The Holiday Blues...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year....

Those seemingly happy good wishes can sound like needles scratching an old record spinning around...going nowhere. Why is it that this time of year is so difficult for so many people?

One reason is we usually connect with our families, maybe for the first time in many years. When family members get together, many times, we fall into our "old out-moded" patterns and chidlhood scripts which we learned ever so rightously as a child. We play our roles of "the oldest and smartest one" to "the baby who gets away with everything." We re-robe ourselves in past behavior as we gather around the holiday table and tree. The co-dependent mother and the doubting father roles are resumed accordingly bringing past traditions to the present.

If one person of the family has changed, grown, or moved-on emotionally, some family members are put "off-guard" and don't know how to respond or act around the newly transformed individual. This happens often when the family member has entered recovery and sobriety. The rest of the family may not know how to treat the newly sober which brings tension and a sense of unease to the whole family. "Do we talk to him/her about it?" "Did he/she really stop using?" "Will he/she stay sober?"

The best reaction I can suggest is showing that member of the family that has taken such a big step toward saving their life is:  Hugging, smiling, back-patting, listening, and even laughing with compassion in your heart.

As The Dalai Lama says:  "We should rejoice in our fortune of having the precious chance, as humans, to practice altruism." Use your chance this holiday season to reach out to your family, whether addicted or in recovery, you may not have a second chance to do so....

Love & Light to you all this Holiday Season!
Barbara~

Amazon Ranking

Hi Everyone!
I haven't posted lately... actually I have been very busy marketing Tales of Addiction. I believe the book's message of hope and compassion is spreading! Amazon.com has a ranking system for their books listed for purchase and Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery hit their top 1% on October 10th!!  This is very exciting!

To view more information about the book on Amazon, even take a look-see inside, please go to:
 

Uniquely designed for Astaraians!

Uniquely designed for Astara, a non-profit spiritual organization I have belonged to for over thirty years, my beaded Bracelets and Bookmarks are now available! One does not need to be a member to purchase these special items if you feel a connection to them.

Please visit Astara's web site to view and/or purchase these one-of-a-kind pieces. While I make these beaded-beauties, I meditate on the person who will wear or use them to instill a since of peace, joy, and love.

Visit Astara to see the Bracelet:    ASTARA

Visit Astara to see the Bookmark:   ASTARA

If you are interested in learning more about Astara please visit their web site Here:  Astara.org 

My Blessings to you,
Barbara~
More beaded designs:   BarbsBeading!

Online Radio Interview

Hello Everyone!
I wanted to let you know to be sure to tune in on this latest online radio interview with Chris Schreoder's Program:

"Afflicted & Affected by Addiction"

The show will air on Monday, September 27th at 7pm PT. This will be a great show to listen to bringing you insights into why I wrote Tales of Addiction; what my recovery philosophy is about; and an inside personal look at recovery for today. Please write me your comments and tell me your thoughts after hearing this interview!

Love & Light,

Barbara~

Interview for You

I had a nice chat with Host Robbie Motter on BlogTalk Radio yesterday. If you would like to listen in, just click here:  Interview Sept. 5th  

Robbie and I knew each briefly while I lived in southern California in the 1990s. We both wrote articles for a lovely women's magazine titled "For You!" Robbie is a great lady with so much energy and knowledge of getting women connected -- such a supportor of women becoming all they can be!

Now that summer is coming to an end, I find myself beginning to enter a "reflection" phase of the year. Fall brings a respite of peaceful leaves truning yellow and nature winding down for a rest. I like to do the same...

2010 has been very busy for me with Tales of Addiction being released and all the promotion that is required when a new book is presented to the public. I have enjoyed many Radio Shows online and off, one local television appearance, many booksigning events, and meeting new people on FaceBook. I still have a few online radio shows coming up and one live radio program which I am excited about. I will be sure to post these here and on my web site:  Inspiration for Recovery 

If you have started reading (or finished) Tales of Addiction, I know your heart has been touched with compassion for all the writers of the addiction stories. To honor them, please go to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble web sites and write your comments about your thoughts and feelings. Sharing your own emotions about reading this book not only honors their path, but also your own.

Here is a link to Amazon's page to write your review--just scroll down to the heading Create a Review:

San Francisco Book Review!

A new Review was just published for Tales of Addiction in the San Francisco and Sacramento Book Review! I am so pleased that the public and addiction professionals are receiving this book positively.

I was also interviewed recently by Chris Schroeder for his online radio show "Afflicted & Affected by Addiction." The interview will air online in September. I will be sure to announce the date and post it here and on my web site:  Inspiration for Recovery 

September is National Recovery Month and will be celebrated nationwide with events, runs/walks, conferences, fairs and groups. To learn more where there is an event close to you visit this site:

National Recovery Month

There will be thousands gathering all month to celebrate those in recovery and those with loved ones in recovery. In my own county of Lake, California, we will be honoring those in recovery with a walk/hike from one park to another in the city of Clearlake on September 11th. There will be vendors, booths, literature, music, and food!

Enjoy these last few days of summer weather!

Love & Light,

Barbara~

New Etsy Jewelry Shop!

Hi Everyone!
I wanted to let you all know that I have openned my first Etsy.com handmade beaded jewelry store! You can visit my "BarbsBeading" shop anytime to browse the unique bracelets I have designed.

When I sit down to design an individual piece, I open myself to guidance to make a speacial piece which inspires the qualities of joy, hope, nature, love, and Life!

Here is a link to my Etsy.com store:   BarbsBeading 

With the Holidays fast approaching maybe this is the time to shop for special women on your list (and of course, yourself!).

New Review!!

Hello Everyone!
The "Fresno Book Review" just posted/printed a great Review of Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery!! Please take a look:

Reveiw in Fresno Book Review

I am very happy that this healing book is being received by the public critics so positively. Our nation is crying for help with its addiction trauma. And, I am afraid it will even increase when our troops come home from one of the largest producers of heroin substances. But not all illegal drugs are made in foreign countries, Americans are readily consuming prescription drugs to the point of a large increase of addiction to medications. Visit the web site below and left "Dad on Fire" to read the latest information about our nation's sad addiction population.

If you haven't visited my web site lately, please do. I have added archived Radio Interviews from the past few months and listed new ones coming up. You can also go to any of my books' individual pages to read more articles and interviews. Thank you also, for leaving your comments here.

Love & Light,

Barbara~

New Post

New Post in "Sober News!"  Click:  Sober News

I have received many updates, thoughts, views, discussions, and comments from those who have completed reading Tales of Addiction. I just want to thank everyone who takes the time to email or write me about their feelings... As an author, I am always seeking feedback! Continue to spread the word and pass your copy on to those who might benefit from reading this book. If even one person is guided toward their positive path after reading it, I am grateful.
Love & Light,
Barbara~

Two New Reviews!

Two new reviews just in for last two books! The first is on Addiction: What's Really Going On? which was released last year, the second is for Tales of Addiction just released in May.

