The 13th Step: Thriving in Recovery

by Bob Reese

Do you know "who you am?" Most books regarding addiction focus on the importance of quitting. Few books, however, address maintaining recovery, much less thriving in recovery. The 13th Step integrates Bob's personal story--including his twenty-five years in the NFL--with research in the psychology of addiction recovery. Bob posits that you can't thrive in recovery from addiction unless you know "who you am"! To know "who you am," you need to recognize the insidious nature of addiction and the role dysfunctional relationships play in encouraging and enabling addiction, and the way these dysfunctional relationships can undermine and sabotage recovery.

These realizations inform choices and healthy changes required for maintaining recovery. Bob's curiosity, experiences, education, and research into performance and positive psychology have enabled him to apply scientifically supported interventions and techniques to encourage the positive changes necessary to take the thirteenth step to thrive in recovery.

446 pages, Paperback

Published August 25, 2017

About the author

Bob Reese, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology Radford University and author of "Thriving in Recovery: Journey to Well-Being" (AuthorHouse, 2017). He worked for 25 years as an athletic trainer in the NFL where he his interest in sport psychology led him to earning his Master’s in Psychology from Regis University and his doctorate from Virginia Tech.
His research focus is in Positive Psychology and how it can impact addiction recovery. He is on the research team of the Addiction Recovery Research Center at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute.
Bob is also the author of "Develop the Winner’s Mentality: 5 Essential Mental Skills for Enduring Success" (Xlibris, 2005). You can learn more about Bob on his website: DrBobReese.com.

Reviews

[Pamela N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two aspects every book: process and content. The process of creating an excellent text includes having a concise title, table of contents, readable writing in relevant text, appendices, notes and references, and finally, an index. Additionally, any illustrations, graphs, charts, photos, and other visuals are always welcome for the purpose of clarity. This text presents all the above in the most professional manner.

Content is exactly that. It's the material created to inform the reader of what the title promises.

As a counselor/ therapist I feel qualified to evaluate the content, and I'm delighted to say this text is not only informative and interesting, it fulfills a need in repertoire of counseling addicts. This need is addressing what comes after sobriety - and the 12th step. One doesn't stop and subsequently rest on their laurels. Sobriety is not a discreet, one-time event, but rather, an ongoing process.

I've encountered books that direct the reader what to do, but there are few that give comprehensive and clear information about how.
This book is systematic and rational, and I could envision both therapist and person in recovery benefitting from it.

In my opinion we live in a country permeated with multitudes of addictions, so there are hundreds of thousands of people, of all ages, and characteristics who can benefit from this book. This includes me.

[Joann TRAVIS · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is really great to read if you are struggling with an addiction its always good to read so you can understand and know that you are not alone in your battle with addiction...a must read book also the alchololics annonomus sorry abut the spelling is also a great book and the 12 steps and traditions.

[Nancy Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Motivating and inspiring with lots of self-help tips and strategies to improve your life! Part memoir, part self-help, and plenty of resources to use in your journey! I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Bob Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A former NFL athletic trainer and current psychology professor offers his own psychological approach to the strategy of recovery. … Reese is an engaging narrator, and each section of his book can effectively be read as self-contained, separate entities. his storytelling is earnest and passionate. … The section on recovery is shot through with hard-won, wry humor as readers witness his initial attempts to be “the best recovering alcoholic ever.” The book’s most gripping segments, though, are its most theoretical ones, toward the end, when Reese distills the lessons he’s learned and expresses a sense of joy in a way that one rarely finds in books about addiction.
Kirkus Reviews

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written from someone who knows what they are talking about.