ENDORSEMENTS
PRAISE FOR PARENTS IN RECOVERY
“The greatest achievement of my life has been the honor and responsibility of being a sober father. Sobriety has allowed me to be fully present, accountable, and vulnerable to the people that I love and treasure the most: my children, Chris Jr., Samantha, and Drew. Heather and I are incredibly blessed to walk this journey together. Sarah Allen Benton addresses every aspect of being a parent in recovery. Regardless of your recovery or parenting stage, she offers a ‘first of its kind’ navigation and motivational tool from the personal lens of clinician, educator, and parent. This is a book that you will keep and refer to again and again.”
-CHRIS HERREN, founder of Herren Project, Herren Talks, and Herren Wellness, author of Basketball Junkie
“Demystifying a field shrouded in mystery and misconception, Sarah Allen Benton writes clearly about the nature of substance use disorders, the recovery process, and the blessing of going deeply. More than just a recovery book, it provides gentle guidance for parents that can benefit those in recovery . . . or not.”
-DIANA CLARK, president of O’Connor Professional Group, author of Addiction Recovery: A Family’s Journey
“Recovery has been the gift that has allowed me to be present in my three children’s lives, but navigating parenting as a person in recovery is complex and stressful. Sarah Allen Benton’s book provides a beautiful and helpful guide to this very often experienced but rarely discussed segment of parents.”
-GREG WILLIAMS, filmmaker of The Anonymous People, Generation Found, and Tipping the Pain Scale
“In Parents in Recovery, Sarah Allen Benton presents a roadmap for both reflection and practice for parents in recovery as well as those who love or work with them. Equal parts inspiring and instructional, Benton blends her own clinical expertise and personal recovery story with the voices of other recovering parents and experts. The result is a highly readable and encouraging guidebook that reminds us that while recovery isn’t always easy, it is always worth it when families are at the center.”
-DAWN NICKEL, PhD, co-founder of SHE RECOVERS® Foundation, author of She Recovers Every Day: Meditations for Women
“As a man in long-term recovery and father of a teenager, it is refreshing to see so many wonderful nuggets of guidance for navigating the interwoven journeys of recovery and being a loving, present parent. Benton has written a powerful book to help all parents in recovery enhance their journey doing the toughest job you’ll ever love.”
-DAN GRIFFIN, author of A Man’s Way through the Twelve Steps, A Man’s Way through Relationships, and Amazing Dads!
“Benton’s heartfelt storytelling and inclusive perspective make this book a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and practical advice on the journey to sobriety and creating a fulfilling family life. Parents in Recovery is a beacon of hope and guidance.”
-TEO-CARLO STRAUN, MD, CEO of Straun Health and Wellness; faculty, Yale School of Medicine
PRAISE FOR THE HIGH FUNCTIONING ALCOHOLIC
“Within the first few pages of reading Sarah Allen Benton’s book “Understanding the High Functioning Alcoholic” it is clear the reader is in excellent hands. Ms. Benton’s insights into the high functioning alcoholic, using interviews and personal reflections, resonates and inspires. That a book of this depth and solidity could also be an enjoyable heart-warming read is testament to her skill and passion for her subject. Ms. Benton’s book provides a road map to greater understanding and compassion for the many silently suffering practicing alcoholics in our society.”
~RACHAEL BROWNELL, author of “Mommy Doesn’t Drink Here Anymore“
“An insufficiently appreciated fact is that alcoholism takes on many faces and disguises. The falling-down drunk is the most common and unfortunate stereotype of an alcoholic, but represents less than 10% of the 18 million alcoholics in America who suffer with it.
Through telling case examples, interviews with recovering alcoholics of all ages, accomplished professionals and executives, and through her own reflections, Sarah Allen Benton brings to awareness that the largest majority of alcoholics are high functioning and, too often, go undetected. As she eloquently states, ‘The story of the high functioning alcoholic is seldom told, for it is not one of obvious tragedy, but that of silent suffering.’ Drawing on the experience of high-functioning alcoholics, including her own experiences, this book is both instructive and inspiring. It will help a high-functioning alcoholic face their denial of alcoholism and help family and friends who witness it to better appreciate and understand it. Whether it is in the pre-high or high schooler, the college student, young adult, or the successful executive, professional, or athlete, Sarah Allen Benton shines an illuminating light on the plight of high-functioning alcoholics from all walks of life and, better still, point the reader to helpful pathways for recovery.”