Dr. Barbara Sinor and Deborah McCloskey are two therapists that work with addiction issues. Upon McCloskey’s death Barbara takes Deborah’s journal and expounds on it in this book of stories of addicts and their journeys through heroin addiction and their progress. Addiction, What’s Really Going On? holds back nothing to let you see the progress of a caseload of patients. This is a fantastic book that lets you into the stories of said addicts. Ms. Sinor is a therapist who happened to be friends with Ms. McCloskey. Dr. Sinor and Ms. McCloskey have given us a glimpse, a very detailed journey, of addicts and their addictions.


I think this book needs to be read by anyone who has a family member on Heroin as it will give a small insight into the world and see that there is hope for some of them. If for some reason you have a friend or family member with these issues THEN THIS IS THE ONE BOOK THAT IS A MUST READ for you. This is a very revealing story which will detail, to you, a journey through addiction and what happens in the progress made in Addiction, What’s Really Going On? This is the one!
Carol Langstroth, Manager

Mind Fog Reviews

In Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery ,Dr. Barbara Sinor writes of other stories, including her and her son’s. It is a well written and posed book that has you crying at other people’s courage in sharing their stories. It even helped me with my own mother's illness of alcoholism.


I am pleased at the detail this book has and I hope that it gets out to those of you who need it. It will give you courage to go through your own processes.
Carol Langstroth, Manager

Mind Fog Reviews

Taking a Breath...

Hello everyone,
Thank you for being patient with me these past few weeks - I needed a break from life...:)

I have played in the lake with my daughter and grandson; walked the woods with nature; mediated by a creek; and deep breathed regularly. After the release of the book, my calendar was so full of radio interviews, articles to write, booksignings to attend, and then that last television show, I decided a long rest to re-coop was necessary.

There are still radio interviews coming up which I know will help promote my message but I am also trusting that you all can share your thoughts about Tales of Addiction as well as I can. The book was written for 'you' by people just like 'you' -- this is what will make the book sell and continue to sell for years to come.

If you have read the book, please spread the word to your family and friends, church and schools, colleges and medical personnel. This book has healing energy in it and will bring only positive answers for us all seeking guidance toward a compassionate outlook regarding addiction recovery.

Also, if you have a comment you would like to add to this Blog, please do so! We all want to hear your thoughts... If you want to join my on FaceBook just visit my web site and click the button!
Love & Light,
Barbara~

TV Interview!

Hello Everyone,
I was interviewed on a local television program last evening so I thought I would share a clip with you. It is just fifteen minutes of an hour show but most of the important information about my books including Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery was captured. Enjoy! Click link below:

Interview with Barbara Sinor

BlogTalk Radio show Sat. 26th

Anjuelle Floyd's radio show on BlogTalk Radio online will be chatting with me tomorrow Saturday, June 26th at 12 noon PT - tune in if you can. The show is now archived for later listening - click link:

Book Talk, Creativity, and Family Matters

Never Give Up

Hi Everyone,

I just finsihed watching the movie "Invictus." It is a very moving movie to be sure. Without going into detail about the movie, I want to share with you the poem which is recited because while listening carefully, I still could not hear every word and knew it was a poem I needed to have and read for myself. It brought tears to my eyes as I heard clearly the last two lines.

I found it online with a little background information about the poet. It is copied below for you to read several times to grasp its message of hope, faith, and will.
Never give up my friends, never give up....
Barbara~

At the age of 12, Henley [the Englishman who wrote the poem] fell victim to tuberculosis of the bone. A few years later, the disease progressed to his foot, and physicians announced that the only way to save his life was to amputate directly below the knee. It was amputated when he was 25. In 1867, he successfully passed the Oxford local examination as a senior student. In 1875, he wrote the "Invictus" poem from a hospital bed. Despite his disability, he survived with one foot intact and led an active life until his death at the age of 53.


Invictus [Latin for “unconquered]

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.


In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.


Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.


It matters not how strait the gait,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

New Book Review Released!

Recovery Stories Give Hope Beyond Practical Advice and Therapy


Dr. Barbara Sinor has assembled twenty stories of addiction and recovery from numerous authors and viewpoints, including her own son’s story of dealing with alcoholism. These stories aid recovery in ways that surpass instruction and therapy. Beyond the stories, Dr. Sinor provides insight into the steps from addiction to recovery by pulling from behavioral theory, recovery philosophy, new understandings from the world of physics, and spiritual development.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) June 14, 2010 —Storytelling has the power to move people toward understanding and inspiration in a way therapy cannot. Aware of storytelling’s magic, Barbara Sinor has assembled a powerful collection of recovery stories to help those struggling with addiction and recovery in “Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery: Twenty True Stories from the Soul” (9781615990375, Modern History Press, 2010).

When attempting recovery from alcohol, substance abuse, or any addiction, stories of how others have succeeded can be priceless. Stories are the basis of the “Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous,” one of the first and most successful recovery programs. Barbara Sinor has created a “Big Book” for the twenty-first century with twenty true stories of people dealing with addiction, undergoing recovery, and dealing with relapses. While pain and frustration fill many of these pages, so does enough hope to inspire any reader. Beyond the stories, Dr. Sinor provides insight into the steps from addiction to recovery by pulling from behavioral theory, recovery philosophy, new understandings from the world of physics, and spiritual development.

These true stories were collected from drug addicts and alcoholics as well as many authors who have written about the difficulties and ultimate successes of their recoveries. Interwoven throughout the book is the journal of Barbara’s son, illuminating his journey from alcoholism to recovery. Barbara also details the difficulties she and her husband experienced in witnessing their son’s journey.

In the book’s introduction, Barbara writes, “Addicted or not, we all have stories to tell.” Whether the reader is a codependent wishing to help an addicted loved one, or an addict him or herself, this powerful book grows with each story as readers come to understand the truth of addiction, how it affects people in different and similar ways, and how it is possible not only to choose recovery, but ultimately, to find a new day filled with hope and freedom from addiction. Although individual stories cover a myriad of substances, including alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, barbiturates, and amphetamines, the reader will begin to discover a thread of humanity which binds us all, addicted or not.

Reviewers rave about “Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery.” Ken Seeley, author of “Face It and Fix It” states, “These heart-wrenching and ultimately heartwarming stories provide the inspiration for each one of us to know that recovery works.” Leslie Lovejoy, author of “Create Your Health Using the Five Keys to Wellness” testifies, “one is struck both with the pain and suffering that was experienced, and also the hope for a healthier future.” And Elaine DiNucci of Stanford University calls the book “gut-wrenching…The stories are riveting, each starting out with family history that is inevitably pivotal to the storyteller’s current situation. A must read.”

Barbara Sinor, Ph.D. has a Doctor in Psychology and has maintained a private counseling practice for over twenty-five years. She counsels individuals exploring the healing and recovery of addictions, PTSD, childhood abuse/incest, adult children of alcoholics, and codependent/self-esteem issues. Dr. Sinor is also the author of “An Inspiration Guide for the Recovering Soul” and “Gifts From the Child Within,” a recovery workbook for survivors of childhood abuse or trauma and their counselors; she is coauthor of “Beyond Words: A Lexicon of Metaphysical Thought” with Paula Slater, and co-author with Deborah McCloskey of “ ADDICTION--What’s Really Going on? Inside a Heroin Treatment Program (2009).”

“Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery: Twenty True Stories from the Soul” (9781615990375, Modern History Press, 2010) can be purchased through local and online bookstores. For more information, visit www.DrSinor.com. Publicity contact: www.ReaderViews.com. Review copies available upon request.

Book Event was a Big Success!

Thank you everyone who attended the Copperfields Books event last night -- I was honored to have you all there to support me and buy my books. Here are a few pictures!

New Audio Interview

Personal audio Interview on InsideScoopLive now ready to listen to -- just click HERE to listen.

I also would like to share (with permission) a letter I received from one of the addiction story contributors in Tales of Addiction. Lacy wrote her moving story about struggling with her mother's alcoholism. After reading the book, she offers more insight for us. Thank you so much for your wondferful feedback Lacy.

Barbara,

Just wanted to write again and tell you just how much your story about your son so affected me. So many of the feelings that you described, I have felt so often in my own life. Wanting so badly to help someone, it can be so draining and so difficult to accept that you can’t. I just found your descriptions so moving, I couldn’t stop thinking about them long after.


One of the things you shared in the book that I identified with most was “Autobiography in Five Chapters.” You shared it as a better understanding for those with the addiction and how they need help sometimes to find that other path but I walked away from reading that passage with a better understanding for myself, as the family member of the addict.


So much of the past six or seven years have been spent going down that same road day after day, month after month. When you first wrote me to share my story, I was in an interesting place in my life. I had just made the move to remove myself from the situation. But it was only a mere two months later that I found myself in exactly the same place I’d always been when I let my mom move back in with me. As naïve as it sounds to me now, after about fifty times of trying, a part of me still believed that I could change her. I wanted and needed to believe that.


Your book coming out when it did couldn’t have been better timing. In April, I told my mother I couldn’t do it anymore and I chose to once again remove myself from the situation of “saving her.” But it was only by early May that I was once again wondering about the possibility of letting her back. And then I read your book, and the passage I had written, which feels like ages ago now.


Initially, I was taken aback by just how vague I had been. So much of my mother’s alcoholism had me living in shame, as though I was the one doing something wrong; but I think for the most part, I simply felt that by keeping quiet and to myself, it wasn’t all that real. I am in a completely different place now.


Also, while reading what I’d written, I was struck by the amazing similarities to my life now. I’d chosen then to save myself and now I was finding myself in that exact same situation with that exact same possibility before me, and I knew then that I had to take it. I wrote to my older brother to explain: “I am afraid. Afraid of what will happen if I let her back. Afraid of what will happen if I don’t let her back. There are no certainties except for one. If I do let her back, there is no guarantee that she will change, that she will get better. But, if I let her back, I know one thing--I will die.”


So, thank you for this book and for sharing your story :) It couldn’t have been better timing. I wrote my mother a poem just after I’d made my decision and I’d like to share it with you:


Caught


I hate you, I love you
This back and forth emotion
This up and down feeling
This stop and start life
Breathing in and breathing out
Getting up and falling down
Hiding while crying
Living while dying
Believing in nothing
Questions in the night
My soul in shadow
No one in sight
Bitterness screaming
Hopeful dreaming
Lost and alone
No place called home
Hating you, Loving you
Saving, then losing you
Finally free
Saving me
Learning to breathe


~ Lacy Lynnette

Another New Review!

Another Great Review for Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery

Genre: Self-Help
Title: Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery
AUTHOR: Barbara Sinor, Ph.D.
Recovering from any addiction starts with acknowledging the problem. In Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery, stories from everyday people at various stages of addiction and recovery put their honest personal lives, most of which aren’t pretty, on the page to help others.

Raw is the word that comes to mind when trying to describe this book. Reading each story is like sitting with the author and watching them open a vein. The tales are not for the weak. There’s no holding back. What they have to say is put there on the page. Addiction is not pretty and recovery is difficult, at best. So many lives are impacted by addiction and Tales of Addiction is a mere glimpse into a few realities. Love, interventions, pleading, and begging can be used to try to help an addicted person, but only the addicted have the ultimate power to make the changes. The inspiration gained from the stories uplifts and gives hope for a better tomorrow.

The author includes portions of her son’s journal as he struggled with addiction and recovery, along with her emotions and feelings woven between the other individual and unique heart-wrenching tales. Very few people aren’t touched by addiction in some way. Minimal editing was done in order to preserve the individual voices and each new story is indicated with a bold title. The chapters are broken into categories such as “The Early Years,” “Hitting Rock Bottom,” Searching for Recovery,” “Difficult Lessons,” and “The Spiritual Path.”

Barbara Sinor, Ph.D. is a Psychospiritual Therapist dealing with childhood abuse/incest, PTSD, addiction recovery, and adult children of alcoholics. She has several published books on her areas of expertise. The content for Tales of Addiction is in direct response to a public “call for submissions” asking for the stories from those who wanted to share them.

The stories in this book reach out to anyone who has an addiction, is recovering, has recovered, or is part of the life of someone in any of these stages. The stories let you know you aren’t alone and that there is hope. A good read.
Reviewer: Lisa Haselton, Allbooks Reviews.
Available at: http://www.amazon.com/   



Publisher: Modern History Press
ISBN: 978-1-61599-037-5
Pages: 264
Price: $19.95
June 2010

Book Release Party!

Hi Everyone,
Just a note to remind those of you who live near SF Bay area, my next book reading/signing event is set for June 12th in the evening, 7pm, at the Copperfields Books in the Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa. Go to my web site for more details and directions.

Amazon.com has several new Reviews posted for Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery - take a peek:

Reviews on Amazon 

I also was honored to have an article of mine published on the front page of the "California Together" newspaper. This is a recovery paper reaching California and Arizona. Most of the article will be printed in the new "Recovering the Self" magazine in the forth issue coming out in June.

                                                  
         Love & Light,
         Barbara~

Great New Review from Reader Views!

New Review just posted!

Below is a Review posted on Reader Views. It is one of the best reviews so far! Please enjoy reading the words of the reviewer:

Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery

This is the second book of Barbara Sinor’s that I have had the privilege to read. As a Psychologist I am a firm believer in letting others share their stories in the hope that it may spark recovery in others. Many of those who are attempting recovery, or are in recovery, don’t like being told what to do or be lectured to. Stories like these are gut-wrenching, sad and hopeful, with many ups and downs. Recovery, for whatever the reason, is not an easy process. Many think that just stopping the negative behavior will lead them to be happy and as you read these stories that the author has collected, you will see this is not so.

I loved the way the author decided to get her information to include for this book, “A Call for Stories,” what a great way to get others to share. As I read some of these stories I thought to myself “I know this- have I read this book before?” No I had not; some of the contributors are authors I have read and done reviews for.

