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A Principle of Recovery: An Unconventional Journey Through the Twelve Steps
A guided journey through the 12 Step process. A Principle of Recovery is a look at sobriety through the eyes and heart of Jack Grisham--lead singer of the punk band T.S.O.L., and the author of 'An American Demon'. Grisham has been clean and sober since January 8th, 1989. This book cuts through the myths and misconceptions of what it is to live in recovery and gives us a glimpse into the freedom that being sober can bring. An agnostic libertarian Grisham challenges some of the "cult" like practices in today's groups and encourages you to think for yourself, live without fear, and tap the resource of power that resides within us all. Warning, this book is dangerous to those who enjoy being sheep.
189 pages, Paperback
Published August 31, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 13, 2021
i don’t write reviews on books often. and it might be too soon to tell for sure, but i think this book might have just saved my life.
July 23, 2025
I really like Jack’s** voice, but there were at least one big hole that bothered me. And, I didn’t appreciate the over-citing of the big book.
I would have liked a chapter on sponsorship. Jack clearly has strong opinions on the matter. He puts quotes around “sponsor” more than once. He refers to his “mentor” in a couple of other places. There’s one paragraph (in the step 9 section) where he makes a list of what a sponsor isn’t or shouldn’t be. So, the guy clearly has sponsorship on the brain. But, an overall treatment of the topic is missing. A 6 or 10 page essay on sponsorship from Jack's perspective would have fit really well in here. In fact, to me, it felt to me like a hole.
The book also falls into the trap of “big book fundamentalism”. There are quotes from the big book throughout. There aren’t quotes from other recovery literature. So it’s as though the 12x12, living sober, member’s eye view, etc. don't exist - or, at least, he's placing the big book on a singular pedestal. There are non-recovery quotes and citations: a bit on Viktor Frakel, a quote from Kalil Gibral, etc. So, he's not ignoring spiritual literature, he's specifically ignoring recovery literature other than the big book. There are two chapters written by taking "one verse at a time" and writing about them. One is on the “bedevilments”, the other is on the 3rd step prayer. These read just like a piece of Christian literature, like Emmet Fox’s “sermon on the mount”. So, he's savoring every word, the way a fundamentalist would treat scripture. Also - perhaps most disturbingly - Jack uses citations from the big book to ‘back up’ his arguments more than once. It's as if the point isn't valid without a big book quote to support it. To me, that's totally unnecessary. If Jack has something to say, I'm gonna listen to it, and I don't give a fuck if it matches a big book quote or not. I would expect this type of “big book fundamentalism” from Joe and Charlie of the like. But, in the “unconventional”, freethinking book, by Jack, it feels out of place and almost counterproductive.
The jack voice - the unconventional and freethinking voice - is great, though. The prose is very tight. The humor and sarcasm are crisp. He uses a lot dialogue to communicate ideas. Some of it is imagined dialogue between him and the reader. Some of it is “i talked to a guy after a meeting, he said this, i said that”. All of that works really well. There are a lot of stories in here, with messages. There are poignant jokes and parables - one in particular about a bear - those work really well. That’s Jack’s voice. And, I think most of what’s in here, written in Jack’s voice works really well. It’s funny. It’s smart. It’s thought provoking.
I guess it should come as no surprise that the spiritual, clean and sober lead singer of an anarchist punk band should come across a bit schizophrenic. But, i would like liked more of the independent freethinking Jack, and less of the AA drone chanting phrases from the big book Jack.
** I tried to write this review using “the author”, but, that felt super weird because I do know Jack.
I would have liked a chapter on sponsorship. Jack clearly has strong opinions on the matter. He puts quotes around “sponsor” more than once. He refers to his “mentor” in a couple of other places. There’s one paragraph (in the step 9 section) where he makes a list of what a sponsor isn’t or shouldn’t be. So, the guy clearly has sponsorship on the brain. But, an overall treatment of the topic is missing. A 6 or 10 page essay on sponsorship from Jack's perspective would have fit really well in here. In fact, to me, it felt to me like a hole.
The book also falls into the trap of “big book fundamentalism”. There are quotes from the big book throughout. There aren’t quotes from other recovery literature. So it’s as though the 12x12, living sober, member’s eye view, etc. don't exist - or, at least, he's placing the big book on a singular pedestal. There are non-recovery quotes and citations: a bit on Viktor Frakel, a quote from Kalil Gibral, etc. So, he's not ignoring spiritual literature, he's specifically ignoring recovery literature other than the big book. There are two chapters written by taking "one verse at a time" and writing about them. One is on the “bedevilments”, the other is on the 3rd step prayer. These read just like a piece of Christian literature, like Emmet Fox’s “sermon on the mount”. So, he's savoring every word, the way a fundamentalist would treat scripture. Also - perhaps most disturbingly - Jack uses citations from the big book to ‘back up’ his arguments more than once. It's as if the point isn't valid without a big book quote to support it. To me, that's totally unnecessary. If Jack has something to say, I'm gonna listen to it, and I don't give a fuck if it matches a big book quote or not. I would expect this type of “big book fundamentalism” from Joe and Charlie of the like. But, in the “unconventional”, freethinking book, by Jack, it feels out of place and almost counterproductive.
The jack voice - the unconventional and freethinking voice - is great, though. The prose is very tight. The humor and sarcasm are crisp. He uses a lot dialogue to communicate ideas. Some of it is imagined dialogue between him and the reader. Some of it is “i talked to a guy after a meeting, he said this, i said that”. All of that works really well. There are a lot of stories in here, with messages. There are poignant jokes and parables - one in particular about a bear - those work really well. That’s Jack’s voice. And, I think most of what’s in here, written in Jack’s voice works really well. It’s funny. It’s smart. It’s thought provoking.
I guess it should come as no surprise that the spiritual, clean and sober lead singer of an anarchist punk band should come across a bit schizophrenic. But, i would like liked more of the independent freethinking Jack, and less of the AA drone chanting phrases from the big book Jack.
** I tried to write this review using “the author”, but, that felt super weird because I do know Jack.
May 31, 2023
Jack Grisham is a local legend and an integral part of helping the community! Specifically those in recovery and this book has helped a lot of people. Just starting it, but already all in. Enjoy life!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews