The Thirteenth Step

The past thirty years have witnessed a revolution in the science of addiction, yet we still rely on outdated methods of treatment. Expensive new programs for managing addiction are also flourishing, but since they are not based in science, they offer little benefit to people who cannot afford to lose money or faith in their recovery. Clarifying the cutting-edge science of addiction for both practitioners and general readers, The Thirteenth Step pairs stories of real patients with explanations of key concepts relating to their illness. A police chief who disappears on the job illustrates the process through which a drug can trigger the brain circuits mediating relapse. One person's effort to find a burrito shack in a foreign city illuminates the reward prediction error signaled by the brain chemical dopamine. With these examples and more, this volume paints a vivid, readable portrait of drug seeking, escalation, and other aspects of addiction and suggests science-based treatments that promise to improve troubling relapse rates. Merging science and human experience, The Thirteenth Step offers compassionate, valuable answers to anyone who hopes for a better handle on a confounding disease.

Me? An alcoholic? Nohow could I be? Im a teacher, a doctors daughter, and an Academic All-American. An alcoholic? No way! Or so I thought. I went from a school fishing trip to the inside of a jail cell within three hours. I went from respected high school teacher to an impaired driver. I am an alcoholic. That was the hardest sentence for me to believe. To admit and become aware of being different than othersabnormal, looked down upon by societywas the most humbling and rewarding experience of my life. I found the strength and the power of my God-Within to overcome and conquer this crippling and deadly disease. My story is about my personal struggle over the past year. Acknowledging that alcoholism does not discriminate regarding who it captures and tries to destroy, I used certain spiritual principles and guidelines to overcome its power. This past year has been a struggle, but I am grateful for my disease and the truth that it has taught me to finally confront the monster and release my imprisoned soul.

A handbook for newcomers to Alcoholics Anonymous providing program principles and historical references.

A collection of eighteen ghost tales about Charleston and the Low country.

Anecdotal and reflective, Living in the Moment comprises health expert Dr. Gary Null’s lifetime of observation and wisdom. Following Einstein’s belief that “we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them,” Null offers fresh, paradigm-breaking solutions to living our life to its fullest potential—through our relationships, health, and self-expression. Dr. Null’s “prescription for the soul” bids readers to take an active role in their own lives—to carefully distinguish truth from past conditioning. While he espouses a natural-foods and alternative-health lifestyle as part of our well-being, Null also shows us how crucial it is to do those things with the right awareness and intention; if we go to yoga and eat right but stress out at work and are stuck in a difficult relationship, we’re not in balance and able to truly awaken to our deepest energy for life. Dr. Null has presented much of the material in Living in the Moment throughout his career—in his lectures, his award-winning radio show, documentary films, and investigative reporting. Now Living in the Moment enlightens readers on the many tools at their disposal for achieving the balance, self-esteem, and passion missing from their lives.

Sue’s sense of humour and zest for life are reflected in her narration. The 13th Step is not about the predatory thirteenth step experienced by some in twelve-step programmes. In this book, Sue helps those who are ready to grasp life firmly and make the changes necessary to live fully. She writes with honesty and integrity about her life experiences and subsequent personal development to create change. She shares all the tools she used to transform her own life, hoping it may be of help to others.

From the multi-award-winning author of The Babes in the Wood and The Rottweiler, a chilling new novel about obsession, superstition, and violence, set in Rendell’s darkly atmospheric London. Mix Cellini (which he pronounces with an ‘S’ rather than a ‘C’) is superstitious about the number 13. In musty old St. Blaise House, where he is the lodger, there are thirteen steps down to the landing below his rooms, which he keeps spick and span. His elderly landlady, Gwendolen Chawcer, was born in St. Blaise House, and lives her life almost exclusively through her library of books, so cannot see the decay and neglect around her. The Notting Hill neighbourhood has changed radically over the last fifty years, and 10 Rillington Place, where the notorious John Christie committed a series of foul murders, has been torn down. Mix is obsessed with the life of Christie and his small library is composed entirely of books on the subject. He has also developed a passion for a beautiful model who lives nearby — a woman who would not look at him twice. Both landlady and lodger inhabit weird worlds of their own. But when reality intrudes into Mix’s life, a long pent-up violence explodes.