In the words of the author, Michael Haynes, "This is the story about a major junkie, liar and thief and the path he took to becoming a decent, honest person."
A couple of decades into his second marriage, his wife gave him an ultimatum: enter rehab or move out. With nothing to lose, he began by attending Cocaine Anonymous meetings.
In this sobriety memoir, the author presents a raw, challenging look at his youth and how it shaped the man he has become. Addiction, sexual abuse and multiple treatment programs for his addiction to meth and recovery are all discussed with frankness and honesty.
Once he attained sobriety, he discovered that he was trapped by beliefs that had served him well during his decades of being an addict, but needed a major overhaul if he wanted to become a better man. The patterns he relied on in surviving drug addiction were not serving him in his new life and he needed to find a way to transform those deeply held beliefs and patterns to realize his radical life change.
In Part I of Break It Down with Michael: This Junkie's Path to Becoming a Spiritual Warrior, Michael examines what he calls Essentials such as his belief system, his attachments, control issues and demands, among others. He focuses on how each Essential affects other people and how he has participated in maintaining that particular belief or action. He lists his fears about each Essential along with what he resents and the corrective measures he intends to take that will help him change his inner belief system.
Part II is dedicated to his Chief Concerns. Making amends, finding forgiveness, controlling his anger and more are all broken down in the same way.
In Part III, the author discusses finding his "Spirit Dude" or guide and hashing out issues from his early life so that he could change his thinking and create a covenant with his higher power that would guide the rest of his life.
Michael shares that this story isn't about a right way and a wrong way, just his personal recovery through spirit and he welcomes others to take what they need from it.
With beautiful illustrations and no nonsense sharing, Break It Down with Michael is essential reading for anyone desiring to chart a path to spiritual change.
