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Basic InformationMore Information"I have benefited from AA and the 12 Steps... Very much so!"A Better MeetingAA Is To Shame As A Hot Knife Is To ButterAging and Alcohol UseAlcoholic's Anonymous, Outcomes and New Research on AlcoholismAlcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a Cult ?An Alternative to PowerlessnessAttachment to OutcomesAwakeningConcerning Problems Within AADefining and Understanding the Concept of Denial, Addictions and OtherwiseGauging the Effectiveness of One Component of Alcoholics AnonymousHow Drugs Affect The BrainHuffing: Parents and Kids BewareIts Never Too LateLike Phoenix Risen from the Ashes of Addiction, A New Addiction Recovery ProgramNIDA InfoFacts: Drug Abuse and AIDSNIDA InfoFacts: Drug Addiction Treatment MethodsNIDA InfoFacts: Drugged DrivingNIDA InfoFacts: Pregnancy and Drug Use TrendsNIDA InfoFacts: Understanding Drug Abuse and AddictionOn the Question of Medical MarijuanaPain Pills, A Real PainPerverse MotivationRandom Thoughts About Addiction, Delusions and HallucinationsRecoverySelf-EfficacyStaying Sober: Dealing With TemptationsSteering Versus DriftingThe Author of Your FateThe Enlightened PathThe Impeccable PathThe Mentality of ChildhoodThe OPEN PathThe Paradoxical Sinclair Method For Treating Alcohol DependenceTwo MindsWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Annie Fahy, MSW on Motivational InterviewingWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with John C. Fleming, MD on Preventing AddictionWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Laurence Westreich, MD on Helping Families Help Addicted MembersWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Marc Kern, Ph.D. on Rational Alternatives to Alcoholics AnonymousWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An interview with Morteza Khaleghi, Ph.D. on the Importance of Treating Emotional Trauma in Addiction Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Patt Denning, Ph.D. on Harm Reduction Psychotherapy for Substance Abuse and AddictionWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Stefanie Goldstein, Ph.D. on Mindfulness and Addiction TestsLatest NewsComputer-Based Screening May Reduce Teen Substance AbuseTeen Impulsiveness Has Different Sources in ADHD, Substance UseAccelerated Aging Evident in Cocaine-Dependent IndividualsMany Who First Misuse Prescription Pills Get Them From Friends, Family: ReportCocaine Habit Might Speed Brain AgingUse of Ecstasy, Speed by Teens Tied to Later DepressionHalf of Young Cigarette Smokers Also Smoke Pot: Survey12-Step Meetings May Help Teens Beat Alcohol, Drug AbuseAlcohol Use With Opioids Common Even Without Abuse PastSubstance Abusers, Even Recovering Ones, May Face StigmaDrug, Alcohol Abuse Common Among U.S. Teens, Study FindsAlcohol Effects on Brain Activity Vary With Blackout HistoryPrenatal Meth Exposure Linked to Behavioral ProblemsExcessive Drinking Costs U.S. Colleges Millions AnnuallyKids Using Synthetic Pot a Growing Public Health ConcernSpring Break Boozing May Put Young Brains at RiskMany Alcoholics Suffered Childhood Trauma: StudyGenes Play a Role in Drug Abuse Risk Among Adopted Kids: StudyNarcotic Painkillers Another Threat to Traumatized War Vets: StudyDrinking Scenes in Movies May Spur Teens to Do the SameStrict Underage Drinking Laws May Deter Delinquency in TeensEcstasy Use During Pregnancy May Harm Fetus: StudySupport for Tougher Liquor Laws Rises When Booze, Crime LinkedBooze in Movies May Fuel Teenage Drinking1 in 10 U.S. Kids Lives With Parent Who Has Abused Alcohol: ReportStop-Smoking Drug May Also Curb Problem DrinkingIllicit Drugs Bought Off Internet May Be Poisons, Experts WarnHard Drug Use in Middle Age Could Prove Fatal, Study FindsDrinking Late in First Trimester May Be Most HazardousAlcohol Targets Brain 'Reward Centers' in Heavy DrinkersOne in Six Americans Binge Drink: CDCMeth Users Much More Likely to Try SuicideFor Some Couples, Binge Drinking Is RoutineStates Crack Down on Drunk Drivers This Holiday SeasonDrug Overdoses Kill More Americans Than Car Accidents: CDCAlcohol Use Down, Pot Use Up Among U.S. TeensDrunk Driving-Related Deaths Surge During the Holidays'Ecstasy' May Cause Long-Term Changes in Brain ChemistryToo Much Alcohol Linked to Unsafe Sex, Study ConfirmsIf Parents Drink and Drive, Their Kids May Too: StudySmart Kids More Likely to Try Illicit Drugs as Young AdultsHelping Others Helps Teens Beat Substance AbuseDrugs Slipped Into Drinks Sending Many to ER: ReportHeavy Meth Use Linked to Schizophrenia'Fake Marijuana' May Trigger Heart Trouble in TeensMore Than a Third of Teens Turning to Alcohol, Drugs: StudyMore People Landing in the ER After Abusing Muscle Relaxant: ReportDeaths From Abuse of Painkillers Triple in a Decade: CDCNational Drug Take-Back Day Scheduled for SaturdayPot Can Mimic Brain Changes Seen in Schizophrenia Questions and AnswersLinksBook ReviewsSelf-Help Groups |
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by Kate Braverman Seven Stories Press, 1979 Review by Courtney Young on Oct 31st 2002 
It is truly
amazing for an author to write a novel inherently dark and depressing by
nature, yet so poetic and insightful that we at times feel a calm in its
balance. Kate Braverman presents a tale
in Lithium for Medea about a profoundly dysfunctional family, drug abuse,
death, and loveless sex as experienced by the main character Rose. We also get a glimpse into the ever tense
love-hate relationship between mothers and daughters; who when rebelling
against each other are only becoming more alike.
In an
almost disturbing way Rose has the ability to keep parts of her life completely
separate from one another. She is
dealing with her father’s battle with cancer, but never tells her “boyfriend”
about the pain she’s in or even that her father is sick. “I thought of my father battling for his
life. Jason was staring at me. And I knew there could be no connection
between my parallel worlds. All was
ordered and mutually exclusive. The
pathways were as a surgeon’s incision.
The roads would never intersect, no matter the gravity, no matter the
pull into the dark center, the cruel underbelly where I lived and watched the
worlds churn while stars clawed my face, floors dissolved and nothing was
solid.” How lonely.
Throughout
this book there are abrupt shifts to moments in her childhood. The actions of her parents, and the events
that took place during that time clarify the present and forever resonate in
Rose’s head. Rose’s mother Francine is
clearly disturbed, but during these flashbacks we get glimpses of her being a
caring wife and loving mother.
Qualities that were drained from her the first time her husband battled
cancer. This novel takes place over the
course of a few months, but by the end it feels as if we have been traveling
with these characters over the course of years.
When we
first meet Rose she is perhaps at one of the lowest points in her life. Heroin consumes her thoughts, and shooting a
needle in her arm has replaced any previously held goals or dreams. The major turning point in Francine’s life
came when her husband faced his first battle with cancer. Rose reaches hers when her father is
struggling against its recurrence. We
can all relate to these life altering situations. Rose decides she must change the path she has been essentially
losing herself in. Perhaps we can learn
something from her, and her awakening.
This book is written in a richly unique way and deserves attention.
© 2002 Courtney F. Young
Courtney Young recently graduated
from Dowling College, Long Island, NY majoring in Fine Arts and minoring in
Philosophy. While planning her next
step, she maintains her mental health by surfing.
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