The Recovery Formula: An Addict's Guide to getting Clean and Sober Forever

By Beth Burgess

Are you tired of the guilt, shame and pain of addiction? Are you sick of the constant relapses? Do you yearn for happiness, freedom and a better life?

People can spend years trapped in addiction unnecessarily, because, despite all their efforts, they just don't understand what you really need to do to recover.

Despite attending rehab, counselling, groups and fellowships, many addicts remain stuck in the cycle of addiction, because they are not told some very basic facts about recovery. For some reason, many of the facts about successful recovery have remained a secret - until now.

Beth Burgess has written THE book on addiction recovery, having struggled as a serial relapser and become frustrated about having to learn by trial and error. She saw too many people around her doing the same thing, and set out to write a book which shared the secrets of addiction recovery, that most addicts take a long and painful time to learn.

After studying what successful addicts were doing to get better, and looking at the lessons she learnt from her own journey, Beth decided to share what really works and what doesn't when it comes to getting clean and sober.

The Recovery Formula is an essential guide for anyone who is addicted to alcohol or drugs and wants to do something about it. The book will help you to understand your problem, to make decisions about treatment, to avoid relapse and to set yourself up for success from the start. The Recovery Formula is a framework that anyone can use to achieve a happy and successful sobriety.

Receiving high praise from addicts and addiction professionals alike, this is THE book to have if you want to get clean and sober forever.

Your recovery starts here.

About the Author: Beth Burgess is a Life and Recovery Coach and the founder of Sort My Life Solutions (Smyls), providing private coaching, consulting, workshops, training and speaking.

Her missions include helping as many people as possible to achieve an amazing recovery and ending the stigma toward people with addictions.

Visit Beth at smyls.co.uk or bethburgess.co.uk

With a Foreword by Professor David Clark, Director of Wired In To Recovery.

What others are saying:

"A wonderfully effective guide that every addict should read as they take their first steps into sobriety and recovery. I am hugely impressed by this book."

- Wynford Ellis Owen, CEO of the Welsh Council on Alcohol & Drugs

"Beautifully written. A moving and insightful book that will help a lot of addicts understand how to start recovering successfully."

- Dr Robert LeFever, founder of Promis, the first UK rehab centre, and author of 26 books on addiction and depressive disorders

"A brilliant mix of inspiration and information. If you're an addict and don't know where to start with sobriety, read this book."

- Michaela Jones, Community Director at Wired In To Recovery

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beth Burgess
• Release date: Jun 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301372379

Beth Burgess

Beth Burgess is an award-winning, best-selling author, therapist, coach, freelance writer, and founder of two specialist services. ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH: As an alcoholic in recovery, Beth specializes in writing about addiction recovery and all the issues that surround it. Her recovery books include 'The Recovery Formula' and the award-winning 'The Happy Addict'. She has also contributed two chapters to 'Addiction and Choice: Rethinking the relationship'. Smyls.co.uk was set up to empower people who have suffered setbacks to move on and find happiness. As someone who has recovered from addiction, social anxiety disorder, bulimia, self-harm and Borderline Personality Disorder, Beth has an empathy and insight that allows her to reach people in the darkest of places. WISDOM AND EFFECTIVENESS: After making a complete mess of the first part of her life, Beth set out on a journey to gain insight, so she could become a wiser, better, happier person. By studying and exploring science, spirituality, philosophy, psychology, and sociology, Beth has been able to formulate new ways of thinking, develop her own insights, and transform her life. Beth wanted to share the wisdom she has learned, so she set up Wiseism.com, a resource to help people use wisdom to improve their lives. 'Instant Wisdom' is the first book in 'the Wiseism Series', and became a No. 1 Kindle Bestseller in the month after its release. OTHER: On her professional journey as a therapist and her personal journey, too, Beth has learned cutting-edge ways to deal with all sorts of issues from beating stress and mood disorders, to increasing the chances of achieving success, happiness. and fulfillment. Beth has written articles for The Huffington Post, Tiny Buddha, the Royal Society of the Arts, The Big Issue, New Statesman and various other publications. She regularly writes on topics such as addiction, mental health, and what it takes to live a healthy, happy life. Beth has also published a mini ebook, 'What is Self Esteem?' You can always see what Beth is up to at bethburgess.co.uk.

