A Sampling of New Books on Alcoholism

Addiction, warns Marilyn Freimuth, is not just about junkies on street corners but also about clients and co-workers, friends and family. A professor of clinical psychology, Freimuth includes in Addicted? Recognizing Destructive Behaviors Before It's Too Late (Rowman and Littlefield; $16.95) screening questions for both chemical and behavioral addictions, in the hope of helping readers recognize problems -- in themselves or in others -- before they wreak too much havoc.

This is a book its author, Patricia Olsen, says she could have used. Her brothers' drinking, she writes, "tromped on every aspect" of their lives; it also tromped on her life as she visited them in the hospital or tried to help them with housing. Written with addiction specialist Petros Levounis, the forthcoming Sober Siblings: How to Help Your Alcoholic Brother or Sister -- and Not Lose Yourself (Da Capo; $14.95) combines emotional support with practical guidance.

In her upcoming book, Eating for Recovery: The Essential Nutrition Plan to Reverse the Physical Damage of Alcoholism (Da Capo; $17.95), registered dietitian Molly Siple takes the goal of sobriety one step further: Focusing on foods "that not only taste good but that will help your body heal," she encourages former alcoholics to create a diet that can help make up for the some of the bodily harm, such as digestive problems and fatty liver, wrought by drinking too much.

This is the fourth in a series of "Voices of" books, edited by the Healing Project, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people with life-threatening diseases, and "written by people like you." Through these first-person accounts, Voices of Alcoholism: The Healing Companion: Stories for Comfort, Courage and Strength (LaChance; $16.95) describes living with the bottle -- and the often challenging steps toward recovery.

-- Frances Stead Sellers