The other part of the book which I really loved was the author sharing her own experiences about her son Richard. She wasn’t asking for pity- she was letting the readers know of her own experiences with trying to save someone we love from falling into the depths of substance addiction. In her own thoughts and those of her husband, she discusses enabling, begging, pleading and making threats to finally cutting her son off. Mothers are supposed to take care of their kids till the day they pass; they are supposed to protect them from the evil world- yet as the author says- “you can only change yourself.” I certainly can relate to what she speaks of as my own brother drank himself to death. My family expected me the “therapist” to save him and couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t.

Dr. Sinor also discusses the dreaded “system” that really didn’t seem to care. There were so many hurdles to pass through that one just gave up. For those who are in recovery, or thinking about going into recovery, it will not be easy; you will fight, stay clean of your addiction and fall into it again. This might happen time after time.

“Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery: Twenty True Stories from the Soul” is another great book that I have recommended to my college students who are going into the field of Psychology. We learn more by listening to others experiences.
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (05/10)


Here is the link to this review:  Reader Views
This Review can also be found on my web site under the title of the book. I would love to hear your comments after reading this potent book's look into addiction recovery.

New Review and Book Launch

Yeah!! The book launch in southern California was a big success...:)

Saturday the 22nd at Borders Books in Rancho Cucamonga was very exciting and rewarding. Thank you all who attended the release party for Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery. My heart goes out to you all who are supporting me and my work.

My next book event will be in northern California at the Copperfields Bookstore in Santa Rosa's Montgomery Village. This event will be on Saturday evening at 7pm June 12th. More information and directions on my web site.

I just have to pass on to you a great Review that just came in on one of my other healing books Gifts From the Child Within.  
Review



Gifts From The Child Within: Self-Discovery and
Self-Recovery through ReCreation Therapy, 2nd Edition
Author: Barbara Sinor
Publisher: Loving Healing Press
ISBN: 978-1-932690-46-0


Gifts From The Child Within is a beautifully written, incredibly moving and potentially life changing workbook for self discovery and recovery through Re-Creation Therapy.



Many of the emotional, mental and even physical problems we face as adults can be traced back to tho a childhood trauma or experience. To work through the issues of today, it's often of vital importance to discover and work through the issues of childhood.

Dr. Sinor is an advocate of the use of Re-Creation Therapy. Re-Creation Therapy is a transforming process; reaching for and touching the child that still resides within all of us. When we accept the child we were and the trauma and expperiences we were subject to, we can release the blockages and pain of childhood that have followed us into adulthood. Divided into several parts, the book enables the reader to work through issues that still affect them at the speed they are comfortable with.

Part One deals with helping the reader comprehend and understand what the concept of "The Child Within" really means. With examples and exercises, reasders will be better able to reach their inner children and understand what issues are still being carried within.

Parts Two and Three offer visualizations, affirmations, exercises and the use of autohypnosis to begin the recovery process. With space left blank within the book, it can be used as an actual journal, tracking the reader's progress thoughout the stages of both discovery and recovery.

The author has presented the information in a way that allows for use by both the professional and layperson. Written in an easily understandable and conversational style, the reader will feel they are working with a friend, and feel the ability to open up and work through the baggage and issues carried forward from childhood. One of the things I found particularly helpful was that the program is set up to be worked at the reader's own pace and on a schedule and timing that allows the user to fully digest the information they discover at their own speed; avoiding the stress that comes with a need to maintain a stringent deadline, working on a particular issue until you feel you've worked through it.

Reviewed on 05/24/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member LAURI COATES

Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery is also available in a hardcover edition now!

Review and Book Launch

Great Review just posted:

“Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovering unmasks a dark reality of life that ultimately provides light, truth, and hope for anyone touched by the ravages of addiction. Each chapter masters the reader to cry, laugh, grieve, and cheer for every anonymous narrator. This book calls to every Rehab Program, Detoxification Center, Sober House, and Methadone Clinic to provide these powerful and heartfelt messages of hope and real life to all they serve.”
Kat~

Thank you Kat for your kind and supportive review of Tales of Addiction. Your story takes it place among twenty others in Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery and credits go out to your bravery in sharing your personal tale of addiction.

I will be in southern California next weekend at Borders Books to have a big book launch party. If you live in the LA area, please come by and say "Hello!" Location and details:

Date: May 22nd

Time: 2-4pm

Borders Books

Victoria Gardens on Main Street

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Store: 909-646-7322

Hardback Cover Online

The hardback cover of Tales of Addiction is now available online!


Go to Amazon online to peek inside and order the hardcover now available: 

Amazon.com

Remember, after reading the book, please return to amazon and write your comments under the Review section. This will be a great way for me to read your thoughts about this healing book!
Barbara~

News on Ordering Online

Hi Everyone,
I wanted to let you all know that Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery is now available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as, other book sites. They are already offering a discounted price and some sites have free shipping!

Once you have read your copy, would you please go to the site you purchased it from and write your review/comment? This is good for the book's sales and for me to read your remarks. Thanks!

My first book launch event is this Saturday the 15th in northern California. I can't wait to meet those of you who can attend - be sure to introduce yourself to me.

The next event is in southern California on May 22nd. This event is sponsored by the National Recovery Month campaign and everyone is invited.

The third book launch event if near the San Francisco Bay area in Santa Rosa on June 12th in the evening.

The dates and location details to these and other events can be found on my web site:

 Inspriation for Recovery

Thank you again for all the support in getting this book out to those who can benefit from it.
Love & Light,
Barbara~

Book Launch Parties!!

Book Launch Parties are now set for three locations in California!

Come join me and introduce yourself if you can attend on of the book events in May or June!

More information can be found on my web site: Inspiration for Recovery

Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery: Twenty True Stories from the Soul

Now on Amazon.com!

Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery: Twenty True Stories from the Soul  

The above link will take you right to Amazon.com's listing for the book. Do stay in touch and let me know what you think about it!
Love & Light,
Barbara~
Web site:  Inspiration for Recovery

Tales of Addiction is Here!

Yeah!!!  Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery is here... on May 1st you can go to your local bookstore and order it to be on the shelf! Also, you will be able to buy it online. When Amazon gets it online, I will let you all know here.

Here is one of the Press Releases which came out today:  Tales of Addiction Release

When you get your copy and begin reading, please let me know what you feel about it. If you are coming to any of the book launch events, do introduce yourself. I will be giving free wristbands and 'bookthongs' (bookmarks!) I made with each purchased copy.

I thank everyone one of you who have been riding this emotional book Blog with me from the beginning. Writing a book and going through the ordeal of getting it out to the public is a long process, I really appreciate everyone 'being there' for me.

Extra "thanks" to all those professionals who took the time to preread the manuscript and offer your Advance Review. And, thank you Dr. Nuckols for your contribution of a great Foreword for this book!

*I see Amazon has some information up now (no picture yet though) Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery: Twenty True Stories from the Soul  Wow! see if you can order today!!
Love & Light,
Barbara~

Still Counting Down the Days!

More updates for you all -- patience is the word!! I know you are anxiously awaiting the release of Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery. My publisher is running behind but we are looking at May 1st as the release date to the public. I hope we make this date as I have lined up several book events in May.


