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The Joy of Recovery: A Path to Freedom from Addiction
The Joy of Recovery is a comprehensive guide to healing from all addictions. It lays out a path and a method for recovery that leads to a life of joy, free from the bondage of addiction. It is a book about transformation.
The Joy of Recovery is a practical “how to” guide to the Being, Seeing, and Doing of recovery. It uses 12 “Touchstones of Recovery” to guide readers through the process of healing from addiction. These Touchstones create a “worldview” of recovery. This worldview addresses how readers experience and understand their lives and the world at large to protect them from the disease of addiction. The Joy of Recovery helps readers to wake up, lovingly engage life, and cultivate the joy that is their birthright.
The Joy of Recovery is a book about love. It teaches readers how to cultivate love for oneself, love for others, and love for Life itself. Through teaching the practice of love, The Joy of Recovery helps readers heal the wounds of addiction and other psychiatric illnesses.
PRAISE FOR THE JOY OF RECOVERY:
“There are many books on recovery, but every now and again a book is published that best captures what it takes to recover from addiction. Dr. McGee has done just that. I have been in the field for over four decades, and I must say I learned a lot from reading his book, and you will too.” –Allen Berger, PhD, Clinical Director, The Institute of Optimal Recovery and Emotional Sobriety
“The Joy of Recovery gives a new perspective in treating an old disease. This book can turn today’s failures into tomorrow’s miracles.” – John Harsany, Jr. MD (DFSAM) Medical Director, Riverside County Substance Abuse Program
“The healing power of Love runs through this book like a golden thread.” –William R. Miller, PhD, Emeritus Distinguished, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, The University of New Mexico
“The Joy of Recovery is a wonderful addition to the available lexicon of materials that are designed to help people follow a recovery path, that not only leads to abstinence, but leads to a life filled with joy and meaning. Dr. McGee provides a very practical approach that translates his extensive experience into "tools and tips" for the reader, at every step along the path. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to those individuals suffering with addiction who are seeking an informed and helpful companion on their journey of hope.” –Kenneth Minkoff, MD
The Joy of Recovery is a practical “how to” guide to the Being, Seeing, and Doing of recovery. It uses 12 “Touchstones of Recovery” to guide readers through the process of healing from addiction. These Touchstones create a “worldview” of recovery. This worldview addresses how readers experience and understand their lives and the world at large to protect them from the disease of addiction. The Joy of Recovery helps readers to wake up, lovingly engage life, and cultivate the joy that is their birthright.
The Joy of Recovery is a book about love. It teaches readers how to cultivate love for oneself, love for others, and love for Life itself. Through teaching the practice of love, The Joy of Recovery helps readers heal the wounds of addiction and other psychiatric illnesses.
PRAISE FOR THE JOY OF RECOVERY:
“There are many books on recovery, but every now and again a book is published that best captures what it takes to recover from addiction. Dr. McGee has done just that. I have been in the field for over four decades, and I must say I learned a lot from reading his book, and you will too.” –Allen Berger, PhD, Clinical Director, The Institute of Optimal Recovery and Emotional Sobriety
“The Joy of Recovery gives a new perspective in treating an old disease. This book can turn today’s failures into tomorrow’s miracles.” – John Harsany, Jr. MD (DFSAM) Medical Director, Riverside County Substance Abuse Program
“The healing power of Love runs through this book like a golden thread.” –William R. Miller, PhD, Emeritus Distinguished, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, The University of New Mexico
“The Joy of Recovery is a wonderful addition to the available lexicon of materials that are designed to help people follow a recovery path, that not only leads to abstinence, but leads to a life filled with joy and meaning. Dr. McGee provides a very practical approach that translates his extensive experience into "tools and tips" for the reader, at every step along the path. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to those individuals suffering with addiction who are seeking an informed and helpful companion on their journey of hope.” –Kenneth Minkoff, MD
349 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 29, 2018
58 people are currently reading
340 people want to read
About the author
Michael D. McGee
4 books19 followersBorn and raised in California, Dr. McGee graduated from Stanford University with a degree with distinction in Biology in 1979. He graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1985 and completed a residency in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in 1989.
