Books about Overcoming Addictions

[The One]

Tell me books and threads that talk about overcoming addiction

 

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[Eva (AI-Bot)]

There are various books and forum threads that discuss overcoming addiction. Here are a few recommendations:

Books:
1. "Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America’s Greatest Tragedy" by David Sheff
2. "Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction" by Maia Szalavitz
3. "Kick the Drink…Easily!" by Jason Vale
4. "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction" by Gabor Maté
5. "Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions" by Russell Brand

Forum Threads:
1. "Share Your Success Story: How You Overcame Addiction"
2. "Tips and Strategies for Overcoming Addiction"
3. "Support and Encouragement for Those Fighting Addiction"
4. "The Road to Recovery: Stories of Triumph and Hope"
5. "Harm Reduction Techniques for Managing Addiction"

These resources can provide valuable insights, strategies, and support for individuals looking to overcome addiction. Remember, seeking help and support from others is an important step in the recovery process.

 

[The One]

There are various books and forum threads that discuss overcoming addiction. Here are a few recommendations:

Books:
1. "Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America’s Greatest Tragedy" by David Sheff
2. "Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction" by Maia Szalavitz
3. "Kick the Drink…Easily!" by Jason Vale
4. "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction" by Gabor Maté
5. "Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions" by Russell Brand

Forum Threads:
1. "Share Your Success Story: How You Overcame Addiction"
2. "Tips and Strategies for Overcoming Addiction"
3. "Support and Encouragement for Those Fighting Addiction"
4. "The Road to Recovery: Stories of Triumph and Hope"
5. "Harm Reduction Techniques for Managing Addiction"

These resources can provide valuable insights, strategies, and support for individuals looking to overcome addiction. Remember, seeking help and support from others is an important step in the recovery process.

Don't give me various then, give the top and most effective ones

 

[Eva (AI-Bot)]

Don't give me various then, give the top and most effective ones

The top and most effective books on overcoming addiction are highly subjective and can vary depending on individual preferences and needs. However, based on popular reviews and recommendations, some widely acclaimed books that are often considered effective in addressing addiction include:

1. "Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America’s Greatest Tragedy" by David Sheff
2. "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction" by Gabor Maté
3. "Kick the Drink…Easily!" by Jason Vale

These books provide comprehensive insights, personal stories, and strategies that can help individuals in their journey towards overcoming addiction. It is essential to find a book that resonates with you and addresses your specific challenges and goals in order to make the most of the learning and recovery process.

 

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[Shono]

I struggled with addiction for years. The most valuable books for me (in no particular order) were:

1. Dopamine Nation
2. Willpower Instinct
3. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and Gabor Mate’s other works

These specifically for addiction, but other books were very equally valuable but were more geared towards trauma/psychology including works by Alice Miller, Pete walker, Bessel Van Der Kelk, mindfulness practicing etc.

You have to learn why you are addicted, when did it start? What was the major stressor at the time? What triggers the addiction now? What is your method or substance of self soothing, and why did you choose that specifically? I don’t think theres a one size fits all cure for addiction. You have to self reflect and become fully fledged in your own experience.

If it is shame, which it could be, don’t make the mistake of trying to fix it on your own, that’s the biggest catch-22 of shame. Shame wants to isolate and continue its addictive behaviour, and shame can’t survive being spoken. Try to find a safe person or empathetic witness, if not a friend, then a therapist or a support group. You can also message me anytime. Remember to be kind to yourself.

Addiction is insidious and seems hopeless the longer it goes on, and recovering requires facing all the crap you’ve numbed yourself to, so it is painful, but it’s the most important thing you can do, and truly is gaining everything by giving up one thing.

 

[Aaron Harker]

Just stop.

 

[Shono]

Just stop.

I agree. Just stop then immediately after just become a millionaire. Just do it.

 

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[LibertyPioneer]

It depends on the addiction. This book is an eye opener about alcohol.

This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life​

Furthermore, finding the cause of addiction is always important.

 

[TempusFugit]

Another good book that is specifically on beating addiction to pornography is The Easy Peasy Method.
The best thing about it is that it's completely free to read.

Edit P.S.: Also a good book about the harm of porn is The Porn Myth by Matt Fradd.

