Trouble Is A Gift A Story Of Addiction Recovery And Hope

About the Book Trouble Is a Gift is the story of a recovered alcoholic who humbly asked for help in finding a purpose and meaning in his life, whose prayer was answered, and who then turned his dream into a reality devoted to the care and treatment of millions of sick and suffering addicts and alcoholics. James S. Cusack, alcoholic, caregiver, and astute businessman, recounts his inner struggles and self-doubt, the stages of his recovery from alcohol addiction, and the moment of clarity when his mission came to light and he saw how, with the help of God and a Twelve-Step program, he could fulfill his purpose. Cusack writes with candor and sincerity of his early upbringing in Manhattan, his family s move to Queens, and his boyhood as a tough street kid; then takes us through his difficult times in the U.S. Air Force, where he discovered the therapeutic value of discipline; and through the hard-drinking years that followed his Honorable Discharge and led to his sobriety. In the early years of his recovery, Jim focused mainly on getting sober, working and enjoying success in the trucking business and insurance sales. In time, he began helping others to sober up, meeting with them in the back room of a candy store in Astoria, Queens, and touching their lives with the love, warmth, and honesty that had been given to him. Feeling an ever-greater need to find his mission in life, in 1965, Jim brought his prayer for direction to the Shrine of North American Martyrs, in Auriesville, New York. Shortly thereafter, his prayer was answered when he was hired to manage Glen Acre Lodge in Glen Spey, NY, one of the very earliest retreat centers for alcoholics. As the success of his work gained attention, Jim became part-owner of the Lodge and landed his first big account with the New York City Police Department with the help of Msgr. Joseph Dunn, who developed the Department s Employee Assistance Program. In time, fireman, sanitation workers, and other city employees suffering from alcoholism were also sent to Jim for help getting sober. Jim s story continues through numerous twists, turns, and fateful encounters, including his first meeting with Sue, now his wife and partner in his life work, and several changes of location before coming upon the resort in the Catskills that is now known as Villa Veritas. About the Author A pioneer in the field of chemical dependency treatment, James S. Cusack, CASAC, NCAC II, NCRS, offers his story as an example to all those brave individuals determined to overcome obstacles and turn liabilities into assets. Himself a recovered alcoholic of 60 years, Jim learned through helping other alcoholics find their way to sobriety that the gift is in the giving, and made his service his career. In his 50 years working with those suffering from chemical dependency, Jim has received countless honors acknowledging his groundbreaking accomplishments. In 1981, he and his wife Sue closed on the purchase of a Catskill resort which, through their dedicated efforts, has become Villa Veritas. In 2011, Jim and Sue established the Villa Veritas Foundation, Inc., to safeguard their mission and carry on a 40-year legacy of helping and caring for the chemically dependent. Jim serves as chairman of the board of Villa Veritas Foundation, Inc., and Sue, as Foundation president. They are committed to maintaining their hands-on, individualized approach to ensure that each of the thousands of alcoholics and addicts who pass through the Villa every year receives the love, care, and opportunity to find a new life in recovery he or she deserves. Jim, at age 83, continues to do what every recovered alcoholic with a mission should be doing: He s living one day at a time, and planning his next endeavor.

Drugs, gangs, crime, doing time. Vincent Lillie desperately wanted to escape the cycle that was slowly killing him, and the first step was leaving the very gang he had depended on for love and acceptance. The price for escape? A beating so brutal, many don’t survive. The story of Vincent’s life starts with the destruction of his family at the hands of his father’s sexual abuse, worsens with his school’s discriminatory segregation of him, and deteriorates further with every drug he does, every crime he commits, and each of his incarcerations. With his three brothers stuck in the same cycle, Vincent’s lowest point of addiction came to attempted suicide—twice. But fate had other plans for him. At times heartbreaking and at others breathtaking, Vincent’s true story will give you faith in humanity and prove the strength of the human spirit. His slow but steady road to recovery through sheer willpower and determination led him to become a mentor and speaker, motivating kids and adults to become the best version of themselves, and stopping those who are troubled from following in his footsteps. His is an unforgettable story of burning to ashes and rising from them better than ever before—one step at a time. A raw and honest memoir that will give you hope. FOREWORD BY MITCH BOURBONNIERE, Director of Service, Ogijiita Pimatiswin Kinamatwin (OPK), working with Winnipeg’s most vulnerable people who suffer with homelessness, post traumatic stress, addiction, mental health issues, domestic violence, gang involvement, and sexual exploitation.

