The Way Up and Out

About the Book

Having been shipwrecked by the sea of alcoholism, Rosebud hits rock bottom & lands in the Cocoon where she discovers the 12 Steps. Meggy Snail & Miranda Starfish converse w/ the Talking Tree of Hope & attend a meeting filled with colorful characters.

The difficult subject of alcoholism is illuminated in a new and creative way w/ fantasy creatures & their separate journeys.  The 2nd section of the book gives insight into the Al-Anon program through the author's personal journey.  Meetings are described & lessons learned may help the reader look within.

In a world where there is so much misunderstanding of the disease this book entertains & informs.  The personal experiences of the authors show that Hope and Recovery are possible.

Testimonials:

Gwen:  I loved the use of fantasy to present such a serious subject.  This kept it from being too deadly serious and personal.  Had the characters been human, I’d have related to them more or developed emotion around them.  I might not have liked the characters, thus missing the message.

Mary Lou:  Recently I’ve been dealing with some difficult situations in my life and after reading the Al-Anon section and the words of wisdom, I had my first good night’s sleep in weeks.  Thank you.

Nancy:  Patricia, you nailed it.  Reading the section on Al-Anon convinced me to start attending meetings. I want to achieve the things in my life you described you learned there. It spoke to what is meaningful to me.   The 12 Steps give a path for healing.

About the Author

Over the last three years this mother-daughter author team has created a book of encouragement and hope for all who are trying to recover from substance abuse or distorted thinking caused by the disease of alcoholism. 

Christy has been in recovery since 1994 in Alcoholics Anonymous. She is a living testament that one can enjoy continuous sobriety if one practices the principals of the program, one-day-a-time.  Patricia has been in recovery since 1994 in Al-Anon, the companion organization for families and friends of alcoholics.  They constantly ‘work’ (live) the 12 Steps, attend meetings regularly, mentor others in each of their programs, have listened to innumerable 5^th Steps and held most every service position.   In addition, Christy has organized discussion panels, served on the Board of Directors of Harmony Foundation, taken meetings to women serving time in jail and attended international A.A. conventions.  They both attend area and state conventions in their respective programs.

Christy has incorporated her water color and acrylic paintings into this story to give visual representation of the characters and settings throughout the book.  Christy pursues a career in sales and art.  Patricia is retired from public relations. Originally from Ohio, they now live in mountain towns in Colorado