Dr. McGee has presented and published extensively on addiction, spirituality, and psychiatry. He has won Top Doctor awards in New Hampshire and is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. McGee's love-based approach to treatment and recovery is informed by his own heart-mind practices.
Dr. McGee has presented and published extensively on addiction, spirituality, and psychiatry. He has won Top Doctor awards in New Hampshire and is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. McGee's love-based approach to treatment and recovery is informed by his own heart-mind practices.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 8, 2019
A Recovery is Possible
This book is clear and easy to understand. It explains the cravings of addiction and how it destroys joy. 12 Touchstones give understandable steps to take to enjoy life again. It is work and needs to be done daily but these steps are explained well and will help you love yourself again. You learn how important gratitude is for a life well lived! Very well done!
This book is clear and easy to understand. It explains the cravings of addiction and how it destroys joy. 12 Touchstones give understandable steps to take to enjoy life again. It is work and needs to be done daily but these steps are explained well and will help you love yourself again. You learn how important gratitude is for a life well lived! Very well done!
December 13, 2018
Excellent book that pulls together many pieces from 12 step programs, spiritual organizations and more. This has many strong and healthy tips and tasks for successful living, along with daily, weekly and more suggested activities to get the most from recovery.
November 20, 2022
Wonderful practical non judgemental guide. I’d read again and and again.
November 14, 2019
Addiction is suffering. Recovery, and the after-process is joy. Got it? This is where the book starts - by reframing the issue.
Like most books on recovery, this book too has a focus on hope. Hope is a powerful theme and it is essential for this work. The author points something out in the beginning that I feel is essential to share in this review: while the addiction is bad and one should avoid addiction, addiction does come with the benefit of the road to recovery. During the recovery process, you have to face the demons that drove you to addiction in the first place. As a result, you can come out of it more whole and healed. What I find interesting is the concept where the author says there are spiritual benefits as well. I guess that part depends on how one defines “spiritual.”
“Addiction is a mental illness that compels people to act to feel better now without regard for what is best in their futures.”
The author does an excellent job not condemning someone who suffered or suffers with addiction. In fact, addiction is a natural method to “feel good now,” which given our immediate-needs culture, seems quite prevalent.
The author breaks the book down into twelve “touchstones” and additional content to encourage, guide, and complete the recovery process from addiction. These steps are: (i) work on recovery, (ii) create a positive recovery environment, (iii) renounce addicting, (iv) act with integrity, (v) heal, (vi) love, (vii) respect reality, (viii) grow, (ix) persevere, (x) develop healthy relationships, (xi) take accountability, and (xii) cultivate your spirituality. The steps make sense. The process make sense. The author comes with over thirty years of experience as an addiction psychologist. The author bases this work on their interactions and treating addiction through the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of a person.
This brings me to the question that the reader should be asking, what is the spiritual dimension? It is agnostic of any particular religious tradition? So let’s fast-forward to Touchstone 12: Cultivate Your Spirituality. I’ll try not to leave any spoilers here. According to the author, spirituality is the “intuitive sense of ‘something more,’ beyond the five senses.” Reading on, there is reference to the “interconnectedness of Life” and unity within the mind-brain phenomenon. To translate to layman terms, the author’s understanding of spirituality is one that is based on a blend of secular philosophy with new age mechanics. Spirituality, in this definition, is about experiencing and knowing Truth, but “truth” is undefined.
The author does a good job at attempting to treat addiction, and I give props for that. I studied addictions counseling as part of my counseling minor when working on a Bachelor’s degree. The addition of contemporary issues such as “teching” is excellent, but I feel the “spirituality” component is misplaced and inadequate. Is the book for a religious person or a secular person? The book tries to meet everyone’s needs and encompass a spirituality, which lends one to eastern traditions such as Buddhism or Hinduism. As a result, tenants other traditional religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc.) will not sync with the author’s section on this. Some atheists may also have issues with this content.