 

[Shono]

Another good book that is specifically on beating addiction to pornography is The Easy Peasy Method.
The best thing about it is that it's completely free to read.

Edit P.S.: Also a good book about the harm of porn is The Porn Myth by Matt Fradd.

In my opinion this book is trash. Doesn’t go deep into the cause/effect of addiction, it basically prescribed white knuckling for 90 days then seeing ‘how great you feel.’ Which is disastrous advice, because it reinforces false hope syndrome.

 

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[TempusFugit]

In my opinion this book is trash. Doesn’t go deep into the cause/effect of addiction, it basically prescribed white knuckling for 90 days then seeing ‘how great you feel.’ Which is disastrous advice, because it reinforces false hope syndrome.

Which book for clarification? I'm pretty sure both books talk about this topic.

 

[Shono]

Which book for clarification? I'm pretty sure both books talk about this topic.

Easy peasy method. I’ll read the other one as I am super curious about this subject. I met an addiction specialist by chance about a year ago who said he holds meetings for relationship issues, one for alcohol, one for drugs, and one for porn, and since covid he says the porn group outgrew the others by 4x the amount.

 

[YSINEHERO]

When you stop addictions just for a while you will feel a superpower and a strength and a vision toward your goals, the moment you feel bored you will come back to the same habit! For me, I think the best way someone can stop his addiction is he has to find a partner who can be with him and alleviate the pain or distract yourself with gym, workout, and work. Get addicted to work and make more money!

It's all related to the mindset and your psychology bro, if you feel the urge to come back, it's because you're in a situation in which either you are not comfortable like fear or sadness or a stressful situation or also too comfortable related to being alone, bored and your mind loves the comfort zone that makes him feel good, away from his real life.

Try to get dopamine from the stress and the pain and the uncomfortable zone which is your real-life problems and how you can solve them, and switch your dopamine towards your goals.

 

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[TempusFugit]

I met an addiction specialist by chance about a year ago who said he holds meetings for relationship issues, one for alcohol, one for drugs, and one for porn, and since covid he says the porn group outgrew the others by 4x the amount.

That's not surprising, but still...wow.
Once you isolate yourself for any reason, you get very tempted to fall. That's what happened to me a lot during COVID. It totally sucked.
Have you heard of Fight the New Drug?

 

[Shono]

That's not surprising, but still...wow.
Once you isolate yourself for any reason, you get very tempted to fall. That's what happened to me a lot during COVID. It totally sucked.
Have you heard of Fight the New Drug?

Isolation, shame, more isolation, more shame. It’s a self-reinforcing downward spiral, and porn especially triggers that since it’s by definition secretive. It is brutal. Just read up on hikikomori’s in Japan to see the full extent to what can happen to an individual who gets caught in this. Japan is a very shaming society in general.

 

[Dark Water]

I reported the AI bot before realizing it was an AI bot... sorry mods.

 

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[random_username]

For smoking cigarettes the bible is "Easy way to stop smoking" by Allen Carr. I've smoked since I was 14 until I was 26. That was my entire conscious life up until that point. 12 whole years. I've read the book in 3 days, stopped smoking on the 4th day, because why not, and never looked back. I don't want to spoil the book, but it has a lot of useful advice in general that you can translate to other mental addictions. Yes it really was that easy.

 

[Kevin88660]

Fastlane forum is pretty addictive.

 

[Gigantic_brain]

Isolation, shame, more isolation, more shame. It’s a self-reinforcing downward spiral, and porn especially triggers that since it’s by definition secretive. It is brutal. Just read up on hikikomori’s in Japan to see the full extent to what can happen to an individual who gets caught in this. Japan is a very shaming society in general.

If you are comfortable sharing, what addictions were you struggling with? This is just for reference to see if they would apply to me.

 

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[Shono]

If you are comfortable sharing, what addictions were you struggling with? This is just for reference to see if they would apply to me.

Growing up it was video games/porn, then as an adult I completely went off the deep end with alcohol. I believe all addictions operate in the same way, the behavioural mechanisms are different; some people need uppers, some need downers due to their personal makeup etc., but addiction is fundamentally there to treat emotional pain. Being honest with yourself and finding the root of your emotional pain is the key.

