A Choice of Books by William Moyers on Creators.com

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A Choice of Books

It is a good time to have the bad illness of addiction, because right now several notable authors are on the stump hawking their perspectives about how to overcome it.

David Sheff's book is "Clean." Anne Fletcher's insight is "Inside Rehab." Christopher Kennedy Lawford offers "Recover to Live." I've got one, too, but for now we'll leave me out of this.

All of those books, like countless others over the decades, tap into the writers' own experiences, their passion to help others and their biases about what works, what doesn't and why. There is a lot of information flying about. Most of it is accurate, too. But not all of it lines up. No wonder: Addiction to alcohol and other drugs is a misunderstood illness. And so is how to treat it, overcome it and live with it. In other words, there are differences of opinion.

I don't do book reviews. It is up to the readers to figure out which is best. But in the public discourse stirred up by those authors, it is important to embrace these truths, brought to us in part by my colleague Dr. Valerie Slaymaker:

—A drug is a drug is a drug, but treatment is not treatment is not treatment. What works for one person or a lot of people isn't for everyone, and promoting one program by criticizing another only hurts those who are trying to find help.

—Professionals do work at most treatment programs. They are licensed, and a growing number have college degrees in counseling, psychology or medicine.

—Treatment does work. How well? It depends on how and when the question is asked and what factors are used to calculate effectiveness.

Without a doubt, our field has failed to properly or accurately gauge outcomes, and it is about to come back to bite us in the implementation of health care reforms. But many treatment facilities do track their patients or clients down the road. And the proof is irrefutable that millions of people and their families are "better" today because they got help to stop or cut back on their substance use.

—God works. But so do medication, group therapy, silent meditation, exercise, writing in a journal, changing jobs, getting a job, working with other addicts or alcoholics, herbal salves, and hang gliding, among other pursuits. A "power greater than ourselves" is whatever we find useful to fill the void we once filled with debilitating substances. Maybe it is spiritual. Perhaps even religious. Or maybe we just feel better when we do whatever it is that sustains our well-being.

—Recovery is not a trademark. No author owns it. I challenge anyone to define it for anyone else beyond the hope that follows the desperation of too much drinking and drugging. But it does matter that we talk, write and openly share our own "recovery" stories for the benefit of those who aren't clean and can't get inside a rehab but deserve to recover to live.

I know a couple of writers who just might be good at telling that story.

William Moyers is the vice president of public affairs and community relations for the Hazelden Foundation and the author of "Broken," his best-selling memoirs. His new book, "Now What? An Insider's Guide to Addiction and Recovery," has just been published. Please send your questions to William Moyers at wmoyers@hazelden.org. To find out more about William Moyers and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.