Playing It by Heart: Taking Care of Yourself No Matter What

Great

Wow. When a friend lent me a copy of this book, I had to buy myself one. This is such a terrific addition to literature and I am so enlightened to have read it. I read Codependent No More over and over with a 1980s copy, and I never would have guessed what Ms. Beattie went through to get where she's at today. Prostitution so she could get drugs, rape from drugged stupors, her arm being photographed with all its needle marks and used to show school children the horrors of drug use -- the clinicians certainly never thought she'd amount to anything, but she learned codependency is the root of all addiction.A wonderful read. It will make you cry! It did me. A lot of people, men and women, will see themselves in her story. It really makes a person appreciate how she knows so much about codependency and is such an authority. Personal experience, that's what she has to share. I love her meditation books, too. Such an inspiration and used in Codependents Anonymous meetings everywhere. Her books should be a must-read for high school students. She can help people before it's too late.Her humor in the book is especially wonderful because with all she went through, it makes one wonder what she could find to laugh about, and her humor just further brings home what an astounding woman Ms. Beattie is!

Melody Beattie has a life story that I would never have imagined from Codependent No More. She has a powerful insight into how and why things happen and Playing It by Heart shows how she has truly "been there." This book was impossible to put down. It is one I would sincerely recommend to anyone who struggles with life, especially when addictions are involved. Her story was very encouraging and I am very glad to have found this book.

In Playing It By Heart: Taking Care Of Yourself No Matter What, Melody Beattie (author of Codependent No More) addresses the issues involved with why people who have struggled so hard to shake off controlling dysfunctional behaviors and victimhood fall back into self-destructive, self-diminishing situations and relationships. Through the use of personal essays, inspiring anecdotes, and prescriptive reminders, Beattie reveals how to stop acting out painful obsessions and shows that despite occasional setbacks, recovery is a lifelong opportunity for spiritual growth and a co-dependency free, gratifying, enjoyable life of accomplishments and relationships. Highly recommended for personal self-help, self-improvement reading lists and community library reference collections.

As an Adult Child of an Alcoholic, I found great solace in reading the writings of Melody Beattie many years ago as I began the struggle through the pain and confusion of attempting to understand my childhood and my father. When I read Beattie's books a long time ago and then later focused on her Meditation series for Co-dependency I was amazed how this counselor could speak directly to me as if she lived my life. I was rather naïve not to realize that it was from her own personal struggle with addiction from whence she was writing about. I was shocked and amazed in this work to learn so much of Ms. Beattie's life and inspirations. Furthermore, she gave me an understanding of the addiction purely from the addict's side of the fence. I'm one of the lucky ones, having been able to spiritually connect with my parent before he died of his alcoholism and to bury a lot of old wounds with love at the end of his life. Thanks to Melody I can understand even further the beast of the disease that took my father and robbed me of so many things. This is a book I will keep at the front of my bookshelf for a long, long time and no doubt refer to it often. I highly recommend this if you're familiar with her books or better yet if you're just considering the possibilities of getting aquatinted with Ms. Beattie. I assure you, you will not be disappointed. This is one of the best books I've ever had the privilege of reading.

Melody's inspired wisdom will help thousands of people who move forward, then backward, then forward, then backward; first feeling free of the bonds of codependency, then not being sure when setbacks occur. I believe that most codependent people -- some secretly and others not so secretly -- long to be in complete control of their lives. My dad, a minister, called it "back-sliding." Those in recovery will learn that in spite of setbacks, focus and balance are necessary. Recovery is a lifelong journey of personal and spiritual growth. This book will help! This book is another winner for Melody!