back back to Books previous previous story  |  next story next

Support in stepping to recovery

Penny Seabrook finds this personal account not to her taste

Book Jacket © not advert

Addicted to Love: From rehab to heaven
Clare Catford

Darton, Longman & Todd £9.95 (978-0-232-52728-5)
Church Times Bookshop £8.95

AT FIRST GLANCE, Clare Catford does not look like an addict. Like others who have trodden the same path, she knows how to present herself well; and her former career as a broadcast journalist successfully papered over the cracks in her life until they were prised apart when an early marriage failed.

At this stage, some people reach for the bottle; but it was bulimia that imprisoned Clare. This was in­ter­spersed with bouts of over-indulgent shopping, and affairs with married men. Yet nothing stopped the pain. Despite therapy, her emo­tions drove her, blinding her to any honest and constructive appraisal of the situation.

It was only when she hit rock-bottom, and discovered a Twelve Step support group, that she began to understand the link between ad­diction and fear, which was wrapped up for her, with childhood trauma, and a conditional idea of God’s love. Although church always played a central part in her life, she had never really believed she was good enough to match up to the picture of Chris­tian perfection preached from the pulpit, and so guilt simply added a toxic layer to her struggles. In recov­ery, it was the non-judgemental love of the group that taught her to let go and to trust — one step at a time, one day at a time.

The book illustrates her progress. It is a brave personal exposure, and one that might encourage others to cast pride aside and find the help that leads to greater serenity.

The relationship between addic­tion and faith is explored at a deeper level in titles such as Gerald May’s Addiction and Grace, or James Nelson’s Thirst: God and the alcoholic experience. Catford makes little reference to other writers, which is both the strength and the weakness of the book. It is quickly read, and has a cover and title that could pass it off as a romantic novel — which is useful, since few will openly be seen with a book on addiction.

I would give it space on the church bookstall, but will not feel anxious about losing my copy, be­cause there are plenty of books of this genre on the market, and the journalistic style of this one is not really my cup of tea. The appendix provides the information that has most lasting value, listing as it does Twelve Step websites for the following: Alcoholics Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, Codependents Anonymous, Al-Anon (for families and friends of alcoholics), Sex Addicts Anonymous, and Overeaters Anonymous.

The Revd Penny Seabrook is to be Associate Vicar of All Saints’, Fulham, from next month.

To order this book, email the details to Church Times Bookshop (please mention "Church Times Bookshop Price")



back back to Books up back to top previous previous story  |  next story next


© Church Times 2006 - All rights reserved

Website by Baigent