A physician shares the darkest depths of his depression, suicidal ideation, addiction, and the important lessons he learned through years of personal recovery. Pediatric oncologist and palliative care physician Dr. Adam B. Hill suffered despair and disillusionment with the culture of medicine, culminating in a spiral of depression, alcoholism, and an active suicidal plan. Then while in recovery from active addiction, he lost a colleague to suicide, further revealing the extent of the secrecy and broken systems contributing to an epidemic of professional distress within the medical field. By sharing his harrowing story, Dr. Hill helps identify the barriers and obstacles standing in the way of mental health recovery, while pleading for a revolutionary new approach to how we treat individuals in substance use recovery. In fighting stereotypes/stigma and teaching vulnerability, compassion, and empathy, Hill’s work is being lauded as a road map for better practices at a time when medical professionals around the world are struggling in silence.

Companionship for the lifelong journey of recovery In Addiction and Recovery: A Spiritual Pilgrimage, Martha Postlethwaite--pastor and a person in recovery--reflects on her pilgrimage of healing through valleys of despair and vistas of resurrection. Addiction and Recovery is not just Postlethwaite's story, though. She also draws on the wisdom of pilgrims who have walked other paths to explore themes such as surrender, truth telling, shame, powerlessness, grace, forgiveness, and resurrection. Together, these chronicles bring hope to people who struggle with the disease of addiction and to those who love them. Each chapter ends with questions to reflect on with conversation partners or in a journal, and a spiritual practice. The spiritual practices are related to the chapter themes and serve as samplers, but they can be woven into the reader's own pilgrimage. Readers will recognize themselves in these stories and reflections, learn that they are not alone, and find reasons to hope as they make their own pilgrimage.

The family recovery classic, Addict in the Family, has been revised and updated to offer parents and other family members even greater support when faced with the reality of a loved one’s addiction. Solid, actionable advice and information about what helps and what doesn’t—and how to care for themselves—make this an indispensable guide. For families of addicts, fear, shame, and confusion over a loved one’s addiction can cause deep anxiety, sleepless nights, and even physical illness. The emotional distress family members suffer is often compounded by the belief that they somehow caused or contributed to their loved one’s addiction—or that they could have done something to prevent it. Addict in the Family is a book about the pain of addiction, but more importantly it is a book of comfort, understanding, and hope for anyone struggling with a loved one’s addiction. As the compelling personal stories reveal, family members do not cause their loved one’s addiction—nor can they control or cure it. What family members can do is find support, set boundaries, detach with love, and eventually discover how to enjoy life more fully. This book helps them do just that—whether the loved one achieves recovery or not.

Shortlisted for the 2022 Sports Book Awards 'brave ... visceral ... a brilliant, brilliant read ... I would recommend this book to everyone.' Nihal Arthanayake, BBC Radio 5 Live 'so honest ... everybody should read Hooked to understand what anybody in this situation has been through.' Susanna Reid, Good Morning Britain 'a fantastic book ... a remarkable read.' Richard Madeley, Good Morning Britain 'Brave, poignant and very moving. This book will change lives.' Jamie Redknapp 'A courageous, emotional and vitally important book.' Jeff Stelling Paul Merson's wonderfully moving and brutally honest memoir of battling addiction for three decades. For twenty-one years Paul Merson played professional football. He won two First Division titles with Arsenal and was one of the finest players of his generation. But for thirty years Paul Merson has also been an addict. Alcohol, drugs, gambling: a desperately unenviable cocktail of addictions and depression which has plagued his entire adult life and driven him to the verge of suicide. 'I've come to realise that I'm powerless over alcohol ... I'm an alcoholic. My drinking and gambling have left a lot of wreckage.' Until recently the drinking and gambling were still raging. 'I wanted to kill myself. I couldn't go on anymore. I just couldn't see a way out.' Then something clicked. 'One day, I was walking home from the pub late on a Sunday evening, and I thought to myself: I've had enough of feeling like this, every day of my life. I rang up Alcoholics Anonymous the next day, and since then I haven't had a drink.' Hooked is Merson's wonderfully moving and brutally honest memoir of battling addiction, searingly charting his journey over three decades. It is absolutely unflinching in detailing his emotional and psychological troughs and in raking over the painful embers of an adult life blighted by such debilitating issues. Hooked will kick-start a crucial national conversation about addiction, depression and the damage they wreak. 'Addiction is the loneliest of places. You're a slave to insecurity and ego. But it has to be you that wants things to change. Never be afraid to talk: the more you talk about the addictions the more it takes the power out of them. You're never alone.'

