Sane: Mental Illness, Addiction, and the 12 Steps

Marya Hornbacher pulls no punches in her book SANE: MENTAL ILLNESS, ADDICTION, AND THE 12 STEPS. This is recovery for the "dual diagnosed." She gives her honest take on what step work, recovery, and the struggles the mentally ill face in recovery. I'd say that for those with mental illness AND addiction, this is a bible for working the steps, a compassionate friend and companion to be always at your side. If I were bipolar, I'd trust her assessment because she has been through the mire and turned her life around.

Each chapter covers one step. Marya draws from AA's Big Book frequently and also AA's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and the Little Red Book. She sticks fairly close to the guidelines of the Big Book on the 4th step. Of show more step 7 she says she was "in no mood" to revisit her lists from Step 4, but she knew she had to do it, to face her past or end up "drinking and going insane again and again until it killed [her]."

I love how she voices her skepticism of the program's many slogans, promises, and what seems like hype and horse shit to many newcomers. But something kept drawing her back to the rooms, perhaps a belief that it was her last chance. In fact, the Big Book says that for many, AA is "the last house on the block." She also addresses the opinions of the un-informed in the rooms, those who don't understand that there's a huge difference between medication taken to regulate one's moods and sanity versus using mood and mind altering substances to get high or "take the edge off", as they say. This is crucial; I've sat through many a meeting where addicts get into it passionately about whether it's acceptable to take prescription drugs for ANY reason...it's a mess. Sadly, the loudest opponents in the room are often the least qualified to say anything on the topic. There's a lot of ignorance on this topic and Marya attempts to dispel that. At any rate, she encourages those who take psychotropic medications to control their mental illness NOT to be dissuaded from recovery by those in the rooms who are ignorant of mental illness's ravages and demands.

Marya is one tough chick, facing down her demons and winning. She's a recovery warrior and a good writer. This is the 3rd book I've read by her and I look forward to more updates from the field. show less