A Recovery Reading List

Reading about addiction and recovery can be a helpful way to get educated and feel less alone. Here are a few recommendations.

Reading good books in recovery is a healthy habit and a great way to feel mentally stimulated. There are plenty of great books out there about addiction, mental health, and recovery. They range from great personal stories of hardship and triumph to more research-based books on the topics. There are also plenty of novels and stories with themes pertaining to addiction and recovery. Reading helps us gain perspective and feel more connected. Above all, it expands our minds and makes us more empathetic. Here are a few recommendations, all pertaining to addiction, mental health, and/or recovery. Additionally, if reading about these topics is triggering or not enjoyable for you, choose other novels, poetry, or memoirs that are more in line with your reading interests. There are really no rules when it comes to a reading list and each book will open you up to a new world.

• Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. This is perhaps the most obvious book to read while in recovery. However, this is a touchstone book and one that has endless wisdom.
• Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie. Codependence is often something many of us struggle with and no one writes about it with as much clarity and wisdom as Melody Beattie. This is a great resource and an entertaining read.
• Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Frontlines of Addiction and Recovery by Christopher Kennedy Lawford. This is a personal story about Lawford’s experience with addiction and recovery. It’s great if you want a heartfelt, very real story about one person’s intense experiences and lessons.
• Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America. This is a great, informative read if you want a heavy, investigative account of the current drug crisis in America. 

Avalon Malibu is a world-renowned, California state-licensed mental health and substance abuse recovery center. If you are ready to seek treatment to develop the tools you need to overcome life’s obstacles and be on the road towards happiness, health, and well-being, call us today at 844-857-5992 for a consultation. It’s never too late, and there are people here ready to help you – it’s never too late to begin taking steps towards a happier, healthier life.