The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure: A Holistic Approach to Total Recovery

Cure... Not so much!

Interesting bio. of his son, yes. The "Cure" itself seems to boil down to constant supervision via various therapists $. It seems like an ad for his recovery center and offers no relevant knowledge. In short I believe he is simply trying to profit from ill people rather than help.

8 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

A must read for anyone struggling with alcohol, substance, and/or drug problems

The cost of this book is so inexpensive considering its value. The author's easy reading style describes a slowly emerging truth about addiction. After so many years of alcohol and crack-cocaine addiction I was saved by a similiar view on addictions by another treatment center. If you keep telling addicts that they are diseased and powerless what do you expect from them in the way of recovery? This book offers a permanent solution, and for those that are ready to quit it rings true.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Finally someone who tells it like it is!!!

Someone once told me, "If you want to get rich, just create a product or service that validates the victim mentality." Well Chris Prentiss must not want to get rich, because he certainly shows where the responsibility for healing really needs to be. As a therapist and author of "The Happiness Code"(the amazing new science of creating our ultimate emotional comfort zone) I totally agree with Prentis, who says addiction to anything is not a disease. The supposed "Standard Methods" for dealing with addictions including 12 step programs only steal away any chance for curing an addict. It's time to break away from methods steeped in tradition and old ideas that say, "once an addict always an addict."
Heck, traditional psychology says that there is no real cure for a phobia, yet I cure them every day in about 5 minutes. So, open your mind and read what Chris Prentis has to say. He knows how to cure addictions. Who are you going to listen to, someone who says it can't be done or someone who's done it?

5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Enlightening and Inspirational

During the past few weeks, I read a book given to me. The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure - A Holistic Approach to Total Recovery by Chris Prentiss is one of the most enlightening books that I have ever read - not because of his views of alcohol and drug dependency and their causes, but because the book informed me that these views are relatively new to the world of addiction therapy. Chris believes that drug and alcohol dependent people don't have an incurable disease. Dependency is 100% curable. Alcoholics and drug addicts are simply trying to cope with the world in which they live. Their coping mechanisms just happen to be alcohol and drugs. And alcohol and drugs work very well - regardless of whether or not they will eventually kill you. I always thought it was obvious. Apparently not. So, I will help Chris spread the word, and promote his book as well. The book itself is great. It is easy to read and full of warmth, very chatty. It is a wealth of information both for dependent people and for their therapists. This book makes a great reference source. The third chapter is written by Chris's son, Pax. Pax was addicted to heroine, cocaine and alcohol for ten years. Chris got him clean forty times. This chapter is Pax's story and it is as heartening and illuminating as it is appalling. Once Pax discovered the reason for his dependency and he and Chris were able to cure it, they opened a rehabilitation centre for dependency treatment in Malibu called Passages. It has the highest success rate of any dependency treatment center in the world.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

A book that can create a breakthrough for you

This book is vital for anyone who is struggling with alcoholism or addiction or has a loved one who is. You will not only find hope, but you¿ll find practical steps you can take right now to create a breakthrough. This book changed my entire perspective on alcoholism and addiction. Like many people, I thought they were incurable illnesses, and that it was always a long road back to recovery¿if you ever made it back. Recently, I was at a seminar and started a conversation with the couple sitting next to me. When I asked the man his name, he told me his name and then immediately said, ¿I¿m an alcoholic. I¿ve been sober for 24 years.¿ He said it was still a daily struggle for him to stay sober. What¿s amazing about this book is that it is based on a new program that is changing this paradigm completely. It¿s based on the successful program from Passages, a treatment center in Malibu, where the success rate is 84.4%, while traditional therapies have a relapse rate as high as 80 or 90%. This book shows how to discover the real, underlying causes of dependency and says that once they are identified and cured, the need for alcohol or drugs is no longer there, because the reason people are turning to them is no longer there. As the author explains, the real causes can be anything from hypoglycemia, attention deficit disorder, thyroid or brainwave pattern imbalances to deep emotional pain. Another key to the success of the program spelled out in this book is that it emphasizes one-one-one treatments rather than group meetings, which clearly aren¿t successful. The book tells you exactly which practitioners and doctors to work with to create your own one-on-one program with professionals right where you live. The author suggests using both traditional medical and complementary therapies. What is also remarkable is that those who have been through this program say they no longer struggle to stay sober. Don¿t be surprised that the concepts in this book are controversial. New breakthroughs always are. But you can¿t argue with the success this approach is having. I¿ve recommended this book to many people because I¿ve been so impressed with it.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A unique book

This book is all about healing...and healing holistically, which appeals to me. The author has real experience about how alcoholism and addiction can affect a person, and his own son's experience is covered in one of the chapters. I appreciate the way that they are described as dependencies, and how effective treatment must focus on healing the underlying causes of the dependency. People who have these conditions can often be stereotyped in society. As many of us know, dependency can happen to anyone. I am buying this book for those family and friends who I know will find this book a source of inspiration and healing. It is also great for people who are supportive of people who suffer with these conditions. Give this book serious consideration. Learn how to cure yourself, or provide support for your loved one who is seeking a cure.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

