Product Description

Drawing upon their years of counseling experience, the bestselling author team of Martha and William Pieper explain how parenting styles based on discipline and excessive expectations condition children to equate unhappiness with love. This often persists into adulthood, leading to behaviors including eating disorders, compulsive gambling, disastrous romantic choices, substance abuse, and more. This book supplies readers with powerful tools, including self-assessments, checklists, diaries, and exercises, to overcome their need for unhappiness.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #181440 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From the Back Cover

Are YOU Addicted to Unhappiness?

Are you unable to follow through on important resolutions?

Are you frustrated or inefficient at work?

Is your love life unrewarding or filled with conflict?

Are you plagued by unpleasant emotions for no apparent reason?

Everyone is born with the potential to live fulfilled lives, but many of us find it difficult to realize that potential. Now the best-selling author team of Drs. Martha and William Pieper help you understand how you may have unknowingly become an addict to unhappiness. Using real-life examples drawn from their clinical experience, the authors provide insights and effective strategies that will help you choose and maintain the happiness you deserve. Optimistic--and realistic--Addicted to Unhappiness will help you discover:

• The origins of your addiction and ways it interferes with your life
• A step-by-step plan to kick your habit
• How to turn setbacks into victories
• The ability to move beyond relationship conflicts and embrace closeness
• Effective ways to get control over painful moods
• A successful approach to achieving a healthy weight and a fit body

. . .And much more to help you break free from discomfort and hold on to happiness.

About the Author

Martha H. Pieper, Ph.D., and William J. Pieper, M.D. (Chicago, IL) coauthored the bestselling Smart Love. They have been in private practice for more than 25 years. Both have pursued clinical research at the University of Chicago and other prestigious academic and professional institutions.

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Customer Reviews

Identifies a problem but...
This is a quick read. The reason I picked it up was trying to understand why a bully at work had me down. On pg 224 the matter is addressed, "Frequently there is someone in the workplace who is snappish, constantly angry or agitated, or who has an emotional hair trigger. The addiction to unhappiness can cause you to take other people's grouchiness personally, when in fact it's not about you but about them. If these difficult coworkers or managers treat everyone else the same way, there is certainly no reason to feel particularly singled out or attacked. By taking their behavior personally, you gratify your addiction to unhappiness and ruin an otherwise good day."

Okay... I feel like I've been given a pat on the head and told to run along.

Every problem outlined is blamed on one's parents and sends you back to their previous book, Smart Love, to understand how the failures of your parents are to blame for everything from eating addictions to my problem with a bully.

Having said that, I think they have identified a real issue - it is mysterious but some people do shoot themselves in the foot when life looks good - but this book is a disappointment if you think it will help you overcome this tendency. The Piepers tout the magic of their therapy sessions which may indeed be true, however this book recycles typical self-help ideas: make a plan for change and be vigilant that you don't backslide, but mostly they repeat over and over again the idea that you are either preventing yourself from achieving happiness or you are actively choosing to cause your own unhappiness.

Practical and Inspirational
I have been so discouraged in my life trying to make changes. This is the first self-help book that has really helped me. First, it described me and my problems exactly both in relation to my work and also my attempts to stay healthy and fit. Then it gave me really down-to-earth suggestions, most importantly including what to do when I hit a wall. For the first time I have been able to get past my failures and keep going on my resolutions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!!

Finally! A book that speaks to ME!
I have gone through my share of self-help books, but I have yet to read one that helped me understand WHY I'm the way I am. This book definitely did that. By understanding the cause of my behavior, I am more confident I can make the improvements that will make a positive impact on so many areas of my life. I am grateful to the authors for their insight. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who experienced overcritical parents or who had responsibilities to take care of beyond their years. I would have liked to see more detailed step-by-step instructions or possibly some written exercises, but, overall, a big help!