Chapter-by-Chapter Overview

Chapter One: “Dispelling the Myths;” is an overview of “Powerless No Longer” (PNL), detailing why I’m writing the book, who it’s for, offering an introduction into the nature of addiction, and suggesting how to use the book, depending upon what your goals are. PNL can be read in order, or used as a toolbox. Some of those reading the book will have only begun thinking of making a change, while others will be deeply committed to change and looking for a viable pathway. Still others will already be far along their own pathway, and merely looking for a few tools and suggestions. This chapter will hopefully sort things out.

Chapter Two: “How We Learn Addiction;” is a discussion of Neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change both structurally and functionally as a result of input from the environment. Neurons actually rewire, that is, make new connections, as a result of new experiences. That’s how we learn – and unlearn, not only information, but also good as well as bad habits. The chapter will introduce the changes in neural circuitry brought about by the three main stages of addiction, and the role of stress in chronic relapse.

Chapter Three: “They Were Not Powerless, and Neither Are You;” will explore the concept of powerlessness, as inculcated by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and most of the drug and alcohol treatment industry. Are we really powerless over our addictions? Do we really have to “turn them over” to some ephemeral power greater than ourselves? Have any studies been done that give an indication of the truth of this concept? Turns out that yes, there has been considerable work done, and over 80 studies in the last 40 years prove conclusively that 75%, or more, of all addicts recover on their own, without treatment centers or 12-step groups! We will examine several of the studies, including some which prove that some addicts, who formally met strict dependency criteria, had successful non-abstinent recoveries.

Chapter Four: “Harnessing the Power of Self-Change, Breaking the Chains;” discusses in detail the seven stages of change an addict passes through in order to affect change in themselves. Although all addicts don’t go through all of the stages, they are a good starting-point for a discussion on how any individual, including you, could go about the process of self-directed change. Some tools are introduced to illustrate what constitutes advancement from one stage to the next. For instance, studies indicate that the number one necessity for self-recovery is a cognitive decision that the disadvantages of using outweigh the advantages. In other words a process known as a “Cost/Benefit Analysis,” so this is introduced here as a tool to advance an addict from denial into a state of self-change motivation. Also mentioned in the chapter are four points that are common among those who’s self-change was referenced in Chapter Four, with a discussion of how these points relate to the stages of change.

Chapter Five:”Choosing Your Personal Pathway to Change;” discusses some of the main recovery options, beginning with recovering totally on your own, or with minimal help, and continuing on to comparing the primary self-help groups and programs. Emphasis is placed upon how the various programs address the primary issues faced by recovering addicts.

Chapter Six: “Obtaining and Maintaining Your Motivation;” concerns early recovery. In Chapter Four, I began the discussion of motivation, the single most important component of recovery from any addiction. It was the number one factor mentioned in every single survey and study that addressed self-recovery from drug, alcohol, or nicotine addiction. I address methods of obtaining the motivation to abstain if you don’t already have it, and how to maintain it, if you do. Almost as important as motivation is mindfulness, one of the key to successfully taking advantage of Neuroplasticity. Several mindfulness techniques will be discussed.

Chapter Seven: “Understanding and Controlling Urges:” Most addicts experience urges to use, especially during early recovery, and they are entirely normal. No matter how irresistible they seem, need the conscious cooperation of our thinking brains in order for the drug to be made available and delivered. Your reptilian brain can’t get the car keys, drive down to the corner package store, and buy a bottle, it needs help. Your help! Your feelings drive your actions, while your thoughts control your feelings. You can change the way you think, which changes your feelings and your actions. There are many cognitive, and simple behavioral tools you can use to rewire your brain, modify your thinking and control urges, and we will cover them here.

Chapter Eight: “Proven, Non-Magical Tools Designed for  Living in a Reality-Based World;” discusses how to live in the real world, with all of its frustrations, stressors, and fears without having to alter reality with drugs or alcohol. Due to permanent changes in the response of certain systems in the brain of the addict, we are more susceptible to stress than most others are. While these changes are not reversible, we can deal with the additional stress using some of the same tools, over the long term, that we use to deal with urges. By changing our thinking, we can eliminate this additional stress, in fact almost any stress, thereby maintaining our mental balance, and our sense of perspective. Long before the adversities of the day begin to build the tensions that can eventually lead to an irrational decision to drink or use, we can manage and dispense with them by developing the ability to see them as they really are. The tools used to do this are suggested by the surveys in Chapter Three, and are today common psychiatric tools used by professionals in the treatment of many mental disorders, including substance abuse. We can learn to apply them in our own lives, and that’s the purpose of this chapter.

Chapter Nine: “A Realistic, Balanced Vision for You;” is a wrap-up, a review, and a discussion of obtaining lifestyle balance, the outlook and attitude that allows addicts such as ourselves to lead normal, happy lives without resorting to mind-altering substances. The process of reorientation from a focus on short-term goals, which is what we do when we are using, to a focus upon long-term goals has another name: It’s called “growing up,” which is something many of us never did. When we were using, we set lots of goals for ourselves, the only problem was, we never achieved any of them. Why? Well, there was always “something,” wasn’t there? There was always some short-term gratification that we allowed to come between a long-term goal we thought we really wanted to achieve, and what we knew we had to do to achieve it. Even if we knew the particular gratification would preclude the goal, it wouldn’t matter; we would take the short-term irrational path every time.

This chapter teaches the skills of balancing short and long-term goals and satisfactions in order to achieve a healthy balance in your life. Learning to set specific, achievable, measurable, realistic and timed goals is one of the most important life skills you can learn. With knowledge of the proper tools, anyone can balance their lives to achieve the maximum of personal joy and satisfaction, and you know what? It’s contagious!