In the end, you choose what works best for you, and reader beware of something that doesn’t align to your worldview. In a search for truth, if everyone is right, then everyone is wrong as well. Maybe that’s just my own leaning, but I think it’s a fair warning.
Disclosure: I have received a reviewer copy and/or payment in exchange for an honest review of the product mentioned in this post. This product is reviewed based on content and quality in consideration of the intended audience. Review or recommendation of this product does not solicit endorsement from Reviews by J or the reviewer.
Like most books on recovery, this book too has a focus on hope. Hope is a powerful theme and it is essential for this work. The author points something out in the beginning that I feel is essential to share in this review: while the addiction is bad and one should avoid addiction, addiction does come with the benefit of the road to recovery. During the recovery process, you have to face the demons that drove you to addiction in the first place. As a result, you can come out of it more whole and healed. What I find interesting is the concept where the author says there are spiritual benefits as well. I guess that part depends on how one defines “spiritual.”
“Addiction is a mental illness that compels people to act to feel better now without regard for what is best in their futures.”
The author does an excellent job not condemning someone who suffered or suffers with addiction. In fact, addiction is a natural method to “feel good now,” which given our immediate-needs culture, seems quite prevalent.
The author breaks the book down into twelve “touchstones” and additional content to encourage, guide, and complete the recovery process from addiction. These steps are: (i) work on recovery, (ii) create a positive recovery environment, (iii) renounce addicting, (iv) act with integrity, (v) heal, (vi) love, (vii) respect reality, (viii) grow, (ix) persevere, (x) develop healthy relationships, (xi) take accountability, and (xii) cultivate your spirituality. The steps make sense. The process make sense. The author comes with over thirty years of experience as an addiction psychologist. The author bases this work on their interactions and treating addiction through the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of a person.
This brings me to the question that the reader should be asking, what is the spiritual dimension? It is agnostic of any particular religious tradition? So let’s fast-forward to Touchstone 12: Cultivate Your Spirituality. I’ll try not to leave any spoilers here. According to the author, spirituality is the “intuitive sense of ‘something more,’ beyond the five senses.” Reading on, there is reference to the “interconnectedness of Life” and unity within the mind-brain phenomenon. To translate to layman terms, the author’s understanding of spirituality is one that is based on a blend of secular philosophy with new age mechanics. Spirituality, in this definition, is about experiencing and knowing Truth, but “truth” is undefined.
The author does a good job at attempting to treat addiction, and I give props for that. I studied addictions counseling as part of my counseling minor when working on a Bachelor’s degree. The addition of contemporary issues such as “teching” is excellent, but I feel the “spirituality” component is misplaced and inadequate. Is the book for a religious person or a secular person? The book tries to meet everyone’s needs and encompass a spirituality, which lends one to eastern traditions such as Buddhism or Hinduism. As a result, tenants other traditional religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc.) will not sync with the author’s section on this. Some atheists may also have issues with this content.
In the end, you choose what works best for you, and reader beware of something that doesn’t align to your worldview. In a search for truth, if everyone is right, then everyone is wrong as well. Maybe that’s just my own leaning, but I think it’s a fair warning.
Disclosure: I have received a reviewer copy and/or payment in exchange for an honest review of the product mentioned in this post. This product is reviewed based on content and quality in consideration of the intended audience. Review or recommendation of this product does not solicit endorsement from Reviews by J or the reviewer.
August 13, 2018
“I am of immeasurable worth.”
California author Michael McGee earned his bachelor’s degree and medical degree Stanford University, completed his residency in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School where he spent his last year serving as Chief Resident of Inpatient Psychiatry at The Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge, MA. He is Board Certified in General Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, and Psychosomatic Medicine and has directed several treatment programs, conducted government-funded outcomes research, and has published in the areas of spirituality, clinical treatment, performance management, care management and health information technology. He has extensive experience in addictions treatment, consultation liaison psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and general adult psychiatry, and practices a combination of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, blending science with spirituality to provide truly comprehensive, evidence-based, integrated care.
