Craig Nakken Recovery Summary

Craig Nakken is a family therapist and addictions counsellor at the Family Therapy Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. He describes the addictive personality as "the most important idea expressed in this book". Nakken believes that some people are more prone to addiction than others. He examines various causes of this including influences in childhood. He does not rule out agenetic element saying that, "In all likelihood, it will be found to be a combination of the two" (environmental and genetic influences). An addictive personality may express itself in any addiction. This has important consequences for treatment. As Nakken observes:- Recovery is not just about breaking off one's relationship with an object or event, though this is of great importance. Recovery is primarily about coming to know one's addictive personality and taking the necessary steps to rid oneself of addictive attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviours. An example of the effect of this is given:- "People in a recovery program for alcohol addiction need to clearly understand thatthey are prone to form a possible addictive relationship with another object or event - food for example. For these people, sobriety acquires a new dimension; instead of only monitoring their relationship with alcohol, they also need to learn how to monitor the addictive part of …show more content…
It didn't exist before, and it's not a predisposition to addiction. In other words, what he is saying is that addiction is so powerful that it actually permanently alters one's personality. The addict, if he recovers, will have three distinct personalities throughout his life: before addiction, in active addiction, and in recovery. And according to AA co-founder, Bill Wilson, "...no true alky ever stops drinking permanently without undergoing a profound personality