A revolutionary new approach in the field of addiction and recovery, Learning to SOAR! asserts not only that complete recovery is possible, but also that you have the right and responsibility to create your own recovery program.
Learning to SOAR! shows how to:
* get sober and stay sober (break your addiction)
* reconnect with your feelings
* set healthy limits and boundaries
* define your emotional needs and wants
* live with emotional pain
* forgive and accept yourself and others
* explore your spirituality
The book follows former alcohol addict Jennifer Wixson through the three stages of recovery. Wixson redefines recovery NOT as the ability to drink again but rather as the healthy wholeness of the human being. Wixson (sober since 1988) asserts that alcohol (and other addictions) are not necessary to a healthy, happy life and by focusing on this aspect most recovery programs set people up for failure by separating them permanently from others. People who become addicted to alcohol are no different from anyone else, she writes. There's no such thing as an 'alcoholic.' We are not a society of two types of people -- like Dr. Seuss' Star Belly Sneeches and Sneeches Without Stars -- we are simply a society in denial.
Wixson firmly believes that it's possible for everyone to heal, and that complete recovery is possible. Her own life is a testament to her radical new philosophy.
The print edition contains a foreword by Ken Hamilton, M.D., founder of the non-profit organization H.O.P.E. (Healing of Persons Exceptional).
Jennifer Wixson is an alcohol addict who healed herself via a self-help program she created and implemented herself. She documents her journey of recovery in her book, Learning to SOAR! -- A Guide for People Who Want to Create Their Own Recovery Programs.
Sober since 1988, Wixson went on to earn a Master's in Divinity from Bangor Theological Seminary. She is the author of The Sovereign Series, a whimsical series of novels set in the mythical town of Sovereign, Maine (pop. 1,048), noted for good-hearted and lovable characters. Book 1, Hens & Chickens, was published in 2012 and Peas, Beans & Corn in 2013. (Two other novels and a cookbook are to follow.)
An itinerant Quaker minister, Wixson lives on a farm in rural Maine, where she and her husband raise Scottish Highland Cattle. You can follow her on Twitter @ChickenJen and find more about her current writing on her Facebook author's page.