| The Soul Of Recovery | |
Oxford University Press News Release
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In Christopher Ringwald's new book, The Soul Of Recovery, he examines how and why spirituality is so critical to alcoholics and addicts in achieving these transformations.
In addition to his research, Ringwald traveled across the country to visit dozens of programs and interview hundreds of counselors, family members, doctors and scientists. Many share moving stories of suffering, survival, and redemption. The Soul Of Recovery illuminates the use of spirituality within a wide range of treatments-from the famous Twelve Step-style programs to those tailored to the needs of addicted women, Native Americans, or homeless teens not ready to quit.
Ringwald demonstrates how addicts recover through practices such as self-examination, meditation, good works, prayer and/or reliance on a self-defined higher power. Ringwald also examines the controversies surrounding faith-based treatment and the recovery movement, from the conflict between science and spirituality, to skepticism about the "New Age" brand of spirituality these programs encourage to constitutional issues over court-mandated participation in faith-based social services.
Ringwald demonstrates how important spirituality is to addiction recovery. He finds that professionals and scientists prefer to blame addictions solely on biology and, generally, ignore the role of faith in saving lives. The Soul Of Recovery is a fascinating exploration of how spirituality provides a fuller understanding of the nature of addictions and helps people to overcome them.
About The Author
Christopher D. Ringwald covered legal issues for Newsday and has written for The Washington Post, ReutersHealth, The New York Times, and Science and Spirit Magazine. He directs the Faith & Society Project at The Sage Colleges and is the author of Faith in Words. Ringwald lives with his wife, Amy Biancolli, film critic and musical biographer, and children in Albany, NY.Previous Features
