Berg - Loving someone in recovery: the answers you need when your partner is recovering from addiction

Growing up as a child in a family that coped with alcoholism and addiction, I became an expert in masterful, almost tyrannical control of my exterior world, coupled with a complete lack of any ability to create lasting and deeply experienced relationships, even with myself. It worked for almost forty years until I woke up one morning, literally, and felt that I was living my life as if going from scene to scene with no connection, no consciousness, and absolutely no joy. It was a dreadful recognition, but it led, very fortuitously, to Dr. Bergs book.

Jonathan H.

Dr. Bergs gift is showing you a clear and navigable road map to wherever it is you want to go in your lifeeven through what seem like insurmountable brambles of anger and resentment and weeds of loneliness and disillusionment. It is hard work and it can be emotionally exhausting, but it is a constant progression forward. I have implemented each of her steps and I have firmly moved from a place of profound sadness and resentment to one of conscious understanding of myself, my intentions, and the role I want to play in my own life. And I am happy. I recognize that I am on a lifelong path of understanding, but I am light-years from where I startedsolely because of Dr. Berg. I simply lack the words to express the positive impact Dr. Bergs book, Loving Someone in Recovery, has had upon my life.

Carol E.

Dr. Berg tells it like it is, thats for sure. The recovering couple contains two addicts: the recovering partner and the one addicted to their drama! The point I really got from her book, Loving Someone in Recovery, was that to heal, it takes both of us to adapt to a new way of being. Thank you for the guide to a new life with my husband!

Michelle H.

With Loving Someone in Recovery, Beverly Berg has created a guidebook for couples moving past addiction, in a style that is both user-friendly and uniquely palpable. Here is a book that helps us identify with who we are, who our partner is, and who we are in our relationship with our partner. What makes Beverlys method is so effective is that it combines mindful meditation with practical tools to help us cope with the day-to-day challenges of loving your recovering partner. The word addict and the word relationship apply to a broad spectrumthis book is applicable to anyone dealing with those realities.

Rob B.

Beverly Bergs book, Loving Someone in Recovery is like having a secret weapon stashed in your bedside table. Just knowing its there when you need it can provide the comfort and confidence of having an owners manual to traverse the inevitable, disorienting, and dizzying terrain of healing from codependency and addiction issues as they arise in a committed recovering relationship. Dr. Berg has a fresh, insightful, tell-it-like-it-is approach in her book. She gives the person recovering from codependency, along with their recovering addict partner, the practical tools to make possible the formerly impossible: the capacity to love and connect in a completely new way.

Jennifer G.

As a fifty-six-year-old gay man whos been in a relationship for thirty-something years, Im grateful for the insight, humor, and practical advice Dr. Berg provides in her indispensable and immensely entertaining Loving Someone in Recovery. Thanks to Dr. Bergs remarkably empowering book, I have been able to make significant strides in recovering from what I had considered insurmountable codependency issues. Highly recommended!

Jeffrey S.

In a warm, comforting, and down-to-earth voice, Beverly Berg offers powerful, heartfelt help for couples and families grappling with addiction and recovery. Grounded in the latest neuroscience and illuminated by mindfulness, her book offers practical tools and advice for lasting love and happiness. Beverly writes with charm, humor, and the bone-deep understanding that comes from someone who has been there herself. This book is a remarkable achievement, at once compelling and profound, cheerful and wise.

Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddhas Brain and Hardwiring Happiness

Loving Someone in Recovery is the real deal: insightful, comprehensive, funny, and beautifully written. Its like having someone very wise walking beside you through rough terrain. And what a wonderful guide Beverly Berg is. Her knowledge comes through on every page. She speaks as a person who has been there, and as a clinician with years of experience helping real people put their lives back together. Anyone touched by a recovering person they care about needs this book. It has the power to change your life.

Terrence Real, MSW, LCSW, author of The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Know to Make Marriage Work

With a strong understanding of addiction recovery and many years of working with couples struggling in their intimate relationships, Beverly Berg masterfully addresses the codependency that undermines the potential for a happy coupleship. While she recognizes the complexity of the challenges, she also knows the hope that comes with the possibilities. With a delightful writing style, she offers her readers concrete, do-able tools, and gives them the skills needed to create a healthy and happy relationship. This is the seminal book for couples confronted with the recovery of addiction and the age-old issue of codependency that undermines the promises.

Claudia Black, PhD, author of It Will Never Happen to Me: Changing Course and Deceived: Facing Sexual Betrayal, Lies and Secrets

Loving Someone in Recovery is a groundbreaking, practical, and brilliant guide. It will give heart and support to millions in recovery and help them to learn to love wisely at last.

Jack Kornfield, PhD, best-selling author of A Path with Heart

Using her experiences from working with her clients, Beverly Berg has written a moving and helpful book for all couples seeking an intimate and fulfilling relationship. Through her use of specific and clear tools, the reader has available the possibility of creating intimacy, as well as tools for addressing the conflicts that occur in relationships and moving toward a greater understanding of love and commitment. In my books, Coupleship and Understanding Codependency, these are tenants of a fulfilling relationship. Berg offers a whole new dimension for growing together, and separately, in a healthy relationship. I applaud her book, Loving Someone in Recovery.

Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse, MA, author of Coupleship and Understanding Codependency, founder of Onsite Workshops, and family therapist www.sharonwcruse.com

Beverly Berg touches upon some of the most sensitive and raw issues a human being can experience: the conflict, unpredictability, and not-knowing of the recovery process. But she gives us a way home with kindness and counsel that help turn this into a redemptive and transformational experience. Enjoy the ride!

Tim Ryan, United States congressman, co-chair of the House Caucus on Addiction and Recovery, and author of A Mindful Nation

If you are part of a recovering couple and looking for a handbook on how to transform the quality of relationship from dysfunction to healing and connection, youve found it. Grounded in deep personal and professional experience, combined with a warm and witty sense of humor, Beverly Berg lights the path for a better future for yourself and your relationship. Stop, listen, and soak up these powerful lessons!