Resources
Education, Research, & Treatment Resources for Addiction
For Patients, Family Members, and Concerned Others:
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NIAAA is part of the National Institutes of Health. Its mission is to support and conduct research on the impact of alcohol use on health and well being. It is an excellent source for the latest and most reliable scientific findings on alcoholism. The website has a useful guide to understanding treatment options for alcohol problems and a link for people willing to participate in clinical trials of new treatments.Visit Website
NIDA is part of the National Institutes of Health. NIDA’s mission is to “bring the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction.” Like its sibling NIAAA, it is an excellent source for the latest and most reliable scientific findings on drug abuse and drug dependence. It has an excellent website for teenagers, “NIDA for Teens” (http://teens.drugabuse.gov/) and a link for people willing to participate in clinical trials of new treatments.Visit Website
SAMHSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services whose mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. SAMSHA has a treatment hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) to help individuals find treatment programs in their area. It also has an online treatment locator.- Teresi, L. & Haroutunian, H. (2011). Hijacking the Brain: How Drug and Alcohol Addiction Hijacks Our Brains and The Science Behind Twelve-Step Recovery. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
- Aldrin, B. (2009). Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home From The Moon. Random House, NY.
- Black, C. (1987). It will never happen to me! Children of alcoholics: As youngsters-adolescents-adults. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.
- Black, C., (2002). Changing Course: Healing from loss, abandonment and fear. Center City, MN: Hazelden.
- Gorski, T. T., & Miller, M. (1986). Staying Sober: A guide for relapse prevention. Independence, MO: Herald House/Independence Press.
- Gorski, T. T. (1989). Passages Through Recovery: An action plan for preventing Relapse. Center City, MN: Hazelden.
- Stein, M. (2010). The Addict: One Woman, One Doctor, One Year. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
- Twerski, A.J. (1997). Addictive Thinking; Understanding Self-Deception 2nd edition. Center City, MN: Hazelden.
Advocacy Groups:
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Many Faces 1 Voice is an advocacy organization that began in response to the documentary The Anonymous People (http://manyfaces1voice.org/). The organization seeks to have individuals in long-term recovery come forward to publically advocate on behalf of individuals struggling with addiction. The Many Faces 1 Voice website states, “We are moms and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters - all bringing the power and proof of recovery to our communities. Together we will change public perception, and ultimately the public response to the addiction crisis...FOREVER.”Visit Website
NCADD advocates for the recognition of addiction as a public health problem and therefore a public responsibility. NCADD works to dispel the myths and stigma surrounding addiction and “strongly believes that addicts can be helped and are worth helping.”Visit Website
NCADD-MD is an excellent resource for finding public sector services in the community. NCADD-MD advocates for individuals affected by addictions, to insure access to treatment, and the resources necessary for recovery.Self-Help Groups - 12 Step:
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This is the official website of AA and the official source for information about AA. According to the website, “Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem.” It is based on the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.Visit Website
BAIA and WAIA provide an online directories of AA meetings in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. They staff the AA telephones, publishes the Where and When guides to AA meetings, and brings AA meetings to hospitals and other institutions.Visit Website
This is the official website of NA and the official source of information about NA. NA is a 12 Step program adapted from AA. According to the website, “NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean.”Visit Website
Baltimore NA-C&PR NA provide online directories of NA meetings in the Baltimore-Washington metro area and information about NA.Visit Website
This is the official website of MA and the official source of information about MA. MA is a 12 Step program adapted from AA. According to the website, “Marijuana Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share our experience, strength, and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from marijuana addiction.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using marijuana. There are no dues or fees for membership. We are self-supporting through our own contributions. MA is not affiliated with any religious or secular institution or organization and has no opinion on any outside controversies or causes.”
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This is the official website of CA and the official source of information about CA. It has links to local meetings. CA is a 12 Step program adapted from AA. According to the website, “Cocaine Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from their addiction. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using cocaine and all other mind-altering substances. There are no dues or fees for membership; we are fully self-supporting through our own contributions. We are not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution.”Visit Website
This is the official website of CMA and the official source of information about CMA. CMA is a 12 Step program adapted from AA. According to the website, “Crystal Meth Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women for whom all drugs, specifically crystal meth, have become a problem. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. There are no dues or membership lists. The fellowship that is Crystal Meth Anonymous is a new way of life without Crystal Meth. Crystal Meth Anonymous advocates a twelve step recovery program for spiritual development, no matter what our religious belief or background.“Visit Website
This is the official website of OA. OA is a 12 Step program adapted from AA. According to the website, “Overeaters Anonymous (OA) offers a program of recovery from compulsive overeating, binge eating and other eating disorders using the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of OA. Worldwide meetings and other tools provide a fellowship of experience, strength and hope where members respect one another’s anonymity. OA charges no dues or fees; it is self-supporting through member contributions. OA is not just about weight loss, weight gain, maintenance, obesity or diets. It addresses physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. It is not a religious organization and does not promote any particular diet.”Non 12 Step Self-Help Groups:
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This is the official website of SMART Recovery. SMART Recovery is based on a four point program: building and maintaining motivation; coping with urges; managing thoughts, feelings and behaviors; and living a balanced life. According to the website, “SMART Recovery is the leading self-empowering addiction recovery support group. Our participants learn tools for addiction recovery based on the latest scientific research and participate in a world-wide community which includes free, self- empowering, science-based mutual help groups.” The website provides a link to a directory of meetings across the country.Visit Website
SMART Recovery-Capital Region is the Washington metro area chapter of the nation-wide SMART Recovery Self-Help Network. The site provides an online directory of local meetings.Visit Website
This is the official website of WFS. WFS is a self-help program for women wishing to overcome alcoholism and other addictions. According to the website, “WFS self-help groups are found all across this country and abroad. Based upon a Thirteen Statement Program of positivity that encourages emotional and spiritual growth, the "New Life" Program has been extremely effective in helping women overcome their addictions and embrace a new positive lifestyle.”Books and Publications on Addiction and Recovery For families and concerned others:
An excellent guide for families. Based on the best available empirical research, Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help Change People provides a roadmap and practical advice for helping a loved one overcome addiction. This book replaces “tough love” strategies with an approach grounded in scientific research, kindness, and compassion.
