Mindful Recovery: A Spiritual Path to Healing from Addiction
These very different books share the premise that spirituality  rather than pharmacology or will power underlies successful  recovery from addiction. Both expand on the idea of spirituality  beyond the doctrinal and ritualistic form to a wider range of  thought. Mindful Recovery flows out of a Buddhist perspective  that substitutes the authors' "ten doorways" for the more  rigorous 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Based on research and  professional experience, the book argues for "mindfulness," a  quality of openness to life's experiences, as a lifestyle for  the recovering addict. Presented here are both specific  techniques and "practices" (e.g., journaling and meditation) for  attaining mindfulness and composite life stories that illustrate  various themes. Thomas Bien, a clinical psychologist and  lecturer, and Beverly Bien, director of an agency that provides  services to the disabled, have written a soothing and sensible  self-help book that could be useful to open-minded individuals  facing addiction issues. Based on interviews, research reviews, and visits to programs  and conferences, The Soul of Recovery is rooted in the  Alcoholics Anonymous philosophy, though Ringwald's perspective  is more expansive. The author, a reporter for Newsday and  director of the Faith and Society Project at the SAGE Colleges  in Albany, NY, covers the theoretical relationship between  addiction and spirituality; treatment programs (e.g., Hazelden)  and specific modalities for women and minorities; the science of  addiction and research on effective treatament; and policy  implications for recent political initiatives advocating  "faith-based" social programs. The result is an impressive,  straightforward synthesis of diverse and controversial issues.  Both books provide viable alternatives to the "broken brain"  thesis of biological psychology/psychiatry. Ringwald's  presentation is more analytical, comprehensive, and research  based, making it better suited to public and professional  libraries. The Biens' book would make a sound addition to  specialized collections on alternative approaches to  addiction. Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, INCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.