To quench your thirst a bit, below is an excerpt from the book:

"Doing our best can be a profound effort when it comes to most situations in our lives. If we do our best, we feel a sense of success, a sense of triumph that comes from knowing we “gave it our all.” In the area of addictions, only those addicted can personally weigh whether their best effort was achieved toward a recovery goal. Just quitting drug use or ceasing to drink alcohol is only the beginning of recovery. As we discussed earlier, long-term recovery entails a gambit of actions, behaviors, and tolerances including a sense of self-acceptance, self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others. It is evident that many addicts work at giving up drugs their entire life. Can “working on” be the same as in recovery? If one is in recovery but still using or drinking once-in-a-while, are they doing their best to obtain sobriety?

Striving to do our best not only takes effort, it requires patience. Patience and time to understand why we have chosen the decisions which led to the outcomes we are experiencing. Some people do not have the luxury of time; some have no patience to uncover and discover the true reasons for their behavior. They continue their self-testing telling themselves they will quit after the stress eases up or the holidays are over. These individuals are the ones who could benefit from our helping hand and understanding ear. “If by the grace of God, there go I” is a lesson well learned."

Updates!

Hello Everyone!
Here is a link to the latest online radio interview I did on “Living Out Loud” regarding Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery. The show is archived so you can still listen to it.

Interview with Dr. Barbara Sinor

I also had an article on Addiction in America printed in the new issue of “Recovering the Self” magazine. You can scan the new issue from this link:   Recovering the Self

The RTS magazine is available to buy on Amazon and other online sites, as well as, your favorite bookstores. I write for this insightful and inspiring magazine which is released quarterly.

"Recovering the Self" magazine

Recently, I was asked to speak at the Church of the Latter Day Saints in Clearlake, CA to their teenage members. I look forward to sharing my experience and the contents of Tales of Addiction to this younger group of individuals. It is so important that we all take the time to educate our younger population to the perils of drug and alcohol abuse.

I am told that the release date for Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery will be at the end of this month, barring any unforeseen issues. This is a lesson in patience for sure! Stop back soon, I will be posting an excerpt from the book.

Free Book Drawing Winner Announced!

Congratulations to Kim Burdick!!
You are the winner of the free copy of Tales of Addiction. Your copy will be mailed directly to you in a few weeks. In addition, I will sign your copy and include a handmade bookmark for you. I hope you enjoy reading this book and the heart-felt addiction stories held within it.

Recently, I was interviewed on the "Living Out Loud" online radio program hosted by Robin Marvel. I want to thank Robin for her praise and support of Tales of Addiction. Robin has invited me back again next month for a continuation of the interview. The date and time will be posted on my web site soon. So far I have been asked to do three book launch events. Two in northern California and one in southern California. Details are posted on my site. These book events will be in May and June. If you can attend, please do stop by and introduce yourself to me, I would love to meet you!

Countdown to Launch of Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery

About two weeks to go to the launch of Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery! I do not know the exact day the book will be available through Amazon or your local bookstore, but keep watching for it by the end of the month.


The Free Book Drawing is still underway until the 15th - so get your name on the list to try to a winner of your free copy! Go to my web site to get the details:

Inspiration for Recovery

This month has been designated national “Alcohol Awareness Month” so it seems right that Tales of Addiction would be released at this time. Many of the stories in the book deal with alcoholism and the destruction it can have on both the individual and those around him/her. One of the stories is from my son, Richard, who struggled with his alcoholic demons most of his life. There are approximately 17 million individuals with an addiction to alcohol. Here is a link to the Dept. of Health and Human Services discussing this month’s dedication to alcoholism and its efforts to instill recovery:

April is National Alcohol Awareness Month

Below is an excerpt from one of the addiction stories found in Tales of Addiction which deals with alcoholism:

“I would have to say the beginning of my life with alcoholism was while I was in my mother’s womb. My dad abused my mom while she was pregnant and I was born prematurely as a result, weighing four pounds… Once when my dad was driving intoxicated (his choice of alcohol was beer, lots of beer) and was weaving back and forth, my brother and I were frightened but we thought he was just ‘having fun.’ He hit the sides of the cars parked along the street and my mom’s door opened and she was dragged--I don’t know how many yards down the street--and he ran away so she would be blamed for the wreck… I don’t know what the mitigating factors were when my mom finally decided to divorce dad, but I don’t ever remember missing him, or even thinking about him. He was just gone.”

My Favorite Advance Book Review!

Just over two weeks left to the launch of Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery! I am getting very excited as the release of this healing book nears.


Did you sign up for the Free Book Drawing yet? It is not too late to add your name to the list of those who entered for a chance of winning a Free copy of Tales of Addiction. Just go to my web site and get the details:

Inspiration for Recovery

I want to share with you today one of my favorite advance book Reviews for Tales of Addiction. It was written by Bill Ford who is the creator of DadonFire.net. His courageous Blog was initiated due to his struggle with his son’s drug addiction. Bill writes and posts addiction recovery material that is up-to-date and factual. I recommend it to anyone wanting more information on drug and alcohol addiction. Here is Bill’s heartfelt review of Tales of Addiction:

“Once in a blue moon, I read a book that culminates in a poignancy by sharing a powerful experience. Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery is one such book: Here is a story and message amidst all of our stories; here is hope set against great challenges in the world of addiction and recovery; here is a legacy of understanding. Tales of Addiction is not just a collection of deep insight and personal accounts of tearful relapse and recovery, it is craftsmanship. Author, Barbara Sinor is a well read specialist in a world coming to grips with the disease of addiction. She offers her own valuable background of relatedness and heartened familiarity, artfully sharing all of this is the book’s strength.

Like a tapestry, this book works by holding the reader’s interest with unique tales smoothly interwoven with both a spiritual and intellectual thought process. Sinor progressively weaves the details of her life and practical wisdom in-and-out of the book’s logical succession and its acumen of the disease of addiction. The reader feels her deep and intelligent reflection accompanying each precious contribution of struggle and uncertain recovery. Some make it; others may not, you begin to know this. You feel your own relatedness and in the last chapters, the reader enters the author’s space hearing the breaking news of a sudden culmination of one very special story and a legacy that lives on in her. Sinor’s book pushes forward with exigency and hope.

Tales of Addiction resonates a message to all impacted by the world of drugs and alcohol: It is a world of possibility and joy; it is a world of shocking sadness; it is a world of conquest. One poignant message from the book is that no matter what, a single addict’s life is still sacred and knowing this captures a moment in time. Sinor invites the reader to share in her well of knowledge, reputation and work in the field of addiction and recovery. She expresses touching wisdom gained from her own life experience while delivering generous individual contributions written by people like you and I. Tales of Addiction instills there is no right or wrong; there is the possibility of helping just one more person; there is the possibility of coming to terms with this single moment, just for today.”
Bill Ford, Addiction Recovery Blog
DadonFire.net

Final Few Weeks to Release!

The Countdown to Launch Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery is nearing its final few weeks! My fantastic publisher, Loving Healing Press, informed me that the book’s release date is April 15th! Now, that will be an easy date to remember, right?

