Lifelong Sobriety

GUEST POST

 

 GUEST POST

According to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, drug and alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of death in the United States.  The study found that 23.6 million Americans aged twelve or older, roughly thirteen percent of the population, are dependent on a substance.  Addiction and the subsequent healthcare costs—accidents, crime, incarceration, clinics—cost Americans over $484 billion every year.  Not only is this epidemic increasing in scope, but also the employment of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors is expected to grow by 27 percent from 2010 to 2020. 

Drugs are big business.  That’s clear.  But even more daunting, agencies face serious obstacles as they struggle to find solutions.  Throwing more money, more in-patient treatment, or more aggressive state intervention rarely addresses the underlying causes.  Individuals who suffer from addiction need help, but they need more than “tough love.”  Instead, they need an alternative to help them manage the toughest obstacle of all:  Their Emotions. 

As a drug and alcohol counselor for over 25 years, I have worked with hundreds of individuals who seek help, relapse and begin to experience hopelessness again. I realized there needs to be an addiction recovery book that offers straight talk in plain sensible language.   The kind of simple advice a recovering drug addict might encounter in a recovery group. No academic jargon that would confuse an individual seeking help or family member. I decided to write such a book. 
Lifelong Sobriety is the first recovery book that emphasizes the importance of taking care of one’s emotional health. The thirty-four chapters contain the kind of simple advice a recovering drug addict might encounter in a recovery group. The book has real-life experiences of dozens of recovering addicts. Readers will not only learn from these experiences but can benefit from the success stories of many of these individuals.   ! The book covers various topics: depression, stress, anxiety, loneliness, impulsivity, impatience, anger, pro- crastination, negative attitudes, self-centeredness, low self-esteem and more. 

If you don’t get a handle on emotions such as depression, stress, anxiety, loneliness, anger, boredom, etc., these emo- tions will start handling you. Life is all about balance and choices.  This book empowers individuals with addictions to make the right choices.  

About Bajeerao Patil ! Bajeerao Patil has been treating addictions as a drug and alcohol counselor for over 25 years. He has Masters Degrees in Social Work and Human Resources. He is an avid teacher of addiction and recovery.  He is affiliated with the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association. Bajeerao Patil is an author of Insanity Beyond Understanding and Lifelong Sobriety. To learn more about Bajeerao Patil and his work, visit http:// www.amazon.com/dp/0989569810/ and http://www.bajeeraopatil.com/.