FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Some of us are predisposed to seek pleasure and tranquility by having a drink after work, taking a cigarette break, or partaking in more dangerous substances. What if there were a way to experience these same effects without the harmful aspects?
A national survey by Survata Inc., commissioned for a groundbreaking new book, proves that many safe and sober activities reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as increase health. HIGH: 6 Principles for Guilt-Free Pleasure and Escape (Hazelden; April 2015; $15.95; Original Trade Paperback), by award-winning author and writer Jodie Gould, shows how these exercises and activities result in emotional, physical, and spiritual satisfaction without any potentially harmful side effects. Gould, who has shared her tips with Oprah, ABC World News Tonight, and many other programs, reveals the 6 Pleasure Principles to help transform your life.
Principle #1 is Move: Physically moving the body helps to relieve anxiety but also enhances concentration, learning, and memory. Principle #2 is Restore: A variety of activities—including yoga, meditation, prayer, acupuncture, and many more—can restore and revitalize your mind, body, and spirit. Principle #3 is Connect: Bonding with family, friends, and the community can aid in fending off depression and loneliness. Principle #4 is Create: Expressing and expanding the inner self through creative and artistic activities can reduce stress and help you to get in touch with your feelings. Principle #5 is Celebrate: Affirming life and experiencing joy through laughter and by being grateful, for example, can protect us from detrimental effects of day-to-day struggles and pain. Principle #6 is Give: We can find purpose by volunteering, which in turn increases endorphin production and enhances the immune system.
In addition, Gould reviews the brain’s role in seeking pleasure, how it works when it’s craving drugs and alcohol, the various ways that even animals seek euphoria, and the philosophy of pleasure seeking by examining the insights of philosophers such as Socrates, Plat, and Epicurus.
HIGH explains to readers:
- How the 6 Pleasure Principles work and the reasons they are effective substitutes for drugs and alcohol
- Why people are predisposed to seek an altered state of consciousness
- Which activities and exercises increase self-confidence, lower stress and depression, and form deeper bonds with others
- The differences of natural highs vs. chemical highs
- The evolution of drug and alcohol use from the Paleolithic era to modern times
HIGH by Jodie Gould is a guide on how seek guilt-free for pleasure and escape that is productive, healthy, and personally rewarding.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jodie Gould is an award-winning journalist and author of eight books, including Women & Recovery, with Kitty Harris, Ph.D., and Beautiful Brain, Beautiful You with Marie Pasinski, M.D. She has been a frequent contributor to Woman’s Day and Family Circle, and she wrote a monthly column for showtime.com. Gould has been interviewed on numerous TV and radio shows, such as Oprah, ABC World News Tonight, and Extra.
To learn more about Jodie Gould and her philosophies, go to http://jodiegould.com/
ABOUT HAZELDEN:
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. It is the nation’s largest nonprofit treatment provider, with a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center. With 16 sites in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Colorado and Texas, the Foundation offers prevention and recovery solutions nationwide and across the entire continuum of care for youth and adults.
High: 6 Principles for Guilt-Free Pleasure and Escape
By Jodie Gould
Hazelden Publishing
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1616495732
Original Trade Paperback
Price: $15.95
Pages: 220 pp.