SAVE YOUR $$$$

Read both Allen Carr's Easyway To Quit Drinking and this book. Carr's was more down to earth and practical. Prentiss recommends of large group of psychotherapists and healthcare providers to help you with your journey. Not practical unless your on of hollywoods elite. He also suggests that a stay at his rehab center in Malibu for an avg. of 4-12 weeks (at appx. 10,000$ per month) would be the prefered method of treatment. Felt like one big advertisement. Save your money and read Carr's Easyway, you won't regret it.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

If you've tried everything else to end dependence, BUY THIS BOOK!

If you have tried pretty much all other approaches to quit drinking and nothing has worked, PLEASE buy this book. I went through years of drinking and trying to quit; I sort of knew what I needed to do and that was to get to the root of my drinking. Even through therapists, AA (which were useless and depressing), medications, you name it, I tried it - and nothing worked. So, I splurged and bought the CD's and listened to them. Yes, the music is corny, but the message is impeccable and one that you can carry each new day of sobriety. This book works best for people whom have tried everything because the book goes into the other failed resources that I mentioned above. I should have written this book myself, because it totally mirrored my thoughts on ending my drinking days. I cannot stress enough, give this book a chance, and please don't read into just another self help book author trying to make a buck. This book works but you have to be ready to quit and must be serious about making changes in your life. Imagine a beauty makeover; this gives you the fresh start one needs to makeover not just the outside, but the inside. As of yesterday, I am sober 32 days. Somehow this sobriety is different because my cravings are gone - I don't sneak alcohol like I used to whenever I would quit before, and I am doing this for me. Welcome yourself to a new 'you' and buy this book. It may save you, your family, etc. And one other thing: Often times the guilt gets in the way after we have quit an addiction and this book really helps with the guilty feelings of hurting others for so long. The guilt carried was always the main reason why I would relapse and also the not being able to deal with current conditions of my life, but this book gives us tools to deal with those things and stay sober.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A retread of the 70's therapeutic community ideology

After reading this whatever it is,and having thirty years of experience working in the addiction field. I believe, what was always becomes what is. This books basic tenants are drenched in the old therapeutic community beliefs of the 1970's,without the community.The theory goes just like this,if we fix whats wrong underneath; the addict wholly will be cured,and lose the stigma attached...........................What a joke ..sell some more books to addicts looking for a rationale to use again;you know when there cured..............

3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

This book will save lives

Having had a family member who was once addicted to cocaine, I found this book insightful, uplifting and empowering. The author tells the story of his son's 10-year addiction to heroin, cocaine and alcohol. What is so amazing is that the author never accepts the platitudes about alcoholism & addiction and never gives up on his son, Pax. He debunks the myths that 'alcoholism and addiction are diseases' and 'once an addict always an addict' and shows us that 'relapse is NOT part of recovery' but part of a system of treatment that doesn't work because it doesn't treat the real causes of alcoholism & addiction. After fighting his son's demons for 10 years, the father helped his son finally figure out the underlying conditions that were causing his abuse of drugs and alcohol. That opened the way to Pax's cure. Chris and Pax then opened their own recovery center in Malibu, CA, so they could help cure others. They have an 84.4 % success rate where traditional treatments have a relapse rate as high as 80 or 90%. This wonderful book shows how you can develop your own personalized, holistic treatment program (uses integrative medicine--traditional plus the best of alternative medicine) with practitioners right where you live. The Alcoholism & Addiction Cure reveals the three steps to permanent sobriety and the four causes of dependency. If people buy this book for loved ones who have problems with drugs and alcohol, many lives will be saved.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

This Book Saved My Life.....

"The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure" has had a tremendous impact on my life. I have been a heavy drinker (I don't use the term Alcoholic anymore since I read this book) for about 5 years now. My marriage and my family were going down the tubes. I was depressed, having anxiety attacks, hospitalized for Alcoholic Pancreatitis, stressed to the gills, and very emotional. I tried EVERYTHING to try and quit. I saw doctors, took various types of medications, saw a Nutritionist & Therapist, read numerous books, attended AA meetings and even went to a Buddhist Meditation Center to try to quit. I contemplated suicide as an easy way out as well. After reading this book, I now realize that the main reason I wasn't successful was that I wasn't dealing with the underlying factors that were causing me to drink. I realize now that I couldn't/wouldn't deal with what was going on in my life, whether is was positive or negative. I definitely had a chemical imbalance, something I understood by reading this book. I am now going on 30 days sober (not a long time), but the great news is I have absolutely no desire to ever pick up a drink again. My marriage is healing and my relationship with my children is solid. I can now feel that I am a good role model for them. I share Chris Prentiss's inspiration and book with everyone who will listen. I can honestly say that this book has saved my marriage, my family, and my life."

