"The Twelve Steps for Agnostics is a totally honest, transparent account of Andy's journey from darkness to light, brokenness to wholeness. He recounts how he overcame the many childhood traumas that had led to his illness of addiction and chemical dependency.
Andy's book is an account of his fight back to the health of body, mind and spirit. He found a non-God-centered approach to 12 step recovery in AA. In time, he met an agnostic-friendly sponsor gifted in transmitting the life-changing power of the steps in a way that Andy could fully embrace. It is a truly inspirational read.
I met Andy some 30 years ago. We were both employed at a newly opened 12 step Rehab for drug and alcohol dependency. Andy was a trainee counselor and I worked in reception and admin. The sudden closure of the centre after just 2 years was a blow to both its employees and clients. Many staff members who had relocated were forced to move back to their original homes. As a result, Andy and I lost touch.
I reconnected with Andy three years ago quite by chance. Was it just a coincidence? I don't think so. It has allowed me the privilege of reading "The Twelve Steps for Agnostics" pre-publication. Only then did I become aware of the traumas he had experienced during his dysfunctional upbringing, and his subsequent battle with alcohol and drugs. I now have a far deeper insight into the disease of alcoholism and addiction.
As a daughter of an alcoholic father who succumbed to an early death, I retrained as a counselor. Perhaps with knowledge, I would be able to help another family deal with, or even avoid, the same fate.
Even with academic insight, nothing could have prepared me for witnessing my then-teenage son drifting into addiction. My counseling qualifications did little to enhance my understanding of his behavior or successfully manage it.
The Twelve Steps for Agnostics has given me a rare, and raw, insight into the illness from the sufferer's perspective. This has been of invaluable benefit to my understanding of alcoholism.
This is a 'must read', not only for those desperately seeking a solution to their substance abuse, but for parents, children and relatives faced with understanding the complexities of chemical dependency.
Counselors, psychotherapists and doctors would also benefit from a glimpse into Andy's world of emotional trauma and the multifaceted, most misunderstood disease of alcoholism.
The non-God-centered 12 Step approach that made Andy's recovery possible has been the catalyst driving him to write this inspirational autobiographical account. I know how deeply he wishes that all who read it will find hope, encouragement and healing within its pages."