Books on Alcoholics Anonymous
This concise book “presents an explicit explanation of the principles by which AA members recover and how AA as an organization functions. Many ideas and beliefs are attributed to AA that are not part of AA’s official principles or program. This book is the definitive reference and is published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services.
This biography of the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous captures the strengths and “character defects” of an extraordinary individual. Susan Cheever draws vivid pictures of Bill Wilson and the early history of AA.
This biography is informative, detailed, and well-documented. It is readable, thoughtful, and treats the less admirable aspects of Bill Wilson’s character with candor and respect. Francis Hartigan served as secretary and confidant to Lois Wilson, Bill Wilson’s wife. He was given full access to personal papers pertaining to both, in Lois Wilson’s possession.
A wonderful introduction to the concept of spirituality in AA and spirituality in general. The book defines spirituality as the recognition and acceptance of humans as imperfect beings. The book discusses how the founders of AA incorporated spirituality into its program of recovery. The authors use anecdotes from diverse religious traditions to illustrate the need and benefits of spirituality in recovery.
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Nan Robertson tells the story of AA and her own story of addiction to alcohol and her recovery through participation in AA. It explains and demystifies the program of AA.
Self Help
This book is for individuals who are interested in non-12 Step approaches to understanding addiction and recovery. In this book, psychiatrist Lance Dodes looks at the repetitive, compulsive, and self-destructive behavior patterns that characterize addiction as first and foremost stemming from psychological difficulties. These psychological difficulties can be identified, understood, and changed by the individual struggling with an addictive disorder.
Memoirs of Addiction and Recovery
America Anonymous follows the lives of eight individuals whose addictions include heroin, alcohol, methamphetamines and steroids, food, sex and pornography, gambling, and shoplifting as they face their addictions and work towards healing and recovery. It is a book with heart and compassion that speaks to the anguish of active addiction and the resilience and determination of addicts seeking recovery.
Sarah Hepola’s memoir is the story of her efforts to find her way forward out of addiction to alcohol and into recovery. It is smart, funny, and honest.
Actress Kristen Johnston (of 3rd Rock From The Sun fame) unflinchingly tells the story of her addiction to alcohol and drugs and her hard-won recovery. Her memoir is both excruciating in its honesty and hilarious at the same time.
Caroline Knapp tells a compelling story of beginning to drink at age 14 in a family where alcoholism was already operating under the surface but unacknowledged and the events that led her to enter rehab and recovery at age 36. It is a painful story of the damage of alcoholism and of hope and resilience.
In The Trip to Echo Springs, Olivia Laing looks at the link between creativity and alcoholism in the work and lives of: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, John Berryman, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver. She charts the effects of alcoholism on each writer’s work and life. Some of these individuals find recovery, some drink themselves to death, some suicide. This is an insightful and beautifully-written book. While strictly speaking The Trip to Echo Springs is not a memoir, the author speaks personally and deeply about her desire to make sense of alcoholism as the daughter of an alcoholic mother.
From a deeply personal perspective, this article takes on the ambivalence that many individuals feel toward AA – the gratitude for what AA can and does do for the person seeking sobriety and the anger and disappointment at its limitations.
Publications on Addiction for Professionals
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Alcohol Research: Current Reviews (ARCR) is the peer-reviewed journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. ARCR publishes in-depth reviews on important topics in alcohol research.
The Carlatt Addiction Treatment Report (CATR) is a newsletter that provides “current, practical and relevant information to addiction specialists.” It is a very useful publication for staying current on the latest topics in addiction treatment. CATR does not receive any corporate funding and provides unbiased assessments of all available treatments in the addiction field.
- Teresi, L. & Haroutunian, H. (2011). Hijacking the Brain: How Drug and Alcohol Addiction Hijacks Our Brains and The Science Behind Twelve-Step Recovery. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
- Twerski, A.J. (1997). Addictive Thinking; Understanding Self-Deception 2nd edition. Center City, MN: Hazelden.
Books on Addiction for Professionals
By one of the leading researchers on stages of change model of behavior change, Dr. DiClemente combines empirical research, the theory, and practice to how individuals develop addictions and how they recover.
This book outlines the basic theory and empirical research for motivational interviewing and illustrates the techniques with extensive clinical vignettes. Motivational interviewing was originally developed to help addicted individuals address their ambivalence about change and getting them “unstuck” but is now applied to numerous situations where people need help to change their behaviors. The first edition of this book was titled Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People to Change Addictive Behavior.
This book is for clinicians who are treating patients with both substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorders. This is the first-empirically validated, integrated treatment approach for substance abuse and PTSD. The book is structured around teaching “safe coping skills” that help individuals work toward abstinence and gain control over the symptoms of extreme trauma. The book has 25 specific units with handouts and is designed to build specific skills. It can be used in individual or group treatment.
- Christine Courtois & Judy Herman. Treating Complex Trauma