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Educational

This book is used by the two teachers in our classes for DWI and DOEP. It is a good reference book. Helps promote discussion.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Makes sense to me.

I saw the commercial on tv for this book and thought great, another depressing book on how incurable alcohol and drug addiction are. But, I was drawn to this book. I have read many books on this subject recently trying to deal with my sisters addictions. Most of the books I have read have been discouraging with the typical alcoholism and addiction as diseases without a cure. I for one thought this book is by far the best book I have read on this topic.

It offers me a new way of thinking about the problem. Mr. Prentiss has given me a new hope, a new paradigm, yes a new belief that there is a cure for my sister's dependency. Reading this book offers a renewed hope something positive that life and change is good. Identifying the real issues behind the dependency and healing the root cause is the real answer. I only hope I can get her to read the book. It has helped me beyond measure.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I bought this for a friend and it really works

My friend is sober and has remained sober, the fact speaks for itself.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Save $50,000 and buy the book - it's worth it

I write about schizophrenia, not alcoholism, but I find The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure very informative even if alcoholism or addiction is not your particular problem. On the surface, schizophrenia seems to have nothing in common with alcoholism and addiction. There are no 12-step programs for schizophrenia. To begin with, the author doesn't shy away from using the word "cure". He doesn't consider alcoholism or addiction either "incurable" or a "disease". These are symptoms that are coping mechanisms that one has chosen in response to life's pain. Medical professionals who refuse to use the word "cure" in the context of certain mental health problems deprive people of hope and virtually guarantee that their problems are forever managed, never cured.

Mental health professionals are being disingenuous when they say that the cause of schizophrenia or alcoholism or addiction is unknown. Some people will stop right there and think to themselves, "well, if a doctor says this, there's not point in my looking any further." It is true that there is no one neat scientific explanation that can explain away the cause, but that doesn't mean that a cause or causes cannot be found. Chris Prentiss makes a clear cut case for finding the cause of the pain by looking at the problem through the prism of the family story. Through my own research and willingness to undertake psychotherapy, I now have some insight into the cause(s) of my son's problems. The causes are both psychological and physiological. I have developed a working theory that makes sense to me. I may be entirely wrong about what the real causes are, but it doesn't really matter because I have noticed whatever we are doing seems to be working. I can empower healing in my son by changing the way I relate with him, by showing conviction that he will recover, and by understanding that his problems have a context.

Chris Prentiss eventually came to realize that his son's descent into alcoholism and addiction was due to the son's deep rooted anger with his father. The family background that he describes in his book provides a plausible explanation for this outcome. Many people will protest that everybody is angry with their father (or their mother) and that most people who are angry with a parent don't descend into drug addiction. Well, actions do make sense if you care enough to pay attention. There is a logic to life.

Another reason why I like the book is because the author maintains that if you want to get to the bottom of your problems, the multiple therapy approach is best and it works faster. Many people can go for years seeing the same therapist and never become well or else not well enough. This may be because they are undergoing the wrong therapy or perhaps because they do not have a good rapport with the therapist. It also may be because they are told they that they are sick individuals and need lifelong meds.

Since the goal for everyone should be to resolve their problems as quickly as possible, people should be free to pick and choose their therapy and their therapist, and use several different therapy approaches. People should be free to choose but in reality they are not, as I have found trying to introduce other therapies while my son was under the care of a psychiatrist. Just because psychiatry is slowly opening the door to acknowledging the value of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for schizophrenia doesn't mean that

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Finding out the "Whys" of struggling addicted dependents.

I found this book to be very enlightening. The concepts are easy to follow and understand. Though not a strong A.A. supporter with its contents and belief systems, I found this book does not bash the A.A. way. I believe this book can and will help those who apply principles written within. Prentiss has opened my eyes as to new approaches and avenues. I was able to look more deeply into myself and find out the "whys" of my struggles. KD

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just ok

I didn't find this particularly helpful. I know the "source" of my addictions but still struggle

Some sound ideas, but...

This book presents a few innovative ideas. That said, much of the book focuses on the success of the author's clinic, understandably, to reinforce his record of success. It does, however, tend to come across as more of a pitch for the clinic.

Additionally, when it comes to the recovery portion of the book, at one point, the author recommends up to 11 therapists and multiple therapy sessions per day, something that really isn't a possibility for most people (unless you check into a clinic). Thus, I wouldn't label this book as a method for trying to take on addiction "on your own".

The author's son's account of his own struggles are worth reading, and probably something that many addicts can relate to. I found this to be the most interesting part of the book.

As A Child Of An Addict, This Book Is A Must Read For Anyone Struggling With Their Addiction

No one should have to suffer through addiction or alcoholism, so if there is someone that you know that could use this book, buy it for them. I'd also recommend that you buy "When God Stopped Keeping Score." an intimate look at the power of God and forgiveness. Given the chance, it too will change your life. Find out why for yourself.

No text was provided for this review.