Originally published at Eight Hobbits
If there is one book this year that I wish I could give to EVERYBODY, this is it. Like most people, I struggle with a family member who is an alcoholic. I struggle to understand them, reach out, and have any kind of a conversation with them. They have been wounded by alcoholism and depression for more than 20 years, and our lives took radically different turns. They have also been through several different AA or AA-type programs, plus a long stint in rehab and are still drinking.
Enter a really useful book that helped me start to understand where they are coming from and the things they have suffered. Written by an alcoholic in recovery himself, Scott Weeman gets to the heart of the struggle in each of the traditional twelve steps and links those steps to his growing faith as a Catholic. The Sacraments are the secret weapon to understanding an alcoholic. They will also help those who struggle with drinking or another addiction to get help that lasts if they want to see real change and repair relationships and get their lives back on track.
One of the truly touching moments in this book is Weeman’s description
