Written by James B. Nelson, Thirst describes “the interplay of theology, addiction and recovery” representing his journey from active alcoholism to recovery. Because little has been written theologically on the subject, the author uses his personal journey as a pathway to incorporating spirituality into recovery.

The following quote from the text of Thirst eloquently describes the spiritual power of addiction. “Addiction is a misdirected search for God, and my alcoholism was an obsessive and misplaced thirst for grace. I often thought my thirst was simply for alcohol, but it was not. It was for what alcohol did for me. It had the power to change my self-perception and my perception of the world. It made me feel bigger, more confident, more desirable – indeed more loveable. It made the world a friendlier less hostile place. The high I got from alcohol was chemically induced, but it was a spiritual high.” He goes on to relate that more and more alcohol was necessary to just get through the day. Alcohol no longer gave him a spiritual high but actually rendered him powerless to his addiction. His unrealized thirst for God remained unquenched.

Dr. Nelson’s personal story, AA’s story and the church’s story all fall into what he describes as “each illuminating the other” To illustrate this, he draws on three specific sources; Scripture and Christian traditions; contemporary wisdom, and the lived experience of addiction and recovery. He uses his experience of all three to create a most compelling book written with insights, humor and above all the power and grace of God. Thirst is a must read for any who are recovering from addiction and/or any who seek to understand this God given miracle of recovery.