Just finished reading Russell Brand’s latest book: Recover: Freedom from our Addictions, which is an honest account of how the 12-step programme helped Russell from a collection of addictions.

If the 12-step programme has seemed arcane, religious, and boring to you in the past, I assure you Russell’s updated version (whilst remaining true to the core aims) is more user-friendly - and full of all the expletives the young ones love to scatter throughout their soliloquies.

My biggest addiction has been sugar, and with more conscious thought processes I have been able to stop consuming the majority of refined sugar for almost a year now. I fully understand that a lot of people do NOT have the ability to be more conscious and simply live unconsciously. A lot of reacting (instead of acting) to:

• notifications on devices,
• the siren song of attractive guys/gals,
• a plethora of illegal substances (most non-prescription drugs),
• as well as the legal ones (alcohol, smoking, gambling, prescription drugs, junk food, shopping).

These all seem like great ways to get what we’re searching for, but they’re only temporary fixes to the basic human need of real connection.

So how do we get back to the true source?

How do we get a soul connection (with ourself and others) when we’re filling up our minds and time with distractions?

Russell offers the 12-step programme with his own stories of rock bottom, and redemption. I have a lot of people I know who are struggling with their own version of addictions, so it was great to read an honest, no-holds-barred account from an ex-junkie. Russell is aiming to help the other addicts out there to be the best versions of themselves, and to spread love and compassion to others who need our help. And I believe he does a fine job.

The Recovery section of his website has a lot of content to help others including:

• eBook extract
• audio extract
• the programme
• + videos