~EDWARD J. KHANTZIAN, MD
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at Cambridge Health Alliance
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Physician Health Services, Massachusetts Medical Society
“Alcoholism has many faces and high-functioning alcoholics are invisibly among us every day. Congratulations and thanks to Sarah Allen Benton for the courage she displays by showing her face and telling her story.”
~DAVID L. ROSENBLOOM, Ph.D, Director, Join Together- Boston University School of Public Health
“As a parent of adult alcoholics…I found this book an incredible exploratory and expository of the high-functioning alcoholic…heaped with eye opening data about the size and scope of the disease among ‘all’ the populations, professionals of every genre. The memoir aspect or confession was most enlightening and appreciated. Thank you…..Sarah.”
~JOAN D., parent of adult alcoholics
“I hope this book will help to puncture the myth that alcoholism/addiction is a condition associated with those with less education or lower incomes. Too often, individuals in powerful or highly respected positions suffer much longer than necessary because they and those around them (including their treatment providers) are blinded by their social status. Professionals may delude themselves despite facing a higher-than-average risk, seeking help only after their careers are coming apart.”
~JEFFREY FORTGANG, Ph.D, CAS Clinical Associate in Psychology, Harvard Medical School; Psychologist/Addictions Specialist, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers; Former Director, Westwood Lodge Hospital (addiction/mental health treatment) Westwood, MA
“Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic provides a thorough description as well as Benton’s experience of working a Twelve-Step program, but also addresses many important issues, including the role of spirituality and the controversy of controlled drinking, so often part of the discussion about the HFA, by providing information and positions from a variety of sources and giving the reader a chance to make informed conclusions.
This work makes good use of realistic vignettes that do not resort directly to ‘worst case’ scenarios, but rather, illustrate the dilemma of the HFA in everyday settings and at all levels of development. Benton brings personal credibility and insight as she freely discloses her experiences as an alcoholic, including her own journey through her Twelve-Step program. She supports the assertion that the ‘bottom’ an HFA hits is often emotional in nature, and she applies the emotional dimension of an HFA in her first person accounts to provide a social, family, vocational and psychological picture.
Data, professional observations and personal experience are effectively interlaced in an overall well informed yet conversational tone. This work will be a useful resource for the lay person, professional and trainee interested in a realistic and professionally informed understanding of high-functioning alcoholics and the Twelve-Step recovery process. Those whose loved ones are suffering and living the effects of alcoholism as well as HFAs themselves will find important identifying information and resources for hope and change.”
~ROBERT M. KLEIN, MD, MBA Director of Behavioral Health, Northeastern University Health and Counseling Services; Assistant Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
“Sarah Benton’s book Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic is a gift to both clinicians and clients alike. It is a thorough and insightful discussion of an often misunderstood and mistreated clinical group that frequently does not respond well to traditional psychotherapy, or psychopharmacology, or simply Twelve Step approaches. Sarah presents an integrated treatment approach in a highly personal and engaging way that truly bridges the gap between research, clinical work and moving personal experiences.
Despite 35 years of working with this population of substance abusers, I was delighted to see how much I learned from Sarah’s book. The highest compliment that I can pay her for this accomplishment is that I immediately thought of many clients and therapists that I could give it to.”
~DAVID TREADWAY, Ph.D, private practice, addiction specialist and author of:
“Before Its Too Late: Working with Substance Abuse in the Family”, 1989
“Dead Reckoning: A Therapist Confronts his own Grief”, 1996
“Intimacy, Grief and Other Therapeutic Mysteries”, 2004
“Home Before Dark; A Family’s First Year with Cancer”, 2009