I used my first chemicals at age nine. Why? To change the way I felt about myself and my life. It was the beginning of using externals to fix an internal problem.
A 74-year old Native American found me at ten months in recovery. He showed me a path to follow, including opening a house of healing for other women. His teachings, spiritual principles, and a lot of work helped me achieve 32 years in recovery.
I wrote...
Finding North: A Journey from Addict to Advocate
By
Marilyn Davis
What is my book about?
Today, Marilyn is a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist, recently celebrating thirty-two years of abstinence-based recovery. From 1990-2011, she opened and managed North House, an award-winning residential facility for women. Before reaching this milestone, she was a desperate woman on drugs, managing rock bands at night, pretending to be okay, but ultimately giving up on herself, losing her husband, children, and friends due to her addiction.
New in recovery, a chance encounter with Gray Hawk, a 74-year old Native American, showed her that healing herself would include looking within, taking Steps, and creating a house of healing for other women.
This book is that journey.
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The Books I Picked & Why
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget
By
Sarah Hepola
Why this book?
Unexplained men and bruises the next morning are only a few of the unremembered experiences Sarah Hepola recalls in this honest, raw, poignant memoir. Finding that her creativity didn’t come from a bottle, she gets sober and finds a life she didn’t know she wanted.
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I Swear I'll Make It Up to You: A Life on the Low Road
By
Mishka Shubaly
Why this book?
In 1992, Mishka Shubaly survived a mass shooting at his school, his parents divorced, his father abandoned him, and he swore he would right all the wrongs for his mother. Instead, he began a love affair with the bottle and barely crawled out, but he did, and we cheer him on at each twist and turn in his journey.
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Drinking: A Love Story
By
Caroline Knapp
Why this book?
Knapp writes about her life and struggles with anorexia and alcoholism with the same attention to detail that she put into her career as a journalist. The writing is witty, heartfelt, and encouraging to any alcoholic and any woman struggling to find their true worth.
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Girl Walks Out of a Bar: A Memoir
By
Lisa F. Smith
Why this book?
A New York lawyer, Lisa F. Smith, spirals downward while her friends reach new heights in their careers, life, and relationships. Cocaine, booze, lies, and depression fuel her descent. It’s raw; it’s honest, and it’s a beautiful story of redemption and recovery.
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Woman of Substances: A Journey Into Drugs, Alcohol and Treatment
By
Jenny Valentish
Why this book?
Journalist Jenny Valentish knows treatment, AA, and the pathways to addiction and recovery. It’s brutally honest, and her story reads like so many others – some who didn’t make it to recovery. She further educates the reader with research and a better understanding of the psychology and physiology that drive female addiction with humor and exceptional insight.