another Chance

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Although it is a required "Text" for my class, it is an easy read. Very informative...brings you into the heart of the alcoholic's family suffering.

so many families of alcoholics need this book

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This is one of the author's early, classic books. Families of alcoholics need this---and need so much information to help them deal with the craziness of living with alcoholism. I recommend this book, and "Under the Influence" by James Milam (his book so well explains the entire physiological disease of alcoholism) Under the Influence: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism . These are but two of the books that make up the still-too-little information for the tens of millions of families of alcoholics that need urgent help.

Great Book

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This book helps to understand the dynamics of not just the dependent's role in addiction but the family as a whole, and what roles they play. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a family member struggling with any addiction or grew up in an abusive family.

Review by Irene Watson, author of "The Sitting Swing."

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Yes, there is hope and understanding. Wegscheider-Cruse gives a very detailed account of how we play out our birth roles and act them out in dysfuctional situations. Reading this book gave me the best insight of why I displayed certain behaviors. It also gave me an understanding of the roles other people play. Down right insightful! A must read.

A Classic Text On The Effect Of Alcohol On Families

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I first read this book in 1991 for a substance abuse counseling class. It does a great job of looking at alcoholism from a family systems perspective. The text even discusses issues such as codependent/enabling counselors within the profession.

Beyond it's professional usage is the fact that from the moment I started reading the book, I felt like I was reading about my own family. Finally, someone had put words to every stupid, miserable, confused feeling I had in the family I grew up in. Yes, it is a great intro text if you're planning on becoming a substance abuse counselor. But it's an even better text if you suspect that things in your family of origin weren't so normal after all. This was the book that got me started on my journey towards recovery from codependency. Since family system problems tend find their way into non alcolic families as well, this text is applicable to all kinds of people that may have found themselves growing up in the proverbial "dysfunctional family"