Dying for a Drink: What You and Your Family Should Know about Alcoholism »

In the United States, alcoholism leads to 100,000 unnecessary deaths per year. Nearly 3 in 10 American adults are "risky drinkers." 18 million Americans are abusing alcohol regularly. More than ½ of Americans have a close family member who is an alcoholic.

Despite the scope of this problem, there are currently no books published for the broader Christian community that offer Dying for a Drink's unique combination of strong writing, compelling stories, the best in medical science and practice, and clear explication of the timeless spiritual principles of recovery.

The revision of this classic work incorporates new information on topics such as:

• The role of mental illness, childhood trauma, and family origin issues


• Human motivation and new methods of intervention and treatment


• Understanding the role of the Holy Spirit and the church community in recovery


• Prevention and the church's role in an alcohol-saturated society

Contents

Acknowledgments....................xi
Introduction....................xiii
1. An Equal Opportunity Epidemic....................1
2. It Could Never Happen to Me....................7
3. Who's at Risk?....................11
4. How Much Is Too Much?....................21
5. Abuse-or Addiction?....................27
6. Early Warning Signs....................35
7. "Don't Call Me an Alcoholic!"....................45
8. The Supporting Cast....................49
9. A Partner's Point of View....................59
10. The Family Trap....................63
11. "Somebody's Going to Get It!"....................73
12. Too Much Too Soon....................77
13. Games Children Play....................85
14. Five Myths of Addiction....................95
15. Motivation for Change: First Steps....................101
16. Letting Go....................109
17. Getting Help: New Tools for Intervention....................115
18. Group Intervention: Love and Honesty....................121
19. Decision Time....................129
20. Some Words of Caution....................137
21. Paths to Sobriety....................141
22. When the Honeymoon Ends....................151
23. Guidelines for Recovering Alcoholics....................155
24. Family Recovery....................165
25. Relapse Prevention....................173
26. What If the Alcoholic Never Stops Drinking?....................181
27. A Call to Action....................185
Epilogue....................195
Appendix A: Letter to Grandchildren....................197
Appendix B: MAST: A DiagnosticTest....................201
Appendix C: Resources....................205
Notes....................209
About the Authors....................217