Keep It Simple and Sane

Freeing Yourself from Addictive Thinking

Inspired by the 12-step saying, “Life is simple, it’s people who are complicated,” Barb Rogers points out in Keep It Simple and Sane that it’s pretty easy to tell ourselves lie upon lie as we explain away bad behavior associated with drugs, alcohol, food, sex, work…whatever, in an attempt to feel better about our complicated lies. And of course, we can’t do anything to simplify our lives because we’re too busy keeping up with our complicated lives, so we drink, smoke, or shoot, to seek release in inappropriate ways to relieve the complications. But we never do. Through the telling of her own story and those of fellow travelers, Rogers encourages readers to wait, stop, and hold the phone! Start with Mentally Simple (the opposite of Stinking Thinking) and just do it. Start small. “Grab a mental flashlight” and follow her lead to discover what you were thinking and how you might think differently. Offering 24 simple ideas in four sections (mind, emotions, spirituality, physicality), along with strategies and exercises to introduce them into your daily life, this book is for people on the simple path to wellness, for people who simply want to take charge — to change the things they can change, accept the things they cannot change, and learn to know the difference without an operatic, addictive song and dance.