In this hopeful and useful guide, Dr. John MacDougall explains how to maintain our spiritual condition so that we can remain reliably sober, and come to restore our relationships with God, ourselves, and those we love. By practicing the spiritual principles of the Twelve Step programs, and making a daily commitment to our program of recovery, we reliably become happy. Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Staying Sober Chapter 2: Spirituality and Recovery Chapter 3: Surrender and Trust Chapter 4: Practice What Principles Chapter 5: Spiritual Recovery from Trauma and Abuse Chapter 6: Love and Romance Chapter 7: Hope Chapter 8: Finding Joy in Life Chapter 9: Becoming Happy Advance reviews for Being Sober and Becoming Happy: THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN BY A BRILLIANT MIND WITH A GIFT FOR HUMOR, CLARITY, ORIGINALITY, AND MOST IMPORTANT -SIMPLICITY. IN MY OPINION, NO BETTER BOOK HAS BEEN WRITTEN ON RELAPSE PREVENTION AND THE 12 STEPS SINCE THE BIG BOOK. THE AUTHOR HAS SPENT 30 YEARS IN AL-ANON, NA AND AA AND KNOWS WHAT HELPS - AND WHAT DOESN'T - BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS. OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE, THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT POSITIVE TRANSFORMATION FOR US ALL, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN RECOVERY FROM ANY SORT OF SUFFERING. George E, Vaillant MD Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School Author of Spiritual Evolution "As we realize we have a God, rather than we are gods, we get to stop trying to control life, and we get to simply live life instead. I've decided that my life is unmanageable only when I am trying to manage it. My life isn't meant to be managed, it is meant to be lived." This quote is one of the hundreds of pithy ideas from John MacDougall's new book, the book you are soon to be engrossed in. His insights, and they materialize with ease on every page, are amazing and I've loved hearing him share them in meetings and on the "circuit" for years. But having all that wisdom, told with humor at times, but with clarity always, in one place is what makes this book invaluable. John simply gets to the core of any issue with such ease, and he makes himself understood with little work on the reader's part. He writes, or speaks, and we listen and learn with our hearts and minds. John MacDougall has been instrumental in the lives of so many people, those in the fellowship and those who have simply been lucky enough to share a few moments of his time while passing through some stage of life. He doesn't reserve his gift of understanding how life works, life without alcohol or pills but always with a God of one's understanding, for any one group of people. John is simply "the whole package," wherever you meet him; on the pages of a book or in a meeting or an auditorium. You get him whole, unfiltered and erupting always with knowledge, wisdom, humor and a loving heart. Every time you are in his presence, you come away knowing more about the 12 Steps and how to live them, and with the backdrop of humor that helps to make the information even more significant. I love this book! Even after 37 years in Alcoholics Anonymous and a few more than that in Al-Anon, I found myself jotting down insights for my own edification, and to share with others. That's what spending any time with John is like. We are never too old to take on a new idea, one that not only benefits us but every single person who is crossing our path quite by divine appointment, today or any tomorrow. John has gotten better with age, with his commitment to the work of helping others, and his passion for passing on that which he has learned. Every one who chooses to gather even an inkling of the wisdom in these pages will bring benefit to the world we all share. Thank you, John. Thank you for helping every one of us make a difference in this life through the application of the principles you so completely embody. Karen Casey, Ph.D., author of Each Day A New Beginning. See www.womens-spirituality.com
About the Author: John MacDougall is the Director of Spiritual Guidance at Hazelden, the world famous alcohol and addiction treatment center in Center City, Minnesota. He has been with Hazelden, as leader of their Spiritual Care Department, since 1994. He is also the Director of Hazelden's Family Program, for family members and friends of alcoholics and addicts. John was born in New York City in 1949. He graduated from Rutgers College, a division of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1972. He graduated with a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1976. He graduated from the Drew University Theological School in Madison, New Jersey, in 1985, with a doctor of ministry degree with a focus in family therapy. He is the coauthor, with Bowen White, MD, of Clinician's Guide to Spirituality, published in 2001 by McGraw-Hill and Hazelden. John was ordained as a minister in the United Methodist Church in 1976 in Ocean City, New Jersey, and served as the pastor of churches in Riverside and Paulsboro, New Jersey; in the Mascoma Valley Parish in and near Enfield, New Hampshire; and in Everett, Massachusetts, for eighteen years before beginning his specialized ministry at Hazelden in 1994. John married Priscilla in 1976, and they have two daughters, Priscilla Anderson and Chris Lopez. They have three grandchildren, Sawyer Anderson, Ana Lopez, and Macky Lopez. They are grateful for happy family relationships with their daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. John enjoys speaking at A.A. events and has spoken at regional A.A. Roundups in Aspen, Colorado, and Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. He has spoken to Hazelden alumni groups around the country, to the International Doctors in A.A., and to many other groups interested in recovery. John is a popular lecturer with Hazelden's patients, and this book is an attempt to capture in one place many of the ideas that Hazelden's patients have found helpful over the years.