Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Recover!: Stop Thinking Like an Addict and Reclaim Your Life with The PERFECT Program

Rate this book
For decades you've been told that addiction is an irreversible disease, a biological force over which you have no control. That defeatist message not only is without scientific foundation, but actually prevents your overcoming addiction.

Now, world-renowned addiction expert Stanton Peele demystifies addiction and offers a groundbreaking program that puts at your disposal what does work in treatment and recovery. For four decades, Dr. Peele has challenged our understanding of addiction and recovery. He has developed approaches that break the cycle of addiction and empower us to take control of our lives--including understanding that we are able to direct our own brains to change. In  Recover!  Dr. Peele's PERFECT Program takes you through the key concepts of mindfulness--that is, your ability to detach from your addictive experience and to see that it is not who you are--combined with the Buddhist idea of loving kindness, or self-acceptance. It's an easily grasped, yet multifaceted program that allows your true self to overcome your addictive urges.

Instead of focusing on what's wrong with you, the PERFECT Program will help you discover, embrace, and build your recovery on what's already right about you. Combining the best evidence-based treatments with the mindful use of meditation, Recover!  presents a life-transforming philosophy for freeing yourself from addiction forever.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

62 people are currently reading
116 people want to read

About the author

Stanton Peele

33 books19 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
19 (37%)
4 stars
18 (35%)
3 stars
6 (11%)
2 stars
4 (7%)
1 star
4 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for Brandon.
8 reviews
March 5, 2014
If you're an addict in need of recovery and the whole AA program doesn't work for you, I'd highly recommend this book. While the principles of AA can help someone find recovery, there are also a lot of teachings in "the rooms" that can be very damaging to someone struggling with addiction. This book cuts through the nonsense BS indoctrination that the AA program requires and promotes mindful self acceptance as a path towards healing.

170 reviews
March 4, 2014
This book is excellent! For the first time someone says that by empowering yourself you can stop drinking, rather than weakening yourself through the traditional concepts of AA. Peele offers several options and challenges to becoming a stronger, more vibrant self rather than surrendering your power to a group who keeps reminding you that you are a failure at life.
Profile Image for Andy Fab.
5 reviews
May 21, 2020
This is beyond question the most dangerous and irresponsible book written on the subject of alcohol addiction. It surprised me because his previous book, ‘sex and love addiction’ was superb.
This book is of zero use to addicts, although perhaps of worth to people who occasionally drink too much and feel guilty. It basically teaches that addiction is a nothing, that it’s all in the mind. It’s the sort of book that would have been written in the 1950s.
I urge anyone who suffers from any form of addiction not to give any credence to this book. It is dangerous because it allows people to convince themselves that they don’t have a problem. It’s exactly the sort of book an alcoholic in denial would read again and again to convince him/herself that everything is ok, ‘no problem here’. It is this typical alcoholic denial that sends the addict to an early grave. Shocked by the stupidity of this book very obviously written by someone who has zero first hand knowledge of addiction.
Profile Image for Susan.
536 reviews5 followers
April 8, 2022
This book gives concrete suggestions. asks questions and helps people with any kind of addiction to take control of their life and their addiction.
Profile Image for Mark Manderson.
617 reviews38 followers
February 5, 2017
One of the best books I've read dealing with addiction.
Takeaways:
PERFECT:
Pause - Mindfulness by learning to listen to yourself.
Embrace - Self acceptance and forgiveness through learning to love yourself.
Rediscover - Integrity through finding and following your true self.
Fortify - Coping by learning skills for life management.
Embark - Equilibrium through proceeding on an even keel.
Celebrate - Joy in honoring your accomplishments and milestones.
Triage - Realignment of resources and actions for regaining lost footing.
Most all the info is based on self reflection and redirection of negative habitual thinking.
Profile Image for Melanie.
141 reviews23 followers
April 12, 2017
I appreciated a different approach to overcoming addictions. This book gave me something to think about! His perspective on the AA model is very interesting and insightful. I'm glad I took the time to read this book in order to understand more of the tools which are out there in overcoming addictions.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.