During these next few weeks, I will post more often to keep you informed about my latest book launch and event schedule or articles written which focus on addiction issues with excerpts from the book.

Now, I want to invite you to sign up for a Free Book Drawing! Details are posted on my web site:  Inspiration for Recovery.

On the Home page, there is a pre-order button under the picture of the book’s cover which takes you to a pre-order form. After pre-ordering your copy of Tales of Addiction, your name will be held for the Free Book Drawing which will take place on April 15th. If your name is chosen, a signed copy will be mailed directly to you from me! Also included is the purple and green wristband I mentioned in an earlier post on this Blog, as well as, a personal handmade “bookmark.” So, pre-order your copy of this healing book before April 15th -- then cross your fingers and watch for the winner’s name to be posted on this Blog and on my web site on April 15th. Good Luck everyone!!

April is National Alcohol Awareness Month. Please join me in supporting those who are in recovery from alcoholism; and, pray for those 17 million alcoholics which live in America and that they find the guidance they need to choose to begin a new life of sobriety.
 

Counting Down to Book Launch!

I have one of Josh Groban’s songs flowing from my computer as I write this Blog this morning. The song is “Don’t Give Up.” This song rang true for my son and myself to sing together--I am always telling others ‘not to give up’ in their pursuit to sobriety on the recovery path. Groban instructs us with his lyrics that “You are loved/Everyone needs to be heard/Don’t give up.” I play this song for clients and at lectures to assure everyone, no matter where they are in their struggle against drugs and/or alcohol addiction they are loved, do not give up on your Self. If you have not heard this song, it is on Groban’s album titled “Awake.” I hope you all get a chance to hear it!

Spring has arrived… I sit and ponder the wonder of nature and its healing properties. If we sit in the silence to truly listen to the sounds around us, magic enters our lives. There is magic in nature--magic of life, death, and re-birth. Spring is the season of life and re-birth. There are new buds, seedlings, flowers, leaves, and new baby fawn, rabbits, and squirrel are roaming the hills. Spring is an opportune time to begin anew; to start a new project, or challenge your Self to follow a new ideal or purpose for your life. Spring is a time for clearing out the old, the out-dated habits and behavior, and form fresh ideas of creativity in life.

I am developing a deck of “Inspirational Recovery CardsTM” which contain spiritual quotes and insight. They can be used for addiction recovery or any past traumatic experience including childhood abuse, natural disasters, and loss of loved ones. To guide you toward a new path, new choices for your life, you can enlist this card’s advice for a Spring ritual:

“Start a new Journal. A very special one,

for it is to hold only those things which are Positive.

Include in this Journal the positive ‘pat-on-the-back’

given you by your friends; the positive thoughts about

your life which you let surface now and then;

and the kind words you have given or received.

Fill the pages of this new Journal full of positive events,

tales, hopes, feelings, dreams, and experiences

affirming your indisputable right to happiness.”

New week, I will post a Free Book Drawing--don’t miss out!
Love & Light,
Barbara~

Marching Down the Countdown!

Hello Everyone!

It is mid-March already and Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery will be available for you to purchase soon! Shoot for the end of April to have it pop-up on Amazon.com and on your local bookstore shelves.

I have received a few more remarkable Advance Reviews for the book and have posted one more below for you to enjoy. An opportunity knocked at my door the other day, I met a delightful woman online (another Barbara!) who has mailed me purple and green wristbands to hand out to those who buy Tales of Addiction at my book signing events. The wristband states: No Shame, No Blame -- Just Love. I think these words make a positive impact on many levels to many individuals: Those who are struggling to become or stay sober; those with loved ones who are addicted and need to know they are loved; those who have had a friend or family member die from their addiction; and, those in recovery who strive to maintain their close relationships. Hope to see you at one of the book events and give you one of these meaningful wristbands in person.

Mark Thurston, Ph.D. is an educator, psychologist, and the author of nineteen books including Discovering Your Soul's Purpose, Willing To Change, and Synchronicity As Spiritual Guidance. He currently teaches courses about consciousness and positive psychology through the Introduction to the Personal Transformation And Courage Institute which he co-founded. Mark was kind enough to take the time to preview Tales of Addiction and offered this heartfelt Review:

“Tales of Addiction is about courage--the true meaning of which is essential for our world to rediscover. And nowhere is courage more necessary than facing the demons of addiction. This inspiring and penetrating new book by Dr. Barbara Sinor shows us how we gather the courage and the force of will to make a transformational change. The key is listening to (or reading) each other’s stories, simply because narrative builds community, and community can be the supportive container that allows us to free ourselves from self-destructive patterns. Just from reading the stories that Dr. Sinor has collected, I can feel myself to be part of a healing community. These deeply honest and authentic personal accounts take me into my heart, reminding me how to understand and be compassionate towards addictions--not just those I encounter in others, but especially my own.”
Mark Thurston, Ph.D., Personal Transformation and Courage Institute
Author, Willing to Change: The Journey of Personal Transformation

Seven Weeks and Counting!

Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery will be my first book to be released in a hardcover! This is such exciting news for me. I can just visualize each contributor holding this healing book in their hands and turning its pages for the first time eager to find their personal entry! Each addiction story in the book was written by an individual who has struggled with a drug and/or alcohol addiction, or been close to a loved one whose addiction affected them. Each story is filled with heartfelt and honest accounts of suffering, pain, and many times, hope and healing. Today, I want to thank each and every contributor who submitted their personal addiction story to be included in Tales of Addiction. With your life stories of struggle and pain, it is my hope that others will find hope in their own recovery from addiction.

As mentioned earlier, between the potent addiction stories found in Tales of Addiction, the reader will uncover many insights pertaining to drug and alcohol addiction, such as:

• How an addict’s life begins
• Understand the difficulties in taking initial steps to uncover denial
• Intimate details of how many stay straight and sober
• Gain a new perspective about our national addiction population
• Learn why that Something More means so much to so many
• What happens when the addict or alcoholic loses their battle
• How you can help

In the next few weeks, I will be offering a Special Contest for all those following my book’s countdown Blog! Watch for it soon….

Barbara~

Countdown's Time for Reflection

I came across an article I wrote several years ago--re-read it--then I began questioning myself. The article is “The Unity of Past, Present, & Future.” You can find and read this article on my web site listed below. Basically, I tried to weave a few universal laws into a short, readable two pages--an impossibility of course! However, as I read the paragraph which referred to “…Einstein's Theory of Relativity which tells us that there is no such thing as linear time as we know it; but that all experiences, all events, are actually happening simultaneously,” I felt a shift happen inside. I began an inner dialogue of questions:


~ if all events are happening at once, why can’t we “see” the events that are causing us struggle and pain, then change automatically them?

~ if there is no time, no space, only a cyclic pattern of experiences, then why can’t we change our addiction behaviors anytime we desire?

~ if linear time is man-made, not universally a law of nature, then we should be able to stop our minds whenever we wish to change the patterns and life scripts which cause us pain and suffering, right?

