Synopses & Reviews
"I can't be addicted because... I'm a doctor! I'm a lawyer! I made over $150,000 last year! I run a Fortune 500 company!
These rationalizations for addiction have cost the lives and productivity of many thousands of highly successful men and women. This mistaken belief, "I can't be addicted because I'm successful", rests in the myth that addicts are poor, homeless, and/or irresponsible people. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many addicts are rich, living in the best of neighborhoods and juggling massive responsibilities. It is their success that often creates the biggest obstacles to their recovery. Unfortunately, many die from their addictions surrounded by family, under the care of the best physicians, in one of the nation's expensive hospitals. The problem is that they are still dead!
Successful people often believe that their success should make them immune from addiction. It does not. In "Substance-Abusing High Achievers", Dr. Twerski exposes the dangers of this way of thinking with a simplicity that borders on brilliance. Using actual examples from his lifetime of work in counseling alcoholics, Dr. Twerski presents the complexity of addiction in a way that successful people can readily identify with.
"Substance-Abusing High Achievers" should be used by therapists and counselors. It can also be used by the family members of substance abusers to open discussion. This book will save lives.
Synopsis
Denial of addiction is the most prominent symptom of individuals who have problems with alcohol and substance abuse. Whatever its psychodynamics, their denial is reinforced by (1) fear that acknowledgment and treatment might jeopardize their professional status, and (2) the misconception that intellectual superiority constitutes a safeguard against loss of control. High achievers-doctors, lawyers, business executives, clerics, nurses, professors-are particularly vulnerable to such denial. Moreover, their spouses may share the fear that exposure could jeopardize and even undermine the family's livelihood. Some people become high achievers or overachievers in order to compensate for feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness. These feelings almost invariably surface in the substance abuser, antedating the onset of abuse. A particular challenge in treating this population is to address the negative consequences of low self-esteem without crippling the impulse to excel. Dr. Twerski demonstrates that chemical dependency is indeed an equal opportunity destroyer and he illuminates the makeup of high-achieving substance abusers as their narratives unfold. Addicted individuals will recognize themselves in these pages while providers of human services will discover ways and means to diagnose and intervene.
Synopsis
Successful people often believe that their success should make them immune from addiction. It does not. In Substance-Abusing High Achievers, Dr. Twerski exposes the dangers of this way of thinking with a simplicity that borders on brilliance.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [215]) and index.