top of page

Recovery: Freedom from our Addictions - Book Review


In the above video Russell Brand gives a captivating synopsis of his latest book - Recovery: Freedom from our Addictions. It is well known and publicised that flamboyant, egotistical, lovingly eloquent, mischievous, and sagacious British comedian and poet Russell Brand has had a long history of drug and sex addiction. His addictions and associated roguish exploits were so outrageously infamous that it became part of his brand, persona, part of who he was. The comedian had become a comical charicature of himself with big hair and a larger than life grandiose persona.

Yet for Russell who was careering dangerously ever more closely towards the edge and leaving a blaze of devastated personal relationships in his wake, it was clear that this lifestyle which he clung too like a gleeful child, would some day have to come to a spectacular end, one way or another. His friends recognised and feared that if he carried on in this fashion he would soon be dead. It was a reluctant Russell Brand then that was persuaded to undertake an intensive 12 step programme that would both change and save his life and give him a new perspective on the world around him.

Now in happy stable relationship with his girlfriend, and a loving father to his first child, sober and free from drug and promiscuous sex addiction, and selfless life coach to many, Russell is testament to the success of the programme. Having come through the other side, and on his journey, met, listen to, and shared the deeper darker parts of addiction with people from all walks of life. Russell experienced a ground breaking epiphany. That each and every single one of us are addicts of some kind.

We are all addicted to bad behaviours, habits and lifestyle choices that prevent us from being our best selves. Whether that be a self-destructive addiction to food, social media, shopping, work, perfectionism, materialism, or toxic/ destructive relationships. We all engage in habits, choices and routines which steal time from our lives that we can never get back, and the sad truth of it is, is that one day we will all die having either reached our full potential or squandered it in pursuit of self-medicinal, mind and time numbing and consuming distractions.

Russell asserts that as humans, social animals by nature, we all have a fundamental need to feel connected. Yet unfortunately as part of the human condition there are times when we all feel desperately disconnected and alone. The modern age of mass consumerism does nothing to help this. Instead it plays on our base fears and desires. Encouraging us to continue to be our basic selves, in a never-ending pursuit of vacuous exploits, chasing empty hedonistic dreams of materialism and excess. This continues to leave us feeling even more empty as it lacks the true depth of substance and connection that our spirits ache for.

Russell asserts that if we all feel alone, then we are not truly alone, as we are united in our shared feelings, wants and desires, the ultimate of which is to connect with others. Ironically, it is the desire to connect and to distract ourselves from this cavernously painful and empty feeling of disconnection that we numb ourselves with bad habits which bring temporary pleasure. Which in the long run only make us feel even more disconnected and stop us from doing the real work required to change our lives and reach our best selves and happier more socially connected lives. Bad habits become a routine, and a routine becomes a default lifestyle a programme, hijacking and inhibiting our innate potential.

In fact, it is well documented that any emotional turmoil that we are trying to distract ourselves from sch as loneliness, depression, anxiety, are in fact a need for a change in our relationships, environment and circumstances. Our bad habits then can be seen as a cry for help and misdirected energy. Fortunately we can change the default programme of self destruction/ sabotage that we are on just like switching the channel on the TV or radio and tune into a higher frequency of being, and in his modern take on the 12 step programme, Russell reveals just how to do this.

In my favourite part of the book, and reiterated in the above video, Russel equates human potential to a tiny unfurling acorn. Just as the tiny acorn has an innate programme embedded within itself to become a massive glorious oak tree, we too all have latent potential within ourselves struggling to realise itself and become the greatest version of ourselves. By switching frequency, breaking free from addiction to our bad habits and aligning ourselves with our potential we are all capable of being our best selves. But it will take work.

In the short term reverting to or relapsing into bad habits is easy. Its automatic. Requires little effort and becomes part of a comforting routine. But in the long term, maintaining bad habits is actually the most painful and thus difficult option, as we are always acutely aware of our potential, how much we are wasting and not reaching it and of the gnawing emptiness this leaves us with. In the short term, changing is difficult, it requires breaking away from our comfort zones and putting in work that lazy bad habits do not, but in the long term gives gains and successes that empty bad habits never will.

Changing to our better selves gives the promise of self pride, true joy, and real success, happier relationships, deeper connections with self and others and a real love and appreciation of life. It is everything you have ever wanted for yourself, but was too scared or intimidated to pursue. As we all become the best versions of ourselves, we move away from selfish destructive interactions, towards more altruistic deeper connected communities. Within the book there is a recognition that no one is perfect. We are all flawed, but we can all become minimally flawed better versions of ourselves, continually evolving and learning as we move along with a sense of purpose more in tune with life's journey, meaning and lessons. Recognising that happiness is fleeting, but with greater meaning and focused purpose in life, it's far more frequent.

This life changing book is available in both hard copy and in audible version, which I am currently listening to as I multitask. I love the audio version as it provides a more personal feeling and warmth from Russell as he guides you through the programme with beautifully hypnotic poetic verse, both eloquent, poignant and mind-blowing in its precise insight. To experience this book is to experience the penny dropping several times, is to experience explosive life changing realisation and revelation after revelation.

Accompanying the book are the questions, tasks and resources which Russell refers to through out the programme available free at his website: https://www.russellbrand.com/recovery

I am finding it helpful to listen to the book in full at least once and then go to the website download the programme work through the exercises and go back to relevant sections in the book which you can bookmark via the Audible app (this is an unsponsored post). I often find myself rewinding parts of the book just to re-listen to the beautifully poetic way in which Russel words things. I cannot recommend this book enough, and I am so glad I stumbled across the above video which led me to it, as we all have areas in our life that could do with changing and tweaking if not a complete overhaul and who doesn't want to be the best version of themselves?

Featured Posts
Recent Posts
Archive
Search By Tags
No tags yet.
Follow Us
  • YouTube Social Icon
  • Instagram Social Icon
  • Twitter Social Icon
  • Facebook Basic Square
bottom of page