Dear readers:

So many of you have written and e-mailed to ask about The Real 13th Step that I'm delighted to have this new edition in print. It's the culmination of twenty years of working with clients who are in recovery. It will help you in your recovery, or if you have other issues from growing up in a troubled family. One reader wrote: "I wanted most of all to tell you how profoundly your discussion on not being able to think clearly due to all the different voices in my head being in conflict has had on me."

I wrote this book because of what I learned from my many clients who benefitted from the twelve steps, in various programs like AA, ACA and Al-Anon. It is intended for people who are well into recovery, to help them discover what underlies the compulsions and addictions they struggle with.

If you are a successful member of a recovery program and feel you've benefited enormously from it, but are also beginning to sense that your progress toward functioning independently in the outside world may be hindered by the program itself, then the time has come for you to Read The Real 13th Step and graduate from your dependence on the group's help. 

This controversial book that claims true recovery from addiction should end in graduation from addiction programs into a life of autonomy, self-reliance and independence. 

Despite the millions who've found relief from addictive and compulsive habits through 12-step programs, these same programs' insistence that members always keep coming back unwittingly fosters attitudes that can undermine the foundations of a successful, healthy life.

The Real 13th Step refutes the bedrock recovery principle that some people are just born with addictive personalities. Instead, therapist Tina Tessina identifies the underlying cause of addiction as learned dependency, and teaches readers how to develop the three central skills of true independence: risk-taking, problem-solving, and coping with failure. Her book then offers practical advice about applying these principles in every aspect of life: relationships, work, decision-making, and managing the continuing temptations of addiction. Readers will learn how they can take control of their own lives and remain free of the fear of relapse or setback in their recovery.

The Real 13th Step:Discovering Confidence, Self-Reliance, and Independence Beyond the Twelve-Step Programs is the last recovery book you will ever need.