Mind you, I have no answers to my mind-rummage--only questions! However, this article has some very interesting theories, maybe even answers. In another part of this article I write: “Unity is wholeness. Wholeness is Oneness. Of course, we can choose to see duality in our world; it is projected all around us as heaven vs. hell, good vs. evil, spirit vs. matter, light vs. dark. I choose to believe in Oneness, the Unity of all, while at the same time each one of us individually is constantly moving toward becoming whole. I will leave you with one last thought: You cannot predict with certainly the outcome of any action, since that action changes the thing it acts upon. In your act of becoming, you change what you are.

Please stop by my web site to read all of this thought-provoking article: Inspiration for Recovery

The countdown for Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery continues this month as I await with excitement with you all. I will post another insightful advance Review next week to wet your appetite as you await the book’s launch the end of April. The list of dates for my promotional events is getting longer and can be found on the Welcome page of my web site above. Hopefully, I will be visiting your local area, or, you can listen to an online Radio Interview.

Love & Light,
Barbara~

Countdown Updates!

I promised you another Advance Review for Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery this week--and it is posted below.


As this book’s release date nears, I have been asked to appear on several online radio programs to discuss my reasons for writing this healing book. Part of my answer to that question is that most of my counseling career has been centered around helping those adults who have been abused in some form (physically, emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually) in their childhood. I drew to my practice mostly women who had been sexually abused as a child, no doubt, because of my book Gifts From the Child Within which introduces the "Re-Creation" process of releasing and re-creating traumatic experiences. While working with this group of individuals, I found obvious links between childhood abuse and substance abuse. Large percentages of those who abuse children are under the influence of drug and/or alcohol; and, those who were abused in childhood many times enter adulthood with an addiction. As my practice grew over the years, it became necessary for me to address drug and alcohol addiction in one form or another. Within Tales of Addiction, I share many of the insights I learned from my patients about addiction, as well as, my personal experiences of being a mother of an alcoholic.

The following Review is from the Executive Director of the National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery, Joycelyn Woods, M.A. It captures much of my own feelings about not placing blame or shame upon the person addicted to drugs or alcohol. I feel honored that Tales of Addiction has received such an enlightened Review!

“Tales of Addiction contains stories of the heart. Many people suffer from problems with drugs but they do not start out that way. In that respect, anyone is a candidate for a drug problem, however, some are able to see danger while others do not until they are in so deep that they cannot get out. The public needs to understand that we must stop blaming addicts for their addiction, as drug problems are no different than other chronic diseases. Society must offer support and make sure that treatment is available for anyone who needs it. I hope that readers of Tales of Addiction will find comfort, especially if they have lost someone close to drug addiction.”
~Joycelyn Woods, M.A., C.M.A., Executive Director, NAMA
National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery

Happy Valentine's Day!!

As the day awakens, I feel spring coming. The still winter-bare trees stand tall, naked to the sun peeking over the hill. My birds gather readily before their feeder seeking the seeds which they know I will provide. Today is Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate the Love within us and to share that Love with others. This is also a good time to celebrate our Divine Love, connecting with that Something More which sustains our lives. Today, allow yourself to greet one person you do not know with kindness, with Divine Love. The very next person you see today, or tomorrow if the weather keeps you inside, say “hello” and offer your smile as a gift of spiritual compassion.

Ten weeks to publication! Ten weeks until all you wonderful people who have been following this book’s countdown will be able to read Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery. My heart is warm with gratitude for your support and response to this Blog and offering your comments.

Next week, I will post another supportive Advance Review for Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery as we wait for its release!
Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!
Barbara~

"Tales of Addiction" Countdown Continues!

The fact that I soon will have five books published amazes me! That readers around the globe have been touched by my writing, fills my soul with grateful acceptance. Now, with the release of Tales of Addiction coming soon, I feel the excitement of butterflies within and the private expectation of wondering how my words will touch others. As the publication of this next healing book nears, I find myself filled with both excitement and the challenge of sharing much of my personal life with the public. I can only pray this private sharing will help those who might be going through similar events.

As I receive the Advance Reviews for Tales of Addiction which keep pouring in from those who have had a chance to preview the book, my heart warms to help curb any doubts my mind may have brought to my consciousness regarding my sharing my son's struggle with alcoholism. The following comments come from a well known television personality who has hosted the program “Intervention 911.” Dr. Ken Seeley is also the author of the book Face It and Fix It. I am very grateful for his kind words:

“Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery is a collection of real life stories that chronicle not only the pain of addiction but also show the healing power of recovery. These heart-wrenching and ultimately heartwarming stories, provide the inspiration for each one of us to know that recovery works.”
Ken Seeley, Ph.D., Intervention 911 Television Program
Author, Face It and Fix It

*If you have not visited my new web site, please do and share with your friends: Inspiration for Recovery 

Counting Down to Book Launch!

This week for the countdown of Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery, I am sharing a brief excerpt from the book’s Introduction. I am happy to report that my online book tour will keep me busy with radio interviews and new articles posted on several Blogs. Websites, dates and times will be forthcoming both on this Blog and my website. Also, a Review for Addiction: What’s Really Going On? was posted today on AllBooks Review!

Now, here is a teaser from the Introduction of Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery:

Addicted or not, we all have stories to tell. Many recovering drug addicts and alcoholics are asked to write their inventory story while going through rehabilitation programs. These stories are sometimes called “drunk-alogs” or “drug-alogs.“ They try to share only to fumble with words that scratch paper like chalk on a board from years past. Sometimes words come easy, flowing a river of grit and filth covering the pages black. They see only words, words mixed with the flavor of a whiskey-sour or the last pin-drop of vodka settling in an empty bottle next to a slip of dust. Words of truth swirl downward into a spiral dance with unrecognized poetry left for judgment. With no glimmer of hope to stay straight and sober, inventory stories read like buttons on a shirt, repetitious and dry. Given a year or two of sobriety and these same words can declare emotions of hope, guilt, remorse, and pain; they become the true stories of an addict’s life.

To begin writing an addiction story is like poking at the nerve of a hangnail--clipping it may begin a healing but you refrain because pain dictates your life. Each paragraph brings that pain to the surface to be held in awesome awareness as you realize you have lived the words on the pages. It is often suggested to those early sobees that it is “…important to reflect and learn why you chose to use or drink.” Alas, such a shallow carrot to dangle! The newly sober have only empty words which spillover onto a blank page; but given six months or six years, these same words flow easily from mind to pen. They reach deep for chards of memories to fill their stories full of pitiful choices and past sagas of desperation and depression. Words then become a tool to unfolding the corners of life revealing potent visions and rhythmic tales.

Addicted or not, we all have stories to tell. We tell how our skin crawls at the slightest scent of cigarette smoke or our aversions to kissing a drunk. We tell where our choices took us or how our life was lived without us. Whether stories from addicts or straight-chaired grannies, words keep us searching for truth and in the end, guide us toward that Something More.

