Official Review: To And From Crack To Christ

[Kaitlyn Canedy]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "To And From Crack To Christ" by Anonymous Sinner.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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It is not easy for a person to admit that they have an addiction. This hesitancy to admit they have a problem may be due to other people who judge them for letting their addiction get this far but do not offer a helping hand. The unnamed author of To And From Crack To Christ, Anonymous Sinner, says that there is a better person to go to who is not of earthly origin and does not look at a person's past mistakes. Readers are taken on a journey through the author's life where they learn about how his brother's death, his father's treatment of him and his family, his time in the army, and his relationship with his daughter affected his life as an addict.

The title is what pulled me in first. I was expecting this to be an autobiography about the life of an addict, which is what I got. I like how the author is honest about everything he went through in his life and tells readers what his thoughts were whenever he chose to feed his addictions. An example of this is how he treated women selfishly when it came to sexual relationships. He did not give details about the act itself but focused on what was going through his mind when he wanted to partake in it. However, if a reader has been taken advantage of sexually, they should exercise caution while reading this book. He also included how his alcohol and crack addictions negatively affected his decision-making process when he had to take care of his family. A reader can easily see the thought process of the author when he had to decide whether or not to provide necessities for his daughter and her brother or to buy more crack cocaine.

Another aspect that I truly appreciated was the author's explanation of how he started changing his thought process about addiction while he was in treatment and after he completed treatment. Because of his explanation, I learned about the 12-step program and its use for addicts in treatment. The author does not believe the current 12-step program works for changing an addict's mindset for recovery, explains why, and provides an alternative 12-step program that has a more positive outlook with Jesus and the Bible as the focus.

There was nothing that I disliked about the book. It is presented honestly and straightforwardly and is highly engaging. Sometimes, I have a habit of judging addicts for their choices. However, after reading this book, I have been humbled and encouraged to think about how addiction can affect a person’s life and those around them. Readers who are struggling with an addiction, are in treatment for an addiction, or are recovering from an addiction will likely enjoy reading this book because it may relate to them well.

Alas, I cannot give To And From Crack To Christ a perfect score because I counted over ten grammatical errors. This reason is why I have to rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. Even still, it is an excellent resource that readers should not gloss over. There is also a website that the author provides readers to tell others their stories about addiction anonymously or not. If a reader does not believe in Jesus Christ or the Bible, they should avoid this book because there is a consistent Christian-based approach to recovery from addiction.

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To And From Crack To Christ
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[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Addictions are an incredibly complex topic, and, sadly, people feel ashamed to ask for help. We need to get rid of the stigma surrounding this topic so that the many people who are suffering can confidently ask for our help. I had already heard that 12-step programs had many flaws and I applaud that the author used his experience to create a new program, though, to be honest, I wish it would also apply to people of different faiths than Christianity.
Thank you for your excellent review, and sorry for the super long comment.



Moderator note from the author: Although I am of the Christian faith I do not try to force my beliefs on anyone, I just share how in my opinion it has helped me. The program that I started is for anyone that has dealt with forms of Addictions, Depression, or Abuse to respectfully come together and offer support to one another with the understanding that not everyone feels comfortable speaking in groups and sometimes it is easier to get online than it is to get to a meeting.

[Bertha Jackson]

This sounds like an interesting book that can help people overcome their addictions. Thank you for your review.

[Kaitlyn Canedy]

Addictions are an incredibly complex topic, and, sadly, people feel ashamed to ask for help. We need to get rid of the stigma surrounding this topic so that the many people who are suffering can confidently ask for our help. I had already heard that 12-step programs had many flaws and I applaud that the author used his experience to create a new program, though, to be honest, I wish it would also apply to people of different faiths than Christianity.
Thank you for your excellent review, and sorry for the super long comment.

No worries at all! I am glad that my review intrigued you.

I do agree that having books with a different approach may be beneficial for those who may not understand or want to be involved with Christianity. Personally, I liked this approach because it worked well for the author's life story. But I also understand that using only this approach is not the best way to help addicts get treatment.

[Kaitlyn Canedy]

This sounds like an interesting book that can help people overcome their addictions. Thank you for your review.

Thank you for the comment! With the advice and the author's down-to-earth storytelling, I am certain that he will be able to help many people.

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Addictions are an incredibly complex topic, and, sadly, people feel ashamed to ask for help. We need to get rid of the stigma surrounding this topic so that the many people who are suffering can confidently ask for our help. I had already heard that 12-step programs had many flaws and I applaud that the author used his experience to create a new program, though, to be honest, I wish it would also apply to people of different faiths than Christianity.
Thank you for your excellent review, and sorry for the super long comment.

No worries at all! I am glad that my review intrigued you.

I do agree that having books with a different approach may be beneficial for those who may not understand or want to be involved with Christianity. Personally, I liked this approach because it worked well for the author's life story. But I also understand that using only this approach is not the best way to help addicts get treatment.

It is an excellent review. I always enjoy how open-minded your reviews are, while still remaining loyal to your faith. It is an admirable quality.

[Hunter Tester]

It sounds like a very informative book on addictions, and sounds intriguing to learn from that perspective. I also know of certain Christian programs that have some amazing results of addicts overcoming the addiction. Thanks for the review!

[Stephanie Runyon]

As an addict in Recovery, this book sounds like a great teaching tool. I have gone through the original 12 step program and found some of the tasks to be a bit overwhelming. Great review, and I understand why your view of addicts was not a very good one. Growing up. I never thought I would be addicted to methamphetamine and cocaine (never tried crack which is a lot different than both of those). I hope that this book might change other readers thoughts as well.

[Cheryl Erickson]

I admire the author for taking the time to write out their journey of healing. Hopefully, their experiences and wisdom will benefit many others going through similar situations. Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed review of this book.

[Christell Lindeque]

I am glad there are books like this for addicts to turn to. It might help them turn their lives around and help a family from distruction(this is what I think drug addiction mostly does to families). I am glad the person found a way to get treated and that it worked for him. Amazing review.