A night that began with a dinner to celebrate his twelfth wedding anniversary ended in a jail cell for Michael Bryant. He was charged with dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing the death of cyclist Darcy Sheppard. Ironically, he had helped write the legal test for the same charges sixteen years earlier. Bryant, as Ontario's attorney general, was the man responsible for administering 500,000 criminal charges every year in that province. He now faced prosecution by the same justice system. The charges were eventually dropped, but nothing could undo what had happened to Sheppard--or Bryant. 28 Seconds offers the never-before-told personal story of the events leading to Sheppard's death and the aftermath. It also includes behind-the-scenes revelations about Bryant's most popular and controversial political work. In 28 Seconds, Bryant chronicles the fateful aftermath of that late-summer evening in August 2009. He looks at the realities of the adversarial court system and a prison system filled with addicts and the mentally ill, speaking publicly, for the first time, of personal challenges and his own battle with some of the very demons shared by Darcy Sheppard.

Patty Steele's painful and heartfelt story is a must read for all affected by alcoholism and addiction. Patty's drinking began socially, and progressed into a powerful addiction gaining control of her adult world. As an addict she drank to medicate the pain of life, desperately trying to numb feelings of shame and defeat. She was responsible for a car accident that took the life of another when she was forty-nine. Patty was sentenced to seven years in prison and eventually achieved recovery with the support of loved ones and friends. Patty hopes by sharing her story, others will gain a deeper understanding and insight into the disease. A portion of the proceeds of her book is being donated to Addiction Treatment Services in Traverse City, Michigan.This book could only have been written by an addict who has walked the walk through the labyrinth of addiction, recovery, relapse, the criminal justice system and the horrors and humiliation of prison. This book itself is a gift to any of us who want some understanding of the inner conflict and outer chaos that marks the life of an alcoholic. For her crime, Patty enters prison as the victim, full of guilt and shame, and emerges as the victor, uniquely equipped to share her experience for the benefit of any of us whose life has been touched by the behavior of an addict.-Michael J. Haley, retired 86th District Court Judge, Traverse City, MichiganIf we have any hope of addressing the epidemic of addiction, we must start thinking about addiction differently. We must demand better policy. We must listen to those grappling with addiction. Shame and stigma only grow if we nourish it. By telling her story, by being a beacon of hope for individuals currently struggling with addiction, and by just living a life of quality and purpose, Patty Steele demonstrates a path to redemption that has little tolerance for the disability shame tends to incubate.-Christopher Hindbaugh, CEO, Addiction Treatment Services, Traverse City, MichiganThis phenomenal book is for those who work in the addiction field and for anyone who is drawn to understand this destructive human epidemic. Patty Steele tells her own story in a clear voice, while giving an unblinking view of the stark realities of our present prison system. This is a substantial contribution to the thorny interface of substance abuse and "corrections." As a working psychologist, I particularly appreciate the candid report and roadmap for effecting healthy change, creating a way forward and showing that positive outcomes are indeed possible. A great read!-Paulita Neal, Ph. D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, State of California, Member, American Psychological AssociationA sobering example of extraordinary personal transformation even during the darkest of circumstances. A triumphant depiction of how personal action and mindset are key to success even when stripped of basic human rights and freedom.-J.C. Ransom, Traverse City, Michigan, Masters of Social Work, Master Addiction Counselor, Licensed Masters Social Worker