From The Edge” many years ago and some of the things Ms. Fisher talks about in this book are remembrances of things past, but this time we see a different Carrie Fisher - one that has been through a  ECT (Electric Shock Therapy), and has awakened to a dead gay man in her bed to name a few.  Sounds just a bit bizarre, but then Ms. Fisher’s life…

by Noah Levine

I read a lot of books.  I barely put one down before I pick up another.  I often don’t remember authors, titles and other such trivialities of the written word, but for the last two days I have been taken to another place - the land of Noah Levine in his book “Dharma Punx.”  When I got the book I wasn’t crazy about the title or the synopsis - a punk rocker who find the middle way?  Yeah, right - that’s right up my alley.  I, a middle class, middle age woman can readily identify with the punk…

by Michael Stein

I received an e-mail last week from Dr. Michael Stein, inquiring if I had read his book, “The Addict.”  I had not heard of it and he kindly sent me a copy.  I wasn’t sure what to expect - another drug-a-log,  a scientific analysis of addiction or a condescending monologue about addicts who just won’t follow doctor’s orders and refuse to do the hard work of staying clean.  What I found, instead, was a compassionate view of one man’s passion to try and  help his patients with the incurable disease of addiction.  Dr. Stein is an Internist and,…

Ok. Call me crazy (you wouldn’t be the first,) but I may be the first person out here that has read the entire Twilight saga (movie too) and relates to it on a level much deeper than anything Stephenie Meyer could have imagined. I’m a sucker for pop culture and had to read the books the moment I heard of their popularity. Also, as a mother to two girls, I try to stay abreast of all things “now.” Mama likes to know what the kids are into these days. Which is more than I could say for my own parents 3o…

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and TSR has been contributing by sharing daily stories, submitted by a range of people, all struggling with alcohol, some in their first two weeks of sobriety, some in their 8th year.

April 9th (tomorrow) is National Alcohol Screening Day. Organizations and colleges across the nation will participate; making the screening available and providing information.

To locate a nearby NASD site, telephone 1-800-405-9200 or visit NationalAlcoholScreeningDay.org. There is also an online test, always available, at http://www.alcoholscreening.org/ This test was developed by Join Together, and just yesterday a milestone was reached, one million people have now taken that test!…

Benoit Denizet-Lewis will join the TSR community, this Sunday night, April 5th, at 8pm EST. Benoit is the author of America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life. TSR recently posted a book review about America Anonymous, the recovery book gathering so much widespread critical acclaim.

We are happy to present this wonderful opportunity to chat with an author so earnestly bringing awareness to addiction and proposing such pertinent health questions to both the recovery community and society at large.

America Anonymous is the story of eight men and women from around the country—including a grandmother, a college student, a bodybuilder, a housewife,…

Read this book.

Benoit Denizet-Lewis takes 8 ordinary, every day human beings who also happen to be addicts, and portrays the disease of addiction as it blasts its way through a cross section of America.   The subjects are as different as their geographical locations and yet their commonality is all too familiar to those of us who have been there.

For 3 years, Denizet-Lewis followed the lives of 8 different people, all sharing the same disease of addiction, but each one battling with their own specific demons.  In these pages we meet Ellen, a “food addict” who tries to find and cope…

A new book by Dave Breslin

If you want sweetness, bouquets of flowers, or a bowl of “sugarplums,” look elsewhere.  You will not find any fluff, frill or sugar-coating in these pages.  What you will find, however, is an unpasteurized collection of poems and other writings from a man nine years sober, with the scars to prove it.

“Cemetery Walks” picks up where Dave’s previous book “This Sober Life” left off.  It is divided into four seasons, if you will, beginning with Winter.  We are immediately hit with one of the focal points of the book in a poem called “Sell Yourself,”…

The Second Road is seeking submissions from people very new to sobriety.  Our mission states that:  We are an online community BY and FOR people in recovery from addictions of all kinds. We welcome people in ALL stages of recovery using ANY method that works for them.

We want to welcome people who are new on the road to recovery, and help them connect with the community of other wonderful people facing the same obstacles. There are many people here who understand the fear and pain involved in overcoming addiction. Sharing your story here helps you reach out to people who…

NEW RAFFLE runs 2/15-3/01/09

For this raffle, author Jennifer Storm has donated a signed copy of her book, Blackout Girl:
Growing Up and Drying Out in America!

“A common story. A rare twist. When the American Dream becomes her secret nightmare, quietly Jennifer Storm begins the dark descent into addiction. Then she discovers that the same events that destroy her, also create her. Written in a humble, raw voice, Jennifer Storm helps us remember where we came from–and why. ‘Blackout Girl’ brings us one step closer to forgiving ourselves for something we didn’t do.”

–Melody Beattie, author of “Codependent No More,” “The Grief Club,” and…

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
-Leonard Cohen

I’ve always felt that my harshest tribulations brought me to the better places in my life. I was able to let in the light in by confronting extreme darkness, by using adversity to make me stronger.

No matter how it is you choose to identify the operating system that helps you process even the worst of times–a Judeo Christian God, animism, Buddhism, 12 steps, etc,–we all have an experience where adversity and pain made us stronger. Listening to the stories of…

Please note, the first three people to send their survey feedback in to us will receive a complimentary TSR unisex Tshirt. Everyone else receives a deep bow and a feeling of pride for helping us improve the community website!

Thank you for taking just 10 minutes to fill out this survey.  Please take the time to help us improve your experience. Simply cut and paste this survey, fill it out and then send it to us at: contactus@thesecondroad.org

SURVEY

1. What do you like the most at the The Second Road?

2. What do you least like?

3. Is there anything you’d like to see…

Overcoming Crystal Meth Addiction: An Essential Guide to Getting Clean by Steven J. Lee is a must have guide for crystal meth users and for the general public.

