McKenzie Phillips

Listen to "McKenzie Phillips author of Hopeful Healing" on Spreaker. Mackenzie Phillips, actress and author of the courageous New York Times bestselling memoir High on Arrival, has written a new book, Hopeful Healing: Essays on Managing Recovery and Surviving Addiction (Beyond Words/Atria,. Referencing her past struggles as an addict and her current role as a substance abuse counselor, Mackenzie is sharing her experience and insight to help addicts, along with family members and support systems, get the help and motivation they need to reach sobriety. In Hopeful Healing, Phillips shares short essays that include personal stories along with first-step motivations for the addict who is looking to or perhaps struggling to recover. She addresses mindfulness, failure, hope, trust, and acceptance, among many prominent themes in the life of an addict. Each chapter concludes with the “It Works if You Work It” section for reflection and exercises that worked well for her and her clients. Phillips offers encouragement and open honesty from someone who has been right where the addict has been: rock bottom. And for Phillips, it was all while the entire world watched. She knows exactly what addicts are facing in these challenging times, and offers personal and professional stories to help people reach the other, more hopeful side—sobriety. Mackenzie Phillips is best known for her roles in American Graffiti and as rebellious teenager Julie Cooper on the sitcom One Day at a Time. She is also the daughter of John Phillips, lead singer of the ’60s band The Mamas and the Papas. As a troubled teen star, Phillips made several visits to rehab before getting sober. Her struggles with addiction have been well documented in High On Arrival and in the media. Phillips has become Hollywood’s go-to person on substance abuse and a visible and outspoken advocate for addiction awareness and education. “This wonderful book will lovingly hold your hand through anything you need to know about recovery and addiction, or really, just getting through life. This is the Mackenzie I know: smart, funny, warm, she has that great ‘been there, done that’ attitude and just tells it like it is, without judgment. Read this book now. It’s your soft place to fall.” —Valerie Bertinelli, actress and New York Times bestselling author