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Unhooked: How To Quit Anything (2012)

by Susan Shapiro(Favorite Author)

3.27 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1616084189 (ISBN13: 9781616084189)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Skyhorse Publishing

review 1: People want to avoid bad feelings, and will resort to many different substances or patterns to avoid it: cocaine, oxycontin, meth, alcohol, shopping, or gambling. The authors talk about how hard it is to quit and how vigilant you have to guard against doing a "substance shuffle": just swapping one addiction for another. But ultimately, kicking a habit requires facing those uncomfortable feelings and to learning to rely on people to help deal with the hard times in life. I thought it was a good book, the author talked about successes and failures, and recommend it for anybody. Most of us are not snorting cocaine or blowing our paycheck at a casino. But we all tend to avoid facing things that make us uncomfortable or unhappy, and we could all stand to learn from some of th... moree stories of growth in this book.
review 2: I don't think this book is getting a fair shake from my fellow goodreads users. As a former addict, I found this more insightful and far less pompous (to use one reviewer's description of the book's tone) than twelve-step and other self-improvement and self-help programs I've attended. And the reviewer who doesn't understand why fairly innocuous addictions such as gum and diet soda aren't harmful is missing the thesis of the entire book. When it comes down to it, (at least in my interpretation), this book is less about the nuts-and-bolts of kicking bad habits than it is removing impediments to a happy and fulfilling life. One case study Dr. Woolverton addresses in the book is a patient who was addicted to exercise. It might be a natural reaction to wonder what's wrong with an exercise addiction - after all, exercise is good for you. But given this patient's adverse reaction when she had to miss a workout, it becomes clear that the motivation behind all the exercise was unhealthy. The workouts brought her no pleasure or mental fulfillment. When viewed in that light, all addictions, even the ones that seem harmless, or even beneficial, stand in the way of a better way of living.What I liked best about the book is the exercises posed at the end of chapters. Many are couched as writing exercises that force you to confront your emotions and answer unpleasant questions. Others are simply couched as advice such as where to seek help and how to avoid relapse. As helpful as this book was, though, for those dealing with a serious addiction like I was, it's no substitute for therapy and a physician's supervision.Overall the book is a very readable assortment (if somewhat repetitive - a fair criticism) of Dr. Woolverton's cases over the years. For the current or former addict, it is reassuring to know that not only are you not alone, you are also not alone in your failures either, since Dr. Woolverton does not shy away from describing cases where therapy was not successful. less

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