When I started using crystal meth, I had absolutely no awareness of the drug. There was little information about the drug. Think about. We rarely go on a date with someone we don’t know, right? Much less marry them, right? With just my first line of crystal, things moved quickly. Within a month we were inseparable.

Crystal was a very “underground” drug in my town. The only people who could mentor me where the people…

Author Benoit Denizet-Lewis, who just started on his book tour, is doing his best to bring public awareness to addiction and recovery. Our country is in desperate need of expanding the conversation.  In fact, I can see change is slooooowly beginning to happen. It will be nice when we longer feel alienated or sequestered to basements to talk about our recovery, eh?

Columnist Rick Holmes is also doing his part by writing a concise piece about addiction in our country.

His conclusions are absolutely correct. Here’s one:

But we don’t talk much about addiction, and we don’t talk about it with intelligence or…

I recently watched the pilot episode of United States of Tara a new Showtime Original by Diablo Cody. It is about a housewife with multiple personality disorder and in true Cody style is written to perfection. Cody just has a way of taking dialogue to a level that is beyond my wildest expectations. I really think she is one of the best writers of our time. I love everything that comes out of her brilliantly defiant mind. Check the show out you will not be sorry.

Watching the show reminded me of a sponsee I once had who had multiple personality…

I can think of no better poster child for the Twelve Step addiction recovery plan than James Frey. This is despite the fact that Frey argued extensively against the Twelve Steps method in his addiction, uh, “memoir” A Million Little Pieces, calling it spiritual nonsense. He wrote, “I’d rather have [relapse and death] than spend my life in Church basements listening to People whine and bitch and complain. That’s not productivity to me, nor is it progress. It is the replacement of one addiction with another.” Frey instead decided he could beat his addiction through sheer willpower.Soon after, there he was,…

Love Junkie

By Rachel Resnick

This brutally honest account of Resnick’s personal compulsion toward sex to fill the void of her horrific childhood is a must read for anyone who seeks to understand love and sex obsession. Resnick details is vivid prose her dysfunctional childhood wrought with abandonment, sexual confusion, her mothers alcoholism and neglect. It is a miracle she made it without turning to alcoholism herself. Her escape of choice was men and loveless abusive relationships instead. She confused sex with love and love with attention. She spent the majority of her adult life looking for love in every sexual encounter…

I’ve been working on Step 1 and thinking about unmanageability in my own life and had one of those lovely moments of coincidence last weekend when my husband Mark and I went to see Burn After Reading, a funny, clever movie just drowning in unmanageable lives.

WARNING: Spoilers from here on out!

John Malkovich plays an alcoholic who refuses to acknowledge he has a problem, even as his drinking gets him fired from his job at the CIA. His marriage falls apart, his wife locks him out of both the house and the bank account, and his checks start to bounce. Looking…

by Lilian & Murdoch MacDonald

Reviewed by Ginger B.

If you’ve read any of my reviews you will know that usually I am a kind person.  Even if I do not agree with someone’s viewpoint or am not swept away by their prose, I can find something worthwhile in every book I read.  Just the fact that someone took the time to write it is worthy of praise.  However, Lilian MacDonald and her husband, Murdoch, have managed to pluck my last nerve in this 183 page attempt to prove that alcoholism is “a self-harming behaviour problem, (and not a disease),  which can…

written by Beverly Conyers

reviewed by Ginger B.

Beverly Conyers has done an excellent job of sharing her personal experience, strength and hope in her book, “Addict in the Family.” She has been there as the mother of an addict, and her understanding of the disease of addiction and its repercussions within family and friends is right on the money without being condescending, derogatory or patronizing. She tells it like it is; “Addicts persist in their self-destructive, addictive behavior until something within themselves - something quite apart from anyone else’s efforts - changes so radically that the desire for the high is dulled…

by George McGovern

Reviewed by Ginger B.

I was at a conference recently and this book was being given away as a “freebie” so, of course, I put it in my bag, not intending to put it on the top of my list of books to read. About a week after the conference I was at home, saw the book, and picked it up, not expecting a great read. After all, it was written by a politician (I voted for George McGovern in 1972, but a politician is still a politician), the event happened 14 years ago, and the book was already…

by Ginger B.

I just watched a new documentary entitled “The Courage to Change: portraits of men in recovery”, with the subtitle “A collection of short films, audio journals, and other interactive media.” This is a 4 year labor of love by Andy Young, a certified alcohol/drug counselor and licensed professional counselor.

Andy writes, “”My aim was something creative and engaging like an HBO special, yet with clinical content based on my experience as a counselor…”

The DVD is a compilation of videos, audio segments and questions for consideration by the viewer. It is an eclectic source of information for mens’ issues, with…

About 18 or so years ago, the author Lawrence Block wrote a novel called Random Walk, about a young man who begins a journey eastward from Oregon on foot, on what he imagines is a whim.  Along the way he picks up followers, including a murderous character whose coming to terms with his past makes up a powerful subplot.

The book is clearly a parable for the recovery process, as well as a New Age venture into mysticism.  Like all Block’s novels, it is tight and well-crafted.  Unfortunately it fell flat on its face and is now out of print.  Nonetheless,…

by Nic Sheff

Reviewed by Ginger B.

After I read “Beautiful Boy” by David Sheff, I waited a week and then picked up his son’s memoir of the plunge into depravity that comes with a wicked addition to methamphetamines. Nic Sheff is indeed, a beautiful boy - bright, artistic, precocious, athletic - who also battles with the all-too-common demons that many teen-agers face. He is overly competitive, tries constantly to fit in with people he thinks are his peers and is completely unsatisfied with his appearance.

When the book opens, Nic, who has already been in and out of rehab, is, once again,…