Beyond AA

Meet Howard Casanova. Labeled and treated as an alcoholic thirty years ago, he has a story to tell.

"Beyond AA" begins with a stunning realization: the nation's premier recovery program no longer has answers for over two thirds of those sent there.

Casanova and his daily experiences with divorce, aging, unemployment, and the effects of ADD, moved beyond AA, which he was taught wasn't something people who followed the program could ever do.

And if AA was no longer the right fit for him, surely there were others whose needs also weren't being met.

Casanova questions whether AA members still look after their own the way they did early on. He argues AA may be casting too wide a net by reaching out to people who won't necessarily benefit from its approach because they are not and probably never were; alcoholics.

To drive his point home, Casanova shares details of his own life-including his revelation that quitting drinking cold turkey hadn't necessarily been the best solution for him and many others he'd met. After all, why can't some people learn to drink in moderation? Especially if they also acknowledge, as in his case, their lifetime struggle with ADD.

"Beyond AA" offers a critical look at not only AA but also the entire substance abuse treatment and recovery industry. Newly married and overcoming his obstacles, Casanova shows there can be life after alcoholism-and "Beyond AA."