Addict in the House: A No-Nonsense Family Guide Through Addiction and Recovery

Robin Barnett

Feb 2018 · New Harbinger Publications · Narrated by Denice Stradling

About this audiobook

Everyone suffers when there’s an addict in the family. Written by an expert in alcohol and drug addiction and recovery, this no-nonsense guide will help you understand the causes of addiction, end enabling behaviors, support your loved one’s recovery, and learn how to cope with relapses.

If you’re the family member of an addict, you may feel confused, guilty, and scared of doing the wrong thing. And when you don’t know how to help, you may find yourself in a codependent role, trying so hard to keep your addicted loved one alive, out of jail, or emotionally appeased that you may actually prevent them from realizing they need help.

Drawing on her own personal experience with her brother’s addiction, Addict in the House offers a pragmatic, step-by-step guide to dealing with a loved one’s addiction, from accepting the reality of the disease to surviving what may be repeated cycles of recovery and relapse. You’ll learn how to encourage your addicted loved one to get help without forcing it, and finally find the strength to let go of codependence.

With this revealing and straightforward book, you’ll have the support you need to take an honest look at how addiction has affected the family, cope with the emotional hurdles of having an addicted family member, create and maintain firm boundaries, and make informed decisions about how to best help your loved one.

About the author

Robin Barnett, EdD, LCSW, is a respected behavioral health expert and former CEO of Park Bench Group Counseling, a progressive addiction rehabilitation facility in Northfield, NJ, which she cofounded in 2006. A licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor, and a certified sex addiction expert and therapist, for nearly two decades she has helped countless people conquer addictive behavior and a multitude of behavioral challenges. Inspired by firsthand experience when her own brother encountered a downward spiral with alcoholism and drugs, Barnett hopes to help others manage the heartache of this struggle by sharing her professional--and personal--insights. Barnett is a well-known resource in the clinical community. She was named among "America's Best Therapists" by Psychology Today, and has appeared as a drug, alcohol, and behavior expert on various national media outlets, including MTV, CNN, HLN, NBC, FOX, ABC (20/20, Nightline), and CBS. Barnett is a regular on The Steve Wilkos Show (NBC Universal Syndication) as their substance abuse expert, and is currently included in the fabric of several unscripted television projects. Barnett holds a doctorate in human services administration from the University of Sarasota and a master's in social work from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Barnett resides with her family at the Jersey Shore. Foreword writer Darren Kavinoky is cocreator and host of the hit television show Deadly Sins on Investigation Discovery (ID). He is the cohost of Did He Do It? and the featured "criminal interventionist" on Breaking Point, also on the ID network. Kavinoky is also a certified interventionist, attorney and legal analyst, and "misbehavior" expert who appears regularly on TheTodayShow, The View, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew, CNN, HLN, Fox News, and many other TV and radio shows.