The Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between

Did you know that anyone--addicts or non-addicts--can benefit from working the Twelve Steps and find the freedom, joy, and intimacy with God that their hearts long for? We all suffer from a sense of spiritual homelessness--a feeling that we're not fully at home in the world. To cope with our painful feelings and life traumas, we search for quick "fixes" that eventually become habitual, self-destructive behaviors that ultimately create more problems than they solve. As a person in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, Ian Cron is no stranger to these destructive habits. It wasn't until he embraced the Twelve Steps that he found true freedom. He knows from personal experience that Twelve Step recovery is more than just a life-saving strategy for guiding substance users into sobriety. Everybody is addicted to something to numb the discomfort of living in a messed-up world, he says, but the good news is that if you committedly "work the steps," you will eventually have a vital spiritual awakening that will give you an entirely new and radically beautiful orientation toward the life God has for you. If you long for sustainable healing and joy amid life's messiness, The Fix invites you to: Journey step-by-step through a spiritual curriculum that has helped millions overcome trauma, pain, and brokenness for over eight decades Understand how the Twelve Steps can be a transformative tool not only for people with chemical or behavioral addictions but for anyone who wants to move beyond self-help to a spiritual awakening Catch yourself in the act of self-sabotaging behaviors and understand how each day is a new opportunity to trade in self-willed reformation for grace-powered transformation   "My original subtitle for this book--Twelve Steps to Unscrewing Your Screwed-Up Life--was a little over the top," Ian comments. "But anyone who has ever fallen for a quick fix (like drugs, alcohol, porn, overeating, work, religion, people-pleasing, and more) knows firsthand how our self-prescribed treatment plans derail us. They might not be as visible as empty bottles stashed inside a desk drawer, but they are just as life-complicating and soul-crushing." With his characteristic wit and transparent self-disclosure, Ian guides us in learning how to work each of the Twelve Steps so we will finally be given a "new pair of glasses" through which we will be able to see ourselves, others, and the world in a startlingly new way--and ultimately take hold of the freedom God has been waiting to give us all along.

About the Author :
Ian Morgan Cron is a bestselling author, psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, Episcopal priest, and the host of the popular podcast Typology. His books include the Enneagram primer The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, which has sold over one million copies; the novel Chasing Francis; the spiritual memoir Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me; and The Story of You: An Enneagram Journey to Becoming Your True Self.

Review :
' . . . a spiritually rich and accessible guide for anyone struggling with addiction, regardless of their faith background. . . . Cron's writing stands out for its balance of spirituality and humor, making the book approachable for both believers and agnostics.' I can think of no one who better understands people than Ian Cron. This book may be his most personal and his most pointed yet. Whether you have grappled with any kind of addiction, you love someone who does, or you just want to change something about your life, this is the book for you. Just picking up this book might be the half step you need in the right new direction. I feel compelled to tell you as a longtime endorser not just of Ian Cron's books but of Ian himself, The Fix should come with a warning label. This is not an inconsequential book. It will change your life immeasurably for the better--but only after first laying it bare. There's nowhere to hide here. Doesn't that sound, at least a little bit, like a relief? Ian Cron's generous and hard-earned wisdom reveals that the Twelve Steps are not just for alcoholics and addicts, but a path to a profound transformation of self for everyone. His guidance is practical and profound, offering a compassionate and joyful approach to recovery for all of us. Get The Fix, and you will get yourself back--with a newfound freedom to love and be loved by God and others. With The Fix comes a herald who pulls the curtain back on what we all sense in the deep: that we are people of insatiable longing, that our longing is often brutally and fathomlessly entangled with our pain, and that as a result, we are all addicts. But our author and guide does not leave us there. With the balm of humor that is required if we are to face the bracing reality of our lives as revealed on these pages and with a compelling vulnerability that never seeks its own notoriety, Ian Cron invites us all to come home. And home is where I want to be. Read this book, and begin to find your way there.