Drugfree: A Unique, Positive Approach to Staying Off Alcohol and Other Drugs

A guide to recovering from substance abuse includes discussions about the common myths about addiction and recovery, specific drugs and their temporary and long-term effects, and how to overcome obstacles to finding help

Supplementing their previous works on conquering addiction (The Little Black Pill Book, etc.), Smith and Seymour, founder of the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in San Francisco, address millions of addicts who, having succeeded in conquering their habits, still suffer relapses, sometimes years later. The authors contend that there is only remission, not permanent cure, for the disease of addiction; recovered addicts, they assert, need physical and psychological assistance in maintaining long-term freedom from drug dependence. They define the nature and effects of the most commonly abused drugs and describe a variety of relaxation techniques that many recovered addicts find helpful, along with good diet and exercise, in relieving the stress that often accompanies breaking a habit. They advocate life-enhancing, growth-developing activities to help render the use of drugs superfluous and endorse employee assistance programs as well as the many support groups concerned with specific drugs.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The authors, co-founder and education director, respectively, of the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic, claim that staying off drugs is more difficult than getting off drugs. Theirs is one of the first books to address the issue of what a recovering addict can do to maintain abstinence. They provide techniques for overcoming the initial depression and drug hunger that accompanies early abstention as well as alternatives for living a drug-free life that included diet, exercise, and Yoga. Overall, the focus is on the quality of life after addiction. This is an excellent book that offers helpful, practical advice for the recovering addict. Barbara J. Powell, Psychology Div., V.A. Medical Ctr., Kansas City, Mo .
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.