Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

[mylife]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

Cuckoo - I totally agree with you. I hate Alcoholic. I was addicted to Alcohol and I stopped. If I had been addicted to cigarettes I wouldn't call myself a "cigarettaholic". I would say I was smoking 2 packs a day and I quit! Simple as that.

I really hate the stigma of Alcohol as well and that it's freakish if you DON'T drink. I think those are the things that Jason points out that Alan Carr didn't that are so noteworthy. I'd love to somehow be involved in changing society's view of alcohol to the addictive brain damaging poisonous drug it really is!

[allswell]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

I'm on page 50 and it's too early for me to form an opinion on it. Comes highly recommended from a lot of people here though.

[cuckoosnest83]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

I find it hard to believe our government still sanctions a drug that has had such huge costly/harmful effects than most any other.

[ccarpenter]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

REALLY IN DENIAL

SO NOW I AM THINKING ALCOHOL IS NOT SO BAD 4 ME, MAYBE IT IS LIKE MY ANTIDEPRESSANT, JUST ANOTHER METHOD TO HELP WITH DEPRESSION AND STRESS.. JOINED MATCH .COME AND EVERY AVAIL GUY WANTS A THIN, SLENDER MATE. I HOWEVER WAS ALWAYS RAIL THIN UNTILL I LOST 2 HUSBANDS AND INCURRED A BRAIN ANEURSYM..GOD HELPED ME THRU THAT BUT MY SOLACE IS FOOD AND BOOZE AND I AM LONELY AND 80 POUNDS OVERWEIGHT...:new:

[nancy]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

Jason or Alan?

I wrote some negative reviews about Jason's book in the past but I am softening my views now because it's clearly helping a lot of people.

To me, Jason's book is a rip-off of Alan Carr's How To Stop Drinking the Easy Way.
So I was offended by it. I also didn't really like the language, felt it was kind of dumbed-down compared to Alan's book.

Both books are really similar and they make a hugely important point about questioning deprivation from not drinking, as a social phenomenon. The easiest way to understand that is that, is that today if someone quits smoking, they are congratulated and smokers are shunned. In the past, people would feel sorry for the smoker who was forced to quit. Poor guy, missing out on that pleasure. This point is made in the books and it's very important. Because the deprivation is artificial in some ways created by society.

I also really like the way they think labeling is counter-productive.

My crtiticism of both books is that they kind of ignore the biological/physical side of alcohol dependency and relation to psychological problems.

Still I think everyone should read either one of these books. I don't think you will quit by the last page, that is kind of a gimmick. But your views will definitely be challenged and maybe changed for the better.

[havefaith]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

I love to see how many people look for ways to better themselves(it is very inspiring), no matter where the knowledge comes from.
Right now I'm reading an Anthony Robbins Book-He keeps instilling the fact that you should always
keep your standards HIGH!( I guess being a DRUNK wouldn't be a very high standard!)
Please let me know if anybody comes across some good inspiration.........I will definately pick it up!

[westiesrock]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

Hi havefaith!
I wanted to share with you two books that I am currently reading. The Artist's Way - A Spritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. No I am not an artist! Although originally written by an artist, for artists - it benefits everyone. Too Nice For Your Own Good: How To Stop Making 9 Self Sabotaging Mistakes by Duke Robinson is very insightful.
Happy reading!

[havefaith]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

thanks westies-
they are on my list

[K9Lover]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

Jason Vale's book really hit home for me. The one part that made me stop in my tracks was when he said "Passing out happens when your body has to choose between keeping you awake and keeping you alive". Wow. I passed out (and blacked out) almost every night. My body was choosing to stay alive (as it always will) so therefore it had to basically shut down every other function. It is scary to think of how I abused my body. Alcohol is, and always will be, nothing but a poison. Our bodies don't want it, yet we force it down anyway.

I may pull my book out and give it a read again...I loved it.

[looking for peace]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

K9, I remember that from the book as well. I read it over and highlighted it. It was pretty scary, your body passes out in an effort to stay alive. That's pretty serious stuff and has happened to me more times than I wish to admit.

[FlyAway]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

K9Lover;1275281 wrote: Jason Vale's book really hit home for me. The one part that made me stop in my tracks was when he said "Passing out happens when your body has to choose between keeping you awake and keeping you alive". Wow. I passed out (and blacked out) almost every night. My body was choosing to stay alive (as it always will) so therefore it had to basically shut down every other function. It is scary to think of how I abused my body. Alcohol is, and always will be, nothing but a poison. Our bodies don't want it, yet we force it down anyway.

I may pull my book out and give it a read again...I loved it.

K9 that was me too, passing out almost nightly. I've wondered at times how close to death I may have come, particularly after Amy Winehouse's death. I bet there were many times that my BAC was near lethal levels. I never want to be there again.

[fennel]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

Personally, I felt that Vale's book was better written than Carr's. However, he lost me when he claimed that everybody who drinks alcohol is on the addiction continuum.

I have an 83 year old mum who has always been able to go out and have "one" gin and sour, "easy on the gin". Just one. I've seen for myself that his theory is wrong, and I have a tendency to throw the baby out with the bath-water, so his book did nothing for me in the end.

[nancy]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

slippery slope

Alan Carr had this in his book first, that everyone essentially is in that honey trap, just at different stages.

So there's an element of dependence. But I don't remember that he went as far as to say that everyone would fall to the bottom. And in fact epidemiological evidence suggests that for many alcohol dependence is not a progressive disease but rather that many can be functionally alcoholic for many years or alcoholic and then stop.

I think Alan's honey trap point was that there is an element of depdendence in all of these behaviors but people work so hard to keep it in check, some better than others. So for example, some people only drink weekends. What you describe as one drink sounds a little compulsive and psychologically dependent but kept so well in control. Yet an element of dependence? I think your mum is on the continuum, but on the top and maybe never going to slip.

I think Alan's theory is right in that there are so many neurotransmitters affected by booze, it's very seductive.

[BlondeAFAmbition]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

I just ordered the Vale book yesterday from Amazon...it hasn't shipped yet but I can't wait to dive in. I have stopped drinking 2 weeks ago and I think this book with only strenthen my resolve. Thanks for the reqs everyone!

[BlondeAFAmbition]

Who read Jason Vales Book? Opinions Please!

Hi,

I just wanted to update that I received this book a few days ago and was able to start it last night. Read the first 72 pages and did not want to put it down but it was getting towards midnight and I had to get some sleep! I plan to read another good chunk tonight. It is really eye-opening and I love the fact that he debunks the myths about AL being used for relaxation, for taste, etc., Does anyone REALLY like their first taste of AL? Hell NO! But because it is so grown up and everyone is doing it to celebrate "special" occasions...we learn to "like" the taste. He keeps bringing up the memories of going to a birthday party as a child...before you started drinking. Did you NEED AL to make the party better? Did you worry about Christmas or your birthday without AL when you were a kid? HELL NO! It is learned from society! There is lots of good stuff in this book and I enjoy his candid writing style...not stuffy but down to earth and more like you are having a cup of coffee with him rather than being preached to. He is the first to admit that many will not like his approach or his thoughts on AA or all of that. Like many of you AA isn't appealing to me, it may work for some and not for the rest of us. If it works for you, super! But in AA, according to Vale, you never fully "recover" from AL...you will always have the "disease" of being an "alchoholic". That in itself is daunting to me...to spend my whole life in "recovery". Vale promotes the freedom from addiction and getting on with your life. You don't substitute other activities for your drinking time...you just start "living". You are free from having to worry about "modding" because you simply do not drink. You know you can't just have one, so why even bother? I hope to finish the book this week and will reference it many times I am sure. I will also check out Alan Carr's book that many of you recommend. But for those thinking about the Vale book, I highly recommend it. It's is all based on our perception of AL and once we change that, we become free from it's reigns.