Book preview

The

Recovery Formula

An Addict’s Guide to getting Clean and Sober Forever

by Beth Burgess

First published in the UK in 2012 by Eightball Publishing.

Copyright © 2012 Beth Burgess

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles, interviews and reviews.

2013

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

About the Book

The Recovery Formula is an essential guide for anyone who is addicted to alcohol or drugs and is ready to do something about it. Having struggled as a serial relapser before achieving her own recovery, Beth Burgess shares the universal lessons she has learnt about what really works and what doesn’t when it comes to getting clean and sober.

The book will help you to understand your problem, to make decisions about treatment, to avoid relapse and to set yourself up for success from the start.

Your recovery starts here.

About the Author

Beth Burgess is a Life and Recovery Coach and the founder of Sort My Life Solutions (Smyls). She provides private coaching, consulting, workshops and training.

Her missions include helping as many people as possible to achieve an amazing recovery, and ending the stigma shown towards people with addiction problems.

Visit Beth at www.smyls.co.uk or www.bethburgess.co.uk

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Part 1. Get Real

Part 2. Get Held

Part 3. Get Committed

Part 4. Get Replacements

Summary

Afterword

Glossary

Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light.

- Norman B. Rice

Foreword

by Professor David Clark, Director of Wired In To Recovery

Over the years I’ve worked in this field, I have heard from many people with substance use problems who have struggled to understand their addiction. They had a strong desire to give up using drugs, or to stop drinking, but had no idea how to go about it. They had tried to stop using or drinking on numerous occasions, but they kept on relapsing.

Even though they had been in and out of treatment, this had not given them a real understanding of what it takes to recover from addiction. They had become confused and frustrated by their lack of progress (and the failure of treatment services to help them). They had lost confidence and self-belief. Their self-esteem had sometimes become so damaged that they had contemplated suicide, as the only way out of their problems.

Many of these people also spoke of the positive impact that coming into contact with recovering, or recovered people, had on their lives, and of how this had been fundamental to their recovery. They described how they related positively to these recovering people, role models who spoke the same language, and shared similar experiences, thoughts and feelings. These role models showed both that recovery is possible and that there are many pathways to recovery. They were people who could be trusted, and who understood the nature of a life of addiction.

Role models are so very important because recovery is something that comes from the person. It is not something given to a person by a treatment service or practitioner. The person with the substance use problem does the work. But recovery is also a social process. People learn from other people about the nature of their problem (addiction), the solution (recovery), and what they have to do to take the journey to recovery.

Given all of this, it is surprising that there are so few widely-circulated recovery guidebooks written by people who are in recovery. Most of the books on substance use problems focus on addiction, rather than becoming well. Many books are too academic. What people who want to overcome their addiction need is a simple book that provides information about the fundamental building blocks of recovery. A book to which they can relate.

That is exactly what Beth Burgess has done in her wonderfully refreshing book The Recovery Formula. Beth talks about the essential elements underlying recovery in a beautifully accessible way. A way that comes from experience - and will be easy to relate to for people who want to recover from a substance use problem. She describes the sorts of things she attempted when trying to overcome her own drinking problems, some of which helped her move towards recovery, others which did little, or in fact impeded progress. Beth’s description of her past shows how easy it is for an uninformed person to stumble from one unhelpful tactic to another.

Beth’s book describes a framework comprising four key building blocks to recovery. She tells people they must: Get Honest, Get Held, Get Committed and Get Replacements. Beth talks about key principles that have been shown to facilitate recovery. These principles are known to play a significant role in successful treatment approaches, mutual aid and self-help approaches.

The Recovery Formula succeeds because it provides people in need of help with a solid, proven framework in an easy-to-understand way. Beth speaks as a person who has been there, explaining the pitfalls, as well as helpful strategies, allowing the reader to gain a firm footing on the path to recovery, rather than stumble around and get caught in the common traps that await the unwary. The book empowers the reader with information that will directly help their recovery, as well as help them to understand the resources in their community that will also facilitate their recovery.

What is also brilliant about this book is that it embodies what recovery is about, and what recovering addicts can achieve.

Reviews for The Recovery Formula

[Pippa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great little book; it might have been useful to include a bit more about nutrition and exercise, but it is written with experience, compassion and caring. Thank you.