The stories you will read in this book are not from the well known. They are not from celebrities you find in books written by another celebrity. You will not find names like Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, Martin Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Alec Baldwin or other such people whose faces we see but lives we know little. The stories shared here are true-grit bleeding tales told by people you will never meet but whose words will haunt you for months, years maybe.
 

Counting Down My New Book's Release

Announcement!

My new website is now ready to view! I have updated my site to include more pages, more articles, and more about me and my work. Each of my five books have their own page with book excerpts, reviews, and personal information shared by me about my writing. The new Menu at the top of the site is easy to use and there is now a Tab to “Buy Books” online through Amazon.com. Please visit often for I will post new book events and online radio interviews as the release of Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery nears.
Please visit (or re-visit!) my website: Inspiration for Recovery

Here is another great Advance Review for this book:

“Addiction is a disease that often doesn't present itself in a form that onlookers notice; it's often hidden by the addict or his family, to a point even the closest friends and family don't know about it or even realize there is a problem. As I read each story in Tales of Addiction by Dr. Barbara Sinor, I felt the pain, dismay, denial, and hopelessness of each writer. Some stories are just down-right difficult to read and offered much contemplation as I reflected back on my own life and experiences. Yet, every one of the stories offers hope. The reader gets the distinct guidance that a shift happens and the addiction becomes real and many times recovery ensues. This goes for both the addict and the family member. Just because we don't have a substance addiction, it doesn't mean we aren't susceptible to enabling, which ends up being an addiction in itself. Poignant, reflective, and offering the knowledge there is hope and recovery, Tales of Addiction gives the reader the sense they are not alone. But most of all, the stories reflect compassion and in the end, the true identity of each person.”
~Irene Watson, M.A., Author, The Sitting Swing: Wisdom to Know the Difference and Rewriting Life Scripts: Transformational Recovery for Families

Countdown to New Book Release!

I hope you all are enjoying this exciting countdown to the release of Tales of Addiction! I have been overwhelmed with support for this new publication. My wonderful publisher, Victor at Loving Healing Press, Inc. is working closely with me to make this book exactly what I envision. The book's cover is a photograph titled "Lake Bottom" and is one I took of our little community lake. I felt this picture could represent many of the stages of addiction recovery--from rock bottom to floating free.

The book's advance Reviews are still trickling in from those professionals who were invited to read an unedited preview of the book. Below I have posted another one of the great Reviews for you to read!
Blessings,
Barbara~

“In any healing process, the individual must first tell their story and become conscious of the core issues that precipitated their wounding. Once the story has been told, the work of healing and recovery can begin. Tales of Addiction provides this avenue for courageous story telling; one is struck both with the pain and suffering that was experienced, and also the hope for a healthier future. Dr. Sinor provides insight into the addiction process and the path to recovery pulling from behavioral theory, recovery philosophy, and the new understandings from the world of physics and spiritual development. Sinor provides a platform for those needing help on their journey to high level wellness.”

Leslie Lovejoy, Ph.D., Wellness Coach and Consultant, Author,
Create Your Health Using the Five Keys to Wellness

Countdown to New Book Release!

The twelfth week of my countdown has vanished! Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery is receiving extraordinary advance Reviews. I am so very grateful for the professionals who have taken time from their busy lives to read my book and offer such heart-felt praise. Below is a Review from Ellen DiNucci, M.A. who is the former Project Coordinator & Researcher for Stanford University’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program. Tales of Addiction holds genuine insight into our addiction population, enjoy reading this preview of the book.


“Tales of Addiction features an array of gut-wrenching yet heart-warming narratives by people with long-standing addiction issues. Weaving the unedited stories into a theme of upliftment and hope are Dr. Sinor’s astute commentaries and observations. The stories are riveting, each starting out with family history that is inevitably pivotal to the storyteller’s current situation. A must read for those with addiction issues and their families, Tales of Addiction is gripping because of its raw emotions and is effective precisely because of its variety and emotional power. It is a rare opportunity for helping professionals and lay people to perceive the common threads among all addictions, in the context of very compelling stories that make the lessons learned along the road to recovery memorable. Though suffering is a component of the stories, hope, insight and unconditional love are among some of the central ingredients to addicts’ maneuvering the labyrinth of recovery while giving back to family, community, and themselves.”

Countdown to New Book Release!

Twelve Week Countdown!

My new book Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery will be launched in April. I am counting down the weeks, then the days, to its release by Loving Healing Press, Inc. I invite you to learn more about this book and its potent look at over two dozen addiction stories, as well as, my own as the mother of an alcoholic son. The book's Foreword is by renown educator and author Cardwell C. Nuckols, Ph.D. Dr. Nuckols writes, "Alcohol and drugs are not the wrong direction--just the wrong method to search for our path. Alcohol and drugs many times give us a glimpse of the Self and our natural desire for transcendence... Tales of Addiction is a gift from Dr. Sinor's Self to ours; it is her ability to see and understand the love and beauty inside of others that makes this book a source of healing." The picture above is a working cover for the book and below is a brief overview.

Synopsis:

Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery contains true grit bleeding tales told by people you will never meet but whose words will haunt you for months, years maybe. The contributors are not well known, they are not names you will recognize. The stories are written by every day people trying to stay straight and sober, and others written by loved ones searching for clues to the addiction game. Over two dozen addiction stories are presented, ranging from triumph over drug abuse to coping with the pitfalls of relapse and the challenges of recovery. Between the stories of those brave souls who chose to submit their personal addiction tale is one story from my son, Richard. His personal Journal is interwoven throughout the book and my own words are found next to my son’s echoing his pain and personal journey as I witness his life’s drama as an alcoholic.
The stories were collected for two years through web site advertisements, workshops, and a “Call for Stories” bulletin. Some lines jump off the pages to grip the reader’s heart and mind leading him toward personal insight. Wry humor parts the reader’s lips with, “I am addicted to anything I take twice and makes me feel good!” and “I went to a party when I was eleven-years old and didn’t get back until I was forty-five.” Poetry fills the heart with lines like, “Days seem to run together like stitches on a hem” and “I turn trash into treasures, the same way God did with me.” Still other passages fill the heart with tears.

Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery offers deep insight into ourselves and those we love. Between the potent stories, the reader finds pertinent information surrounding addiction recovery which presents an awareness of how the public can help those with drug or alcohol addictions. Various literature is introduced which allows the reader to discover how anyone of us can be of service to our addiction population. Issues are addressed concerning Drug Courts, Integral or Holistic treatment alternatives, the spiritual component in recovery, appropriate intervention, and new findings in the area of addiction and neuro-scientific research.
The target readership is the general adult population whether clean and straight, addicted, or in recovery. This book is for anyone with an interest in understanding the reality of drug and alcohol addiction; the impact substance abuse has on our nation’s population; the choices individuals have taken on their addiction journey; and, instruction on how to help guide those addicted toward sobriety. This book should be read by teachers, social workers, medical professionals, counselors, teenagers, those incarcerated, college students, government officials, those addicted and their loved ones.

To read book excerpts and advance reviews for this new book, please visit my web site: http://www.drsinor.com/index.htm

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