Book excerpt: Passages through Recovery presents an action plan for preventing relapse, one that can help us understand how recovery works and what is needed to move from active addiction to sobriety. "Abstinence from alcohol and other drugs is only the beginning of sobriety. It's the ticket to get into the theater, not the movie we are going to see."--Passages through Recovery One of the most important things we learn in recovery is that there really is a way out of all the misery--if we know which way to go. But abstinence from alcohol and other drugs is just the beginning of our journey, not our destination. And, that journey can be a rough one if we don't know what lies ahead.Based on the experiences of thousands of recovering men and women, Passages through Recovery presents an action plan for preventing relapse, one that can help us understand how recovery works and what is needed to move from active addiction to sobriety. Gorski's pioneering work describes six stages of recovery from chemical dependency and offers sound advice for working through the challenges of each stage--challenges that can create frustration and lead to relapse.Passages through Recovery clearly demonstrates that sobriety is more than just healing the damage. "It's a way of thinking, acting, and relating to others," Gorski writes, "that promotes continued physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health. The skills necessary for long-term sobriety are all directed at finding meaning and purpose in life."Use this book as a compass in your recovery to help you stay on course.