Arthritis or Recovery Options

Arthritis

Author: David Pisetsky

This new book in the successful Healthy Living series - inspirational stories followed by positive, practical medical advice for caregivers and patients - addresses an issue that is endemic among older Americans.

The good news is that we are living longer: The bad news is that many aging people are living with some type of pain. In fact, 66 million people (nearly 1 in 3 adults) have doctor-diagnosed arthritis; 23.2 million people are living with chronic joint pain. Here is a book to offer them information and inspiration in an easy-to-read, trusted formula.

In the Healthy Living series, Chicken Soup for the Soul partners with the nation’s top medical experts and organizations to give emotional support and important information to people with specific medical needs. The books feature approximately twelve positive, heartwarming stories from real people, followed by relevant expert medical advice that will positively impact the reader’s life. Subjects such as diet, psychological issues, family relations, and alternative therapies exist side-by-side with traditional subjects such as understanding common medical terms, the effects of treatment options, and the doctor-patient relationship. Each book contains source notes and a resources section for more information and support.

Interesting book: Coming China Wars or Wheres Bin Laden

Recovery Options: The Complete Guide, How You and Your Loved Ones Can Understand and Treat Alcohol and Other Drug Problems

Author: Joseph Volpicelli

A clear and compassionate guide to overcoming substance problems

"A no-nonsense, state-of-the-art guide."—Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Coming Plague

"Comprehensive, illuminating, easy to read."—William Cope Moyers, Vice President of Public Affairs, Hazelden Foundation

In Recovery Options: The Complete Guide, Joseph Volpicelli, M.D., Ph.D., an award-winning addiction research pioneer, and Maia Szalavitz, a Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist and former addict, provide frank and impartial appraisals of all the major treatment options, including:

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Moderate drinking programs
• Alternative treatments
• Therapeutic communities
• Cognitive therapies
• Other 12-step programs
• Medications
• Methadone
• Harm reduction
• How families can help

In Recovery Options: The Complete Guide, you will learn what addiction is—and what it isn’t. You will examine both the mechanism of addiction and how you can make the best treatment choices . . . why some people are particularly prone to substance problems . . . and the genetic and learning mechanisms that help create these conditions. You’ll explore the various types of treatment and the ideas on which they are based, and find out how effective each treatment is—and which ones are not effective. Finally, you’ll find supportive information on staying clean and sober, preventing relapse, and minimizing damage caused by slips that may occur. Featuring the dramatic real-life stories of patients’ experiences (both good and bad) with various methods of recovery, this warm, sympathetic,and accessible guide to overcoming alcohol and other drug problems will help you and your loved ones begin the journey away from substance misuse toward a better life.

Library Journal

With in-depth explanations of street drugs, pharmaceutical drugs, and handy tips such as how to select a counselor, a treatment, or a self-help group, this work is chockfull of valuable information geared primarily to substance abusers in any stage before and during recovery. The book also offers "For Family Members & Loved Ones" segments as well as "Knowledge Is Power" sections that summarize many of the chapters but don't quite compensate for the lack of an index. Volpicelli, a senior scientist at Penn/VA Center for Research on Addictive Diseases, shares his impressive knowledge of addiction with scientific precision but uses practical advice and vignettes to illustrate topics. Szalavitz, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist and recovered addict, lends an experiential voice that makes this book even more empathetic. Recommended for public, medical, and academic libraries with clinical concentrations.--Paula N. Arnold, ingenta inc, Boston Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

What People Are Saying

Laurie Garrett
Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Coming Plague

Finally! A no-nonsense, state-of-the-art guide that one can hand to anybody who is having trouble with drugs, alcohol, tobacco or foods of various kinds. What a gift Volpicelli and Szalavitz have given us: a stupendous, practical way to help the colleagues and loved ones in our lives who are struggling with chemical dependency.

Charles P. O'Brien
Charles P. O'Brien, MD, PhD, Kenneth Appel Professor, Department of Psychiatry, VA Medical Center, President, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

Joe Volpicelli is one of the most creative research scientists and clinicians in the addiction field. With Maia Szalavitz, he has put together a highly practical and effective book describing a modern approach to the treatment of alcoholism and other addictive disorders. This approach is steeped in pragmatism and soundly based on science. It utilizes techniques that work and that have been adapted to the needs of individual patients. The writing is clear, succinct and understandable. It should be a very useful guide for patients, their families, and professionals in addressing this terrible disease.

William Cope Moyers
William Cope Moyers, Vice President of Public Affairs, Hazelden Foundation

Comprehensive, illuminating, and easy to read, this book points out the diverse paths to the ultimate goal—recovery from alcohol and other drug abuse.

Fred Rotgers
Fred Rotgers, Assistant Chief Psychologist, Smithers Addiction Treatment and Training Center

At last a sensible, clear guide for consumers who are facing the tough choice of seeking treatment for addictive behaviors. In a field long driven by emotion and minimal scientific evidence, Volpicelli and Szalavitz impartially review the options and explain them in clear language. In addition, they take some of the hysteria out of the issues facing substance users and their loved ones by providing a coherent summary of what we really know about alcohol and other drugs. A must read. Bravo!

Mark Kleiman
Mark Kleiman, Professor of Policy Studies at UCLA and author of Against Excess: Drug Policy For Results

Wise, accurate, responsible, accessible, and well written. I'm assigning it for my course in drug policy.

Table of Contents:

THE PROBLEM AND THE SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS.
Understanding Problems with Alcohol and Other Drugs.
Drugs 101.
What Causes Addiction?
Addiction Treatment Philosophies.
What Works, What Doesn't.
For Families: Stages of Change and Ways to Make a Difference.
Overcoming Barriers to Recovery.
How to Choose Treatment.
THE OPTIONS.
BRENDA: The Penn Paradigm.
Getting Off: Medications to Help You Quit.
Medications to Reduce Craving and Relapse.
Twelve-Step Programs.
Other Self-help Groups.
The Minnesota Model.
Therapeutic Communities.
Moderate-Drinking Approaches.
Harm Reduction.
Methadone.
Alternative Treatments.
Teen Treatment.
LIFE AFTER TREATMENT.
Relapse and Relapse Prevention.
Emotional and Psychological Problems in Recovery.
A New Life: Maintaining Recovery in the Long Run.
Appendix.
Notes.
Index.