Kitty Harris - Women and Recovery: Finding Hope

Packed with essential, honest, practical information for the alcoholic and her family, Women and Recovery draws on Dr. Harris professional expertise, wise advice, and personal story to show the reader how to find a fulfilling new life.

Paula DArcy, author of Waking up to This Day

For years, there has been an alarming lack of resources specifically for women with alcohol problems. This book fills that void by intelligently combining forthright personal accounts of alcoholism with treatment and recovery science. The result is a compelling, engaging, and, above all, useful book that will open the door to a better life for countless women.

John F. Kelly, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Director Addiction Recovery Management Service, Massachusetts General Hospital

Where was this book when my mother needed it? Women and Recovery: Finding Hope is a wonderful and very comforting resource for women and family members. I really enjoyed it.

Susan Ford Bales, daughter of Betty Ford

Women and Recovery is a must read. Dr. Harris gets itone size fits all has never fit women. Her page-turning vignettes about binge-drinking girls, social-drinking moms, and others illustrate the many ways women slip into alcoholism. With her unique coping skills, Dr. Harris offers a lifesaving ring of hope to women and their loved ones.

Karen Tandy, former Administrator, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

Kitty Harris knows that women who drink too much will resist the strategies that lead to breaking the cycle of addiction unless they trust the messenger. By telling her own story of recovery using straight, blunt, and sober talk, Kitty supports women in recovery who choose to live their second chance in a qualitatively different life. It is this combination of hope and a solution specifically directed at women that gives Women in Recovery a vital and prominent position in the recovery literature.

Dorie Evensen, Ph.D., Professor of Education, Penn State University

Copyright 2012 by Kitty S. Harris and Jodie Gould. All rights reserved

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Harris, Kitty S.
Women and recovery: finding hope/Kitty S. Harris with Jodie Gould.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-94183-6 (pbk.); ISBN 978-1-118-21733-7 (ebk);
ISBN 978-1-118-21734-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-21735-1 (ebk)
1. Women alcoholicsRehabilitation. I. Gould, Jodie. II. Title.
HV5137.H37 2012
616.8610082dc23
2011046740

This book is dedicated to all the courageous women who walked before me on the road we call recoverymost especially: Betty, Irene, and Pitsy.

To Sylva, DAnn and Shyrle, and to all of the loving women who walked beside me.

Finally, to Mandy, Leigh, and Peyton and to all of the resilient women who will walk down this road after me.

To all of these brave women, I paraphrase the words of St. Francis of Assisi: Start by doing whats necessary, then do whats possible. Suddenly you will find that you are doing the impossible.

Kitty Harris

To my beloved daughter, Samantha, who at age ten, is developing the kind of self-confidence and independent thinking that will help her make good decisions during what will surely be some challenging years ahead.

To my husband, Robert Katel, for his unflagging support; my mother, for her maternal wisdom; my sister, whose advice I depend on; and to my brother-in-law Rick Tieszen, for his brilliance and positive spirit.

Jodie Gould

Acknowledgments

It is a well-known truth in my field that no one really succeeds on his or her ownwe all have the blessings of others who help us along the way. This book is an example of that principle. I would like to thank Jodie Gould, who made the initial contact that started this project. She has been a joy to work with and gave voice not only to the pain of addiction but also to the hope of recovery. My agent, Linda Konner, took a total novice and walked me through the publishing maze with patience and understanding. I would like to express appreciation to our editors, Tom Miller and Jorge Amaral, whose guidance and support directed us to a well-defined finished product. In addition to our editors, thanks go to Christel Winkler, Kimberly Monroe-Hill, and the other individuals throughout John Wiley & Sons for their support. I am grateful to my assistant, Ann Casiraghi, who was always willing to help with research and references that needed to be verified, and to Dr. Beth Robinson who, as a graduate student, engaged in hours of brainstorming for the genesis of the recovery model. I have tremendous gratitude for all of the women who agreed to be interviewed for this book. Their honesty and courage inspire me. Additionally, I acknowledge that this book is a reflection of thirty-two years of participating in recovery meetings, reading hundreds of books and journals on addiction and recovery, and attending seminars, conferences, and workshops that address the issues of addictive disorders. Thank you to all who have shaped my ideas, concepts, and vision of the pain of addiction and the hope of recovery.

My friends through the years have had such a significant effect on my life. These friendships have always been one of the most treasured aspects in my life. Bless you for all of the time, energy, and love that you have invested in meI would not be the person who I am today without your handprint on my heart.

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation and love for my family, the people in my life who have mattered the most. Mom and Dad never waver in their love and support. My sister, Linn, stands by my side through the ups and downs and has always been there for me, as has my brother-in-law, David. My deep gratitude and love to my precious husband, Morris, who is a reflection of serenity and models for me the genuine meaning of living an authentic life. I am blessed!