Recovering From Recovery

"Recovering From Recovery" is the story of Adam Fitzgerald's experience during and after 12 years of sobriety and in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous.

When we talk about recovery from substance abuse, we speak only in extremes. A person is either 100 percent substance free, or they have slipped and failed. Complete abstinence is the only celebrated and therefore the only acceptable measure of success. Recovering from Recovery is an exploration of a journey away from the rhetoric and advice heard in AA, advice designed seemingly to help but which is so couched in shame and judgment that it can block us from finding and living our truth.

Critical praise for "Recovering From Recovery":

"In 'Recovering from Recovery' Adam Fitzgerald shares his story of being a 'sex-positive, joyous, and liberated slut' on a journey of ongoing healing. This book challenges readers to let go of either/or thinking related to alcohol, substance use, and sex. Adam encourages readers to open their minds to the possibility that people who are sober AND those who are not, those who are abstinent AND those who are promiscuous are all deserving of love and healing. A person does not have to be a saint to deserve love, and to use the tools inside themselves and in their communities (whether twelve-step programs, therapists, sex partners) to cultivate compassion and acceptance for one's self. The book invites readers to examine the source of their pain and not just its symptoms. Adam Fitzgerald reminds us that in today's world full of oppressive forces, all journeys to healing are unique and needed."
-- Jonathan Mathias Lassiter, PhD., Licensed clinical psychologist at Lassiter Health Initiatives and author of the forthcoming "How I Know White People Are Crazy"

"Finally, a fresh perspective on an antiquated system that needs to be revamped in order to create other models for addressing people's relationships to substances. Brilliantly written, "Recovery From Recovery" boldly challenges ingrained recovery notions that perpetuate dependency rather than encourage critical thinking"
-- Alex Brousset, LMFT, Psychotherapist

"In this hilarious and deeply honest memoir, Adam Fitzgerald not only takes us into his wild and wonderful life, he thoughtfully, thoroughly, and unabashedly calls into question standard and accepted beliefs about sobriety, monogamy, love, sex, and healing. What emerges is an inspiring, funny, intelligent and necessary book."
-- Najla Said, Author and Performer, "Looking for Palestine"

From the author:

"I often heard in AA that casual sex was a result of my "disease", but I soon discovered that being drunk had allowed me to silence the voices of shame that kept me from exploring my sexuality, indulging in pleasure and intimacy, and embracing my inner, proud slut. By walking away from a way of thinking deeply rooted in cis-male, misogynistic, American fear of sex and intimacy, I began to question everything. As I explored, without chemical enhancement, fetishes, groups, sex parties and other discouraged behavior, I began to uncover and examine what else about this all-or-nothing mentality might not be the best path for me."

**Warning: Contains descriptive sexual content