In his Preface Dr McGee shares his view of the subject of addiction and recovery – ‘This is a book about transformation. Within this book, you’ll learn how to transform your suffering from addiction into your joy of life. This is a book about hope. Unlike with most other illnesses, recovery from addiction gives you more than you had before your addiction began. Recovery helps to heal the wounds that drove you to addiction in the first place, and you resurface as a better version of yourself. If you address your addiction, your addiction yields a spiritual gift in return. You’ll eventually discover a happiness and peace through recovery that you might have never known before. Addiction varies in severity. Addiction can come in the form of reliance upon substances like alcohol or drugs, or even addictive behaviors. Potentially addictive behaviors might include sexing (harmful and compulsive sexual behavior), gambling, “teching” (compulsive use of the Internet, smartphones, and other technology), overeating, overworking, or overspending (addictive materialism and consumerism). Addiction is a “solution that almost works,” yet makes things far worse in the long run. For many, addiction starts with relieving pain with a pleasurable substance or activity. While natural in practice, sometimes feeling better conflicts with what is true, right, and good. Addiction is a mental illness that compels people to act to feel better now without regard for what is best in their futures. True recovery entails renouncing addictive substances and behaviors and learning to do what is best regardless of cravings and compulsions to do otherwise. True recovery involves learning to savor and nurture Life on Life’s terms. People do this by skillfully living life to minimize distress, learning to accept and let go, and implementing more skillful solutions to manage pain. Recovery entails developing a new way of living. Recovery is a way of Being, Seeing, and Doing. In recovery, you experience wholeness, goodness, and connectedness both internally and externally. This leads to a positive philosophy of life based on experience. You can then begin to live with love and integrity rather than out of fear. Recovery is a spiritual matter at its foundation. It is waking up to Reality in a way that changes everything so that at last you know pure joy, peace, and fulfillment. ‘
His twelve Touchstones of Recovery are Work on recovery, Create a positive recovery environment, Renounce addicting, Act with integrity, Heal, Love, Respect Reality, Grow, Persevere, Develop healthy relationships, Take accountability, and Cultivate your spirituality. Each of these touchstones he explains thoroughly and for any one with an addiction – even a mild one – this book is a warmly supportive path back to health and happiness. Highly recommended for every reader.
California author Michael McGee earned his bachelor’s degree and medical degree Stanford University, completed his residency in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School where he spent his last year serving as Chief Resident of Inpatient Psychiatry at The Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge, MA. He is Board Certified in General Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, and Psychosomatic Medicine and has directed several treatment programs, conducted government-funded outcomes research, and has published in the areas of spirituality, clinical treatment, performance management, care management and health information technology. He has extensive experience in addictions treatment, consultation liaison psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and general adult psychiatry, and practices a combination of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, blending science with spirituality to provide truly comprehensive, evidence-based, integrated care.
