Addict in the House - by Robin Barnett (Paperback)

About the Book

Everyone suffers when there's an addict in the family. Written by an expert in alcohol and drug addiction and recovery--and drawing on her own personal experience with her brother's addiction--this no-nonsense guide will help readers understand the causes of addiction, end their enabling behaviors, support their loved one's recovery, and learn how to cope with relapses.

Book Synopsis

"This is a straightforward, rich resource for anyone who lives with, and loves, an addict."
--Publishers Weekly

Everyone suffers when there's an addict in the family. Written by an expert in alcohol and drug addiction and recovery, this no-nonsense guide will help you understand the causes of addiction, end enabling behaviors, support your loved one's recovery, and learn how to cope with relapses.

If you're the family member of an addict, you may feel confused, guilty, and scared of doing the wrong thing. And when you don't know how to help, you may find yourself in a codependent role, trying so hard to keep your addicted loved one alive, out of jail, or emotionally appeased that you may actually prevent them from realizing they need help.

Drawing on her own personal experience with her brother's addiction, Addict in the House offers a pragmatic, step-by-step guide to dealing with a loved one's addiction, from accepting the reality of the disease to surviving what may be repeated cycles of recovery and relapse. You'll learn how to encourage your addicted loved one to get help without forcing it, and finally find the strength to let go of codependence.

With this revealing and straightforward book, you'll have the support you need to take an honest look at how addiction has affected the family, cope with the emotional hurdles of having an addicted family member, create and maintain firm boundaries, and make informed decisions about how to best help your loved one.

Review Quotes

"In a world wrought with more addiction nightmares than ever before, it is essential that families know how to respond and take action when confronted with addiction in the home. Robin Barnett's Addict in the House is a must-read for anyone looking for answers when addiction hits home."
--Loni Coombs, television legal analyst, former prosecutor, and author of You're Perfect and Other Lies Parents Tell


"Robin Barnett has a true gift for working with the toughest addicts and the families that love them. Her book Addict in the House is a blueprint for all families to follow when faced with addiction in the home."
--Heather R. Hayes, MEd, LPC, CIP, intervention pioneer featured on Dr. Oz, international certified hostage negotiator, and cofounder of Hayes, Davidson and Associates

"Robin Barnett is a true authority on the topics of addiction, addiction treatment, and family strategy. Her book Addict in the House is an absolute gift of knowledge and inspiration for all families struggling to find a solution and a workable plan when addiction rears its ugly head at home."
--Harry Phillips, award-winning producer of ABC News, 20/20, and Nightline

"Robin Barnett's Addict in the House is a must-read for any family struggling to find answers and a workable strategy for dealing with addiction with someone they love."
--Josh Shipp, television personality and author of The Teen's Guide to World Domination

"Robin Barnett's experience with families struggling with an addict in the home is unparalleled, and her new book Addict in the House is an absolute must-read for anyone struggling with addiction, the people who love them, and most importantly, those who enable them!"
--Akikur Mohammad, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist in addiction medicine, an award-winning academic, professor in the department of psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, and author of The Anatomy of Addiction

"This is a straightforward, rich resource for anyone who lives with, and loves, an addict. ... Having grown up in a household marked by addiction, behavioral health specialist Barnett is the ideal guide through a journey that, as she writes, is rocky at best. Rather than adopt the tone of an expert, which risks coming off as condescending, she writes as a fellow traveler. Navigating a life with an addict is not easy: the most basic aspects of communication are compromised, and freedom from the cycles that entangle most addicts' families requires breaking long-established patterns. Barnett presents her discussion with the qualification that it is condensed, in keeping with the "no-nonsense" self-description of the title. Each chapter is introduced by the words of addicts, but readers seeking more detailed, first-person accounts will not find them here. And instead of answers, they will find a process, presented more as a hopeful beginning than an ultimate cure."
--Publishers Weekly

"With a constant stream of addiction-related news, there is no shortage of people struggling for answers when faced with an addiction crisis. At last, there is a guide for families struggling to find answers, direction, and solutions. Robin Barnett's Addict in the House is a must-read for anyone and everyone caught in the struggle."
--Kimberly Cornell, EMMY award-winning executive producer for KTLA and Tribune Broadcasting stations

About the Author

Robin Barnett, EdD, LCSW, is a respected behavioral health expert and former CEO of Park Bench Group Counseling, a progressive addiction rehabilitation facility in Northfield, NJ, which she cofounded in 2006. A licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor, and a certified sex addiction expert and therapist, for nearly two decades she has helped countless people conquer addictive behavior and a multitude of behavioral challenges. Inspired by firsthand experience when her own brother encountered a downward spiral with alcoholism and drugs, Barnett hopes to help others manage the heartache of this struggle by sharing her professional--and personal--insights. Barnett is a well-known resource in the clinical community. She was named among "America's Best Therapists" by Psychology Today, and has appeared as a drug, alcohol, and behavior expert on various national media outlets, including MTV, CNN, HLN, NBC, FOX, ABC (20/20, Nightline), and CBS. Barnett is a regular on The Steve Wilkos Show (NBC Universal Syndication) as their substance abuse expert, and is currently included in the fabric of several unscripted television projects. Barnett holds a doctorate in human services administration from the University of Sarasota and a master's in social work from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Barnett resides with her family at the Jersey Shore.

Foreword writer Darren Kavinoky is cocreator and host of the hit television show Deadly Sins on Investigation Discovery (ID). He is the cohost of Did He Do It? and the featured "criminal interventionist" on Breaking Point, also on the ID network. Kavinoky is also a certified interventionist, attorney and legal analyst, and "misbehavior" expert who appears regularly on TheTodayShow, The View, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew, CNN, HLN, Fox News, and many other TV and radio shows.