From restoring personal autobiography to self-help guides and novels about addiction, books are an incredible resource in the recovery process. Books on addiction and recovery are full of inspiration, encouragement, relevant stories, humor and useful coping tips to help you grow and navigate each challenge with confidence.
The best addiction and recovery books
Books are a great tool to inspire, inspire and entertain yourself during the healing process. Here are some of the most useful books to read during recovery.
“Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions”
“Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions” is one of the basic texts of the Anonymous (AA) program. It articulates the twelve steps and principles of the program. This is an excellent recovery tool that can be used in conjunction with AA 12-step workbook and Alcoholic Anonymous: Big Book.
“Sobering on a drunken planet: perseverance”
Sean Alexander’s Sober on the Drunk Planet: Stoic Sober is a daily meditation book that helps you build strength and resilience to stay awake. These collections of tools and meditations can help you face the challenges of life through perseverance and emotional waking, building a strong mind and body that makes your body and body more fulfilling, purposeful living without alcohol.
“Friends, lovers and the most terrible thing: Memoirs”
Matthew Perry details his decades of drug and alcohol experience in “Friends, Lovers and the Horrible Things: Memoirs.” Perry’s role in the sitcom has attracted many fans of the book, but his humor, honesty and inspiring sober path make it a must read for anyone experiencing an addiction. If you are looking for books written by authors who have recovered from addiction and fans of 90s pop culture, this book is a great read.
‘The mountain is you’
The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest is a self-help book about why we self-destruct, how we stop ourselves, and how we can achieve our potential. This inspirational work can help you understand disrupting habits, release past trauma and overcome the biggest challenges.
“A Thousand Waste Sundays”
Victoria Vanstone’s “A Thousand Waste Sundays” approaches the topic of addiction with a slight touch, taking you through the author’s experience at the party, navigating maternity and starting a new sober life. Fun, heart-warming and honest memoirs about overcoming alcohol addiction are an inspiring reading list for your addiction and recovery reading.
“Teaching me”
Tears that Tears by Morgan Richard Oliver is a collection of prose and poetry about finding peace in our challenges and pains, and accepting each experience with a greater purpose. This is a great book that can lead to sadness and loss in your recovery process.
“Win the mind of war: Change the mind, change life”
Won the War: Changing the Mind, Changing Life, by Craig Groeschel is a faith-based book about replacing negative thoughts and self-doubt with peace, joy, prayer, and praise. If you want to build healthier perspectives and update your ideas, this inspiring nonfiction is a great choice.
“Long-distance walk”
“The Long Walk” by Adam B. Hill, Maryland is a painful recovery story and a thoughtful new perspective on how we treat people who are rehabilitated from addiction. As a palliative physician and pediatric oncologist, Hill illuminates lights on broken systems in the medical field and provides a roadmap for improved practices with stigma and teaching vulnerability.
’12 Stupid Things Disrupted Recovery’
Dr. Allen Berger’s “Silly Things Chaos Recovery”, concise, direct advice on recognizing and overcoming the biggest obstacles to long-term sobriety. Learn how to develop healthier behaviors, make modifications, seek help with relationship challenges and value growth that goes beyond perfection.
‘Pomegranate’
Pomegranate by Helen Elaine Lee is a touching novel about a woman recovering from opioid addiction, adapting to life outside of prison, and re-raising her child’s custody while facing the challenges of her old life. The novel offers a complex portrayal of black women, marginalization and the devastating effects of addiction and incarceration, and is long listed for the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Award.
“A simple dating guide: For those who are recovering”
“A Simple Dating Guide: For People in Recovery” by Mary Faulkner is an easy, straightforward dating guide on how to find and build healthy relationships in rehabilitation. As you step into a new sober life, this useful book can lead you through the complexity of dating and changing old relationship patterns.
“Impossible People: The Story of Completely Average Recovery”
“Impossible Man: A Completely Average Recovery Story” is a graphic memoir by famous writer and cartoonist Julia Wertz. This engaging book will take you to explore Wertz’s challenges, humorous experiences, relapses and relapses and recovery in graphic novel formats to portray the inspiration despite the setbacks.
“Wild: Discovery from Lost to the Peaks of the Pacific”
Cheryl’s Wandering “From Lost to Discovery on the Top of the Pacific Mountain” is about the author’s inspiring solo on the Pacific Crush Trail. This story will take you through the challenges, joy and lessons she gained on her inspiring loneliness hike. From the death of her mother to her addiction and ultimate recovery, the wandering story is a great read for anyone who pursues her own recovery and soberness.
“High Achievement: An incredible true story of a double life of an addict”
“The High Achievement” by Tiffany Jenkins is a real, inspiring and page-turning memoir that reads like a suspense novel. From opioid addiction and felony to an inspiring path to recovery, this story is a shocking account of Jenkins’ experience and journey to recovery.
Why trust our recovery support?
At Diamond House Detox, we treat each client as a family and use a holistic approach to addiction treatment. From consultation and helpful book advice to medical support and group therapy, our experienced team helps you recover physically, mentally, emotionally and mentally through personalized treatment plans tailored to your unique needs. We provide residential and outpatient services, including accompanying medical services with specialists in-house providers. This allows us to provide medically assisted detox, injections and medication adjustments as needed.
As a team of experienced medical providers, therapists and counselors, we help you recover in a loving, compassionate environment. After completing residential or outpatient treatment, Diamond Home welcomes you to stay in touch with the support community and continue to attend live conferences through our alumni program. Browse our customer recommendation information to learn more about how we can change your life.
Find compassionate recovery resources in Diamond House detox
Diamond House Detox offers experienced professionals, compassionate environments and holistic resources to help you recover from medication use disorders. You can use addicted psychiatrists, psychiatrists, medical assistants, nurses, marriage and family therapists, as well as drug and alcohol consultants to help you heal and learn how to stay awake. Call us at 800-205-6107 or contact us online to learn more about how we can support you on your recovery journey.
Vicky is a board certified family mental health nurse practitioner certified by the American Nurses Certification Center. She began her nursing career in health care by working in the intensive care unit and then in an inpatient psychiatric hospital. After realizing the mental health needs of patients and serving their families, she became a psychiatric nurse. In working with clients, she developed a passion for those with dual diagnosis and specifically helped individuals recognize the issues that drive their substance use. This awareness is crucial to individuals’ success in therapy. Vicky turned on Diamond House detox so she could address these issues early in her therapeutic environment to enable clients to transition to the next level in recovery.