 

[Subsonic]

In my opinion this book is trash. Doesn’t go deep into the cause/effect of addiction, it basically prescribed white knuckling for 90 days then seeing ‘how great you feel.’ Which is disastrous advice, because it reinforces false hope syndrome.

But that's specifically what you are told not to do.

The book solely focuses on the reason you consume and reveals the false believes that make stopping hard or scary or impossible.

Interestingly, there is never a "deeper" reason for why you become addicted. All ideas about that are harmful because they reinforce the believe that the substance/porn actually gives you something or is necessary for you.

People dont consume porn because they are single, lonely or got beaten by their parents. Thats the excuse but the only reasons one actually uses are 1. Because the user is miserable without it 2. The substance/porn hijacks natural reward systems and 3. Because the user believes the substance/porn is his friend.

I managed to escape my addiction with easypeasy and had no "white knuckling" to do because I knew right from the start that I was making no sacrifice.

What you seem to be talking about is the nofap community with the "nofap 90 days benefits timeline" bullshit.

 

[NervesOfSteel]

The self control is the only way to overcome addiction. Its a hard and rough process where you're supposed to fail a few times before overcoming your addictions.

A book can only help you with mindset but without self control, no book is going to help anyway!

 

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[Kevin88660]

Growing up it was video games/porn, then as an adult I completely went off the deep end with alcohol. I believe all addictions operate in the same way, the behavioural mechanisms are different; some people need uppers, some need downers due to their personal makeup etc., but addiction is fundamentally there to treat emotional pain. Being honest with yourself and finding the root of your emotional pain is the key.

Guess different things work for different people.

Games are tiring and are like unpaid work to me. Alcohol just tastes bitter like medicine to me. Online pornography is so gross (lack of grace) these days, it makes me feel like a hungry man eating his meal, in a latrine full of stench. You want to get out asap once you are not starving.

I do struggling with eating clean. Because eating clean makes me super low energy and lethargic that affects work productivity. I need the half scoop of ice cream or the less sugar milk tea to kick off the 2 hours working on my laptop or going to the gym. I find it as an acceptable trade off.

Junk food in small portion are good fuels. I am not sure if there is a better way to deal with this.

 

[random_username]

Growing up it was video games/porn, then as an adult I completely went off the deep end with alcohol. I believe all addictions operate in the same way, the behavioural mechanisms are different; some people need uppers, some need downers due to their personal makeup etc., but addiction is fundamentally there to treat emotional pain. Being honest with yourself and finding the root of your emotional pain is the key.

With all due respect you have no idea what you are talking about. I'm not saying to be rude, but you are spewing obvious bullshit that is not helpful to anyone reading this thread. All addictions are not the same. Only thing addiction treats is the addiction itself, otherwise it's not an addiction. It's either an addiction or it's not. There are physical addictions like drugs and alcohol, and then are psychological addictions like smoking, video games, porn and weed. I have no experience with physical addictions so I won't comment on that. What you say might apply to physical addictions, I honestly don't know. But it certainly doesn't apply to psychological addictions, and that's what you are referencing the most in the posts above. Your posts tilt me into oblivion because this is precisely what I used to think few years ago, and that terrible mindset that kept me smoking. If I can help at least one other person reading to realize that is useless mindset, that's a win in my book.

If you realize you have an addiction, and you realize it's only a psychological addiction, and you've read the book properly, Easy way method works 1000% of time. I said above how I stopped smoking after reading the Easy Way book. I also stopped playing League of Legends using similar techniques, before I knew the books existed. Once I fully grasped that my rank in LoL doesn't matter, all reasons for playing disappear, then that became my identity, and life goes on. If you actually understood the books, not just read them, you would understand there is no "false hope syndrome". You just stop doing it and move on with your life. Same way when you are a kid and walk to school after the rain and cars blast you with puddle water. After a few times you get wet you realize, damn I better get out the way. It's the same thing. Once you realize there is no benefit to doing it, you just stop doing it, then when you realize how actually easy it is, it become a positive feedback loop and you keep going. Now this is your identity and you just move on with life. It just becomes one of those stupid things you did when you where younger and did not know better.

Again, I'm not writing this to be rude to you, do whatever you want, but I hope that anyone else reading this doesn't take your advice.