The Next to Last Drink

By Lois Mathieu
$4.95 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: April 11, 2012
Words: 55,147 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781452404547

Short description

About a professional man caught in the trap of addiction after using alcohol as a remedy for anxiety. He uses will power to stay sober but anxiety surges out of control. Safe medications do not relieve his nervousness and they diminish his libido. He's at the crossroads in search of an anxiety-specific medication. An anonymous diary tests his faith but he fears giving in to a higher power

Extended description

THE NEXT TO THE LAST DRINK is a novel about Will Valentine, a professional architect who uses alcohol as a remedy for anxiety for much of his life. When alcohol becomes toxic he puts up a valiant fight to stay sober until anxiety surges out of control. Safe medications do not relieve his nervousness and they diminish his libido. He’s at the crossroads when a diary comes into his hands that tests his will power and challenges his faith. He fears that giving in to a higher power will take away his personal freedom. He wants to be sober but he yearns to return to Sonny's Place where he can be the man he knows as himself. Will explains to his sister why he doesn’t seek help from AA friends when the urge comes over him:

Excerpt - “The journey begins even before the first sip . . . it’s like sailing off without boundaries, yourself the boat. It doesn’t matter that the journey is short-lived because you don’t allow that thought to enter your mind. Problems don’t go away, but.. (Read more) THE NEXT TO THE LAST DRINK is a novel about Will Valentine, a professional architect who uses alcohol as a remedy for anxiety for much of his life. When alcohol becomes toxic he puts up a valiant fight to stay sober until anxiety surges out of control. Safe medications do not relieve his nervousness and they diminish his libido. He’s at the crossroads when a diary comes into his hands that tests his will power and challenges his faith. He fears that giving in to a higher power will take away his personal freedom. He wants to be sober but he yearns to return to Sonny's Place where he can be the man he knows as himself. Will explains to his sister why he doesn’t seek help from AA friends when the urge comes over him:

Excerpt - “The journey begins even before the first sip . . . it’s like sailing off without boundaries, yourself the boat. It doesn’t matter that the journey is short-lived because you don’t allow that thought to enter your mind. Problems don’t go away, but they just don’t bother you for the time you’re out there . . . Can you understand why, at that moment, I would never go for help?”

Will's dilemma is caught up in the universal question posed by the 13th century poet, Rumi: “Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?”

This novel is intended for a wide audience; particularly people who suffer from alcohol addiction or who have experienced its wrath in family members or friends. The book offers rich insights into alcohol addiction as it plays out in a man who desperately wants to be in charge of himself; whose anxiety cannot be traced to a trauma and is more likely a function of the synapses within his brain. The story will appeal to counselors and therapists who stumble in their search for cause and effect, and professionals who prescribe medications. Readers will find some aspect of themselves in their compassion for this manly protagonist who rejects help from others and recoils from therapy. Will is funny and likeable with an acerbic sense of humor; and a tough case for AA. Readers will come to know the man who lives behind the social mask, being privy to his personal struggle and transformation.
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Tags

alcohol addiction

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