Among the Healers or Last Call

Among the Healers: Stories of Spiritual and Ritual Healing Around the World

Author: Edith L L Turner

Every day, everywhere in the world, people deal with sickness (both physical and mental), and must choose ways to address the illnesses from which they suffer. Some will go to doctors, take medicine, have surgery. Others will do nothing. Still others try a combination of prayer and medical attention. And some communities rely on religious, spiritual, and ritual healing methods that employ various techniques to heal their loved ones. Here, a renowned anthropologist takes the reader on a tour of the myriad spiritual healing traditions from around the world. Lessons from communities in rural Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, Israel, Russia, Africa, and the U.S. will provide a road map for readers as they navigate through the many traditions, rituals, and sacred mysteries of healing.

Look this: L'analista legale: Una borsa degli arnesi per il pensiero alla legge

Last Call: Alcoholism and Recovery

Author: Jack H Hedblom

"I knew about drunk, but did not know anything about living sober. I hadn't really been sober for fifteen years. It wasn't enough that I stopped drinking. I had to learn how to live."

The journey from alcoholic insanity to sobriety -- and the pivotal role of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in navigating that transition -- is the focus of this book. Last Call offers perspectives on how and why AA is the most effective alcoholism treatment program in the world.

Through powerful first-person narratives like the one above -- composites of many anonymous speakers -- psychotherapist Jack H. Hedblom provides compelling insights into the minds and hearts of addicted drinkers, from bizarre behavior and denial to the moment of "hitting bottom" and seeking change.

Hedblom covers the process of getting sober, from diagnosis to detox to sobriety. Of particular focus is the long-term challenge of learning to live sober, in which recovering alcoholics learn to solve problems and live life without alcohol. In meeting this long-term challenge, Hedblom asserts, regular participation in AA reaps the greatest benefits.

Hedblom's vivid descriptions reveal AA meetings as gatherings of fellowship, compassion, tears, and laughter. He relates the history of AA, describes the role of sponsors, and elaborates the Twelve Steps and the Promises. He emphasizes the importance of spiritual development in recovery and refutes the common misconceptions that equate spirituality with organized religion.

By relating the stories of people who have escaped the tyranny of alcoholism with the help of AA, Hedblom reveals the road to recovery as a journey of self-discovery, change, and hope.

Table of Contents:

Foreword   Paul R. McHugh, M.D.     ix
Preface     xiii
Alcoholics Anonymous     1
A Matter of Definition     25
Alcohol and the Alcoholic     45
Getting Sober     70
Mending: the Steps in Getting Well     87
The Components of Sobriety     125
The Alcoholic and the Family     148
The Road to a Life Well Lived: the Promises     176
Events in the History of Alcoholics Anonymous     189
How It Works, the Steps, and the Traditions     193
Notes     197
References     201
Index     203