Book Review: Addiction: A Personal Story

Guest CommentaryADDICTION: A Personal Story--Offers Rich Resource ToolBy Rev. Austin Mileswww.MichNews.com Nov 6, 2006
It is not just the 'unsaved' that becomes ensnared. All families are vulnerable. The scourge of addiction has intruded into families one would least expect to be affected by the drug and alcohol problem. And this includes some prominent Christian families and even some church leaders. We have all been made aware of the failure of a high-profile pastor who apparently struggled with both drug and sexual addiction.

The best counseling you can receive is from those who have been in a situation similar to yours, managed to get through it, and [even] though damaged by the experience, landed on their feet and reclaimed their lives.

Addiction: A Personal Story, commendably written by Lacy Enderson who lived the horror of addiction and eventually conquered it, gives us a full account of an extremely difficult and painful journey. But this work shows that no matter how tough it is you can overcome, as has been proven by the author who would have been labeled as a "worst case scenario."

She details her fears, struggles, uncontrolled anger, destructive rage, doubts and humiliations along with the enormous guilt feelings that come from the addiction that controlled her life.

Then there were the sometimes brutal body reactions (as it craves more and more), that demands surrender.

The author describes in lurid detail the degrading episodes that shamed her and caused so much pain not only for herself but her loved ones as well. It cost her two husbands who finally reached a breaking point due to her drunken behavior and walked out.

Since her recovery she has been happily re-married for more than nine years. Her husband, Richard, is a recovered addict and they both have learned the principles of a good marriage.

Written as a daily devotional, each page leads off with a Scripture verse that was thoughtfully and carefully selected. Then there is a portion of the author's life...the dumb things she did while under the influence, details of who she talked to, what encouraged her, how her cravings overtook her and what she was thinking.

Each page contains a "Thought to Meditate On." These thoughts, which are a wrap-up of each episode described, are very powerful and will sometimes jolt the reader.

Under that is a space with the heading, "Thoughts and Revelations," which gives the readers a place to write down what they are thinking as they read the page.

Never has any devotional work gripped this reviewer like Addiction: A Personal Story. Each page gives bits and snippets of the author's life, which becomes more and more intriguing and compelling. You want to know what is coming next.

Indeed, I defy any reader to simply read the page for the day and put the book down until the next day. The reader will be drawn to read further and further as the story of Lacy Enderson unfolds.

She takes you on the whole journey, disturbing as it is, but one that does end in victory after her desperate determination overruled her demanding cravings. And that includes cigarettes among the addictions she had to conquer.

Sometimes the author is so candid and honest about her life, with such personal revelations, that you hesitate to read further feeling that you may be intruding upon her privacy.

There are times the reader will even feel a little uncomfortable. She wants you to know it all; how the alcoholic justifies drinking, the deceptions that become a part of the addict's life…how she learned to manipulate and control others, and of course, the excuses that she had down pat. She is very frank about her failures, the disgraces she experienced and how she fought her way back. In so doing she offers hope to the hopeless.

Every emotion...every challenge the addict experiences is covered. There is no ducking any of it. This book will be an eye-opener for every addict who reads it. And they will read it if someone who cares provides a copy. It is a mirror of the life every addict lives. The Forward by Trisha Lee tells how to read and benefit from this book.

After an Introduction, the author tells how she used any excuse she could think of in order to justify her drinking, such as, "Even Jesus drank wine." Then she follows that up with almost three pages of Scriptures to show how the Lord feels about alcoholism, and urges that they be read, "on days when you try to convince yourself that one drink couldn't possibly hurt."

It is to be noted that a big role in her success was the encouragement of some of her friends.

And the reader who has a loved one going through the ordeal is encouraged to never give up on the one they care about. Often it takes several attempts over time to kick the habit.

As the author states in [one] 'Thought To Meditate On (pg.68),' " The worst thing you can do is give up on them. With each failed attempt they move one step closer to victory. Don't give up before the miracle happens."

And to cheer on the addict to be victorious, she writes this in, Thought To Meditate On, (pg. 9): " When we finally make the decision to quit drinking, God intervenes and breaks those chains of bondage to alcohol that hold us captive. He picks us up out of the dungeon of despair and puts us in a Royal Palace He created just for us. He called us to be priests and kings. Let us desire to live like one."

This very easy-to-read book is helpful in spotting warning signs of an addict or an about-to-be addict. This rich resource allows counselors to get into the head of the addicted which is essential for effective counseling. Especially concerning the addicted.

The book, put together by Bennett Deane Publishing, a new company in Simi Valley, California, is well produced with an excellent cover design, which shows a barren tree on a hill with dark forbidding clouds overhead with the ground under the tree dark. It is an attention-getter that will stand out on a bookshelf. The book can be ordered on Amazon.com.

As I read this book, I thought of the author, Ernest Hemingway who was also known for his uncontrolled binge drinking. He once said that there is one thing more that he would have liked to be able to do. And that was to go through life again.….sober. He knew he had missed a lot..

Had Addiction-A Personal Story been available in his time, perhaps Hemingway would have been able to experience at least a sober second half of his life.

Copyright by Rev. Austin Miles
------------------------------Rev. Austin Miles is a chaplain and counselor who has worked with drug addicts in New York City, and worked closely with famed social psychologist Kenneth Clark in the Juvenile Decency Program founded by noted comedian, Joey Adams.