In his Preface Dr McGee shares his view of the subject of addiction and recovery – ‘This is a book about transformation. Within this book, you’ll learn how to transform your suffering from addiction into your joy of life. This is a book about hope. Unlike with most other illnesses, recovery from addiction gives you more than you had before your addiction began. Recovery helps to heal the wounds that drove you to addiction in the first place, and you resurface as a better version of yourself. If you address your addiction, your addiction yields a spiritual gift in return. You’ll eventually discover a happiness and peace through recovery that you might have never known before. Addiction varies in severity. Addiction can come in the form of reliance upon substances like alcohol or drugs, or even addictive behaviors. Potentially addictive behaviors might include sexing (harmful and compulsive sexual behavior), gambling, “teching” (compulsive use of the Internet, smartphones, and other technology), overeating, overworking, or overspending (addictive materialism and consumerism). Addiction is a “solution that almost works,” yet makes things far worse in the long run. For many, addiction starts with relieving pain with a pleasurable substance or activity. While natural in practice, sometimes feeling better conflicts with what is true, right, and good. Addiction is a mental illness that compels people to act to feel better now without regard for what is best in their futures. True recovery entails renouncing addictive substances and behaviors and learning to do what is best regardless of cravings and compulsions to do otherwise. True recovery involves learning to savor and nurture Life on Life’s terms. People do this by skillfully living life to minimize distress, learning to accept and let go, and implementing more skillful solutions to manage pain. Recovery entails developing a new way of living. Recovery is a way of Being, Seeing, and Doing. In recovery, you experience wholeness, goodness, and connectedness both internally and externally. This leads to a positive philosophy of life based on experience. You can then begin to live with love and integrity rather than out of fear. Recovery is a spiritual matter at its foundation. It is waking up to Reality in a way that changes everything so that at last you know pure joy, peace, and fulfillment. ‘
His twelve Touchstones of Recovery are Work on recovery, Create a positive recovery environment, Renounce addicting, Act with integrity, Heal, Love, Respect Reality, Grow, Persevere, Develop healthy relationships, Take accountability, and Cultivate your spirituality. Each of these touchstones he explains thoroughly and for any one with an addiction – even a mild one – this book is a warmly supportive path back to health and happiness. Highly recommended for every reader.
November 13, 2018
A Guide You Can Use Over and Over!
I appreciated a gift copy from the author for a read an honest review. This book taught me so much and has enhanced my recovery path!
For the person maintaining recovery from addiction? This may be the last book you'll ever need to read to keep you from roadblocks and to keep moving forward within your recovery journey. This is just some of what this highly suggested read will help you accomplish. I have read many addiction/recovery books through the years, but nothing quite like what Michael, the author has given us in this helpful guide.
The one area that stood out for me? If you use and apply the tools learned in this book? YOU can only be successful in gaining a foothold within long-term recovery! Especially those new to the journey. You also learn we are "works in progress" and maintaining the journey will be a lifelong process. Live your life as you recover, not the other way around! Exceptionally well written too.
I appreciated a gift copy from the author for a read an honest review. This book taught me so much and has enhanced my recovery path!
For the person maintaining recovery from addiction? This may be the last book you'll ever need to read to keep you from roadblocks and to keep moving forward within your recovery journey. This is just some of what this highly suggested read will help you accomplish. I have read many addiction/recovery books through the years, but nothing quite like what Michael, the author has given us in this helpful guide.
The one area that stood out for me? If you use and apply the tools learned in this book? YOU can only be successful in gaining a foothold within long-term recovery! Especially those new to the journey. You also learn we are "works in progress" and maintaining the journey will be a lifelong process. Live your life as you recover, not the other way around! Exceptionally well written too.
August 14, 2018
When people think of addiction, they most often think of drugs or alcohol. But, there other addictions, such as low-self-esteem, anger, bullying, that can be just as devastating to the individual and his or her relationships as drugs or alcohol, and depending upon the position of the addict, even more so.
Dr. Michael McGee, in his book The Joy of Recovery, offers a 12-step self-help program to help people break free of addiction, and what is more, helps them journey into a life that is more joyful and fulfilling.
Though this book contains some medical terms, and, despite its shortness is chocked full of information, readers who pay attention and apply the author’s 12 steps will experience a seismic change in personality and interpersonal relationships.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book and recommend it without hesitation. I give it five stars.
Dr. Michael McGee, in his book The Joy of Recovery, offers a 12-step self-help program to help people break free of addiction, and what is more, helps them journey into a life that is more joyful and fulfilling.
Though this book contains some medical terms, and, despite its shortness is chocked full of information, readers who pay attention and apply the author’s 12 steps will experience a seismic change in personality and interpersonal relationships.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book and recommend it without hesitation. I give it five stars.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews