Hopeful Healing: Essays on Managing Recovery and Surviving Addiction - Softcover

"A light is a light, is a light. And Mack, as her friends call her, has shone at every stage: the winsome child, the actress-to-be, the churlish star, and even the anodyne who got lost and clawed her way back from the surface of Mars. With a wisdom that mines the core stuff of life, or Hope, as the key that unlocks anyone's near impenetrable fortress of addiction. But, see? Little Laura has done it! And it's shared here with every word of Hopeful Healing." -- Billy Corgan, cofounder of the Smashing Pumpkins, poet, contrarian "Hopeful Healing is a riveting and well-documented account of the messy yet beautiful experience of recovering from addiction. Through a series of intimate and illuminating conversations, Mackenzie Phillips leaves no stone unturned exploring topics that range from shame and guilt to forgiveness, hope, fear, grace, and more. Indeed, we do recover, and Mackenzie Phillips is as fine an example of that as I've ever seen." -- Chris Grosso, author of Indie Spiritualist and Everything Mind "This wonderful book offers a powerful and unique perspective of the recovery process. Its conversational style pulls us deep into the `heart of our own heart,' and helps us view the challenges of our lives through the lens of Mackenzie's life experience. The truth is we are all on the path of healing, and these essays help us view our own lives with hopeful reverence." -- James Twyman, New York Times bestselling author "This wonderful book will lovingly hold your hand through anything you need to know about recovery and addiction, or really, just getting through life. This is the Mackenzie I know: smart, funny, warm, she has that great 'been there, done that' attitude and just tells it like it is, without judgment. Read this book now. It's your soft place to fall." -- Valerie Bertinelli, actress and New York Times bestselling author "A hellish childhood, a drugged-out young womanhood, and she not only sets herself straight, but spends her middle years helping to doctor other young sufferers to safety." -- Norman Lear, Emmy award winning television writer and producer

Actress and author of the courageous New York Times bestselling memoir High on Arrival, Mackenzie Phillips brings her knowledge and voice on the subject of recovery for the first time, and shares her experiences for those who are trying to overcome addiction. As the daughter of lead singers of the 1960s band The Mamas and The Papas, Mackenzie Phillips grew up in a dysfunctional environment and subsequently battled a near-fatal drug addiction. Now, delivered with warmth and candor, she presents the wisdom she gained from her own personal journey through addictions and her understanding of practical treatment from her work as a rehabilitation counselor. She shares the tools and holistic approaches that are available to help you on your journey to recovery. Treatment is not "one-size-fits-all" and Mackenzie encourages addicts and their support networks to research the methods that most effectively address their individual physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Used by both recovering addicts and their families, Mackenzie's book is a message of hope and reminds us that sobriety is a lifelong journey of the spirit that allows us to lift ourselves up even when we stumble and fall.