From J. Kaye's Book BlogMay 10, 2008 The title, considering who the book is for, family of a drunk or the drunk, it's a misleading title. There is no "poof" magic about staying sober. The journey is tenacious and I went back time and time again before walking away from that life completely.
What the book does is give recovery a different slant, with self-hypnotherapy techniques and probing questions. The book follows sequential steps, but his style of writing reminds me of a motorized ping pong let loose in a small enclosure. This might sound like a negative statement, but the attention span of an alcoholic works in the same manner. So maybe he's just speaking the same language.
It took me a long time to understand there are many paths to sobriety. Murray's method is one of those.
Highly recommended for those who just want to stopMay 8, 2008 Alcohol is a nasty drug that has probably through the twentieth century has done damage to more lives than all other drugs combined. "Just Snap Your Fingers and...Bingo You're Sober!: A Recovery Workbook for Alcoholics" is a guide to help readers fight their addiction to the horrible poison through their own faith and power, and declaring that a hypnotist simply isn't needed- that one can do it themselves and help build ones own resistance to the cravings for liquor. "Just Snap Your Fingers and...Bingo You're Sober!: A Recovery Workbook for Alcoholics" is highly recommended for those who just want to stop and for community library self-help collections.
A supplemental workbook with a peppy attitudeMarch 6, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Maurice "Mo" Murray's self-published self-help workbook is a slim paperback entitled "Just Snap Your Fingers and... Bingo You're Sober!" The author goes on to describe it as a "recovery" workbook for alcoholics (the quotes are his) that combines spirituality with hypnotherapy. I believe he intends the title to be lighthearted, to convey that any day is the right day to declare you are on the road to recovery.
Murray lists several acronyms after his name, but I can't locate an author biography either on his book or website. He does declare that he himself is in recovery. The book is a peppy series of italicized and bolded questions and inspirations. Murray quotes PJ O'Rourke, Charles Schultz, the Bible, poems, and lyrics. He asks open-ended questions of the reader and leaves entire pages blank for responses to be filled in. The message and exercises of the book are in harmony with the basic principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. This book might reach a person or two and inspire them on an AA-led journey, and for that it is wonderful, but don't set out with this as your only compass.
Unrealistic and simple approach to a very complex problemFebruary 12, 2008 3 out of 6 found this review helpful
After I read this book, I asked my wife to look it over as well. She has a Master's degree in rehabilitative counseling and is currently employed as a counselor working with women with a history of substance abuse. I wanted a different perspective on the book, because I did not have a high opinion of it. It is filled with words that are bolded and underlined, there is a lot of whitespace and many of the sentences end with exclamation points. Even without examining the subject matter, this is a major indicator of someone whose presentation is disjointed and unsubstantiated. When this happens, it is as if the author feels that all of the physical emphasis will make up for a lack of substance emphasis. Unfortunately, that is also the case here. The author rambles and shambles his way through a series of exercises that claim to be a way to solve substance abuse problems. As my wife pointed out, substance abuse and addiction is a VERY complex phenomenon, generally requiring months of treatment and the tolerance of an occasional relapse. Recovery then becomes a lifelong process. The very title of the book is completely false; there is very little about this problem that could possibly be solved by the simple techniques espoused by the author.
Light -Hearted Approach though very ProfoundJanuary 31, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I believe it was the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, who told one of the founders of A.A., that in order for him to recover from his alcoholism, he must have some sort of "spiritual experience", so profound that his addiction to the drink would be overwhelmed, thus leading a life of sobriety. To be sure, I believe Jung to be correct because "Bill", one of the founders of A.A., did have a religious experience, going on to create one of the more successful organizations in the treatment of this disease. In Murray's book, his message is essentially the same: deep spirituality combined with severe habit changes, accomplished through self hypnosis can turn the tides for the addict.
Murray does not actually write it, but life is 90% attitude, or more importantly, how one responds to the hardships and vagaries of life.
Alcoholism is a devastating disease not only for the addict but those around them, (family, friends and loved one's) who truly love the alcoholic. They not only take themselves down but also those around them. Only those who have experienced this really knows the awful reality of this condition and how it destroys everything.
This is a great little book, and if followed some might indeed experience something spiritual, God, and begin to walk on the road to recovery.
A.A. is not for everybody. This book could well be for you or perhaps someone you know.
Included in this text is "Footprints" by Mary Stevenson. I remember this short, one page story as a child and it having a major affect on me at the time.
"Mo" Murray should be commended for devising a light yet profound approach for the treatment of this disease.
