Review by Nuel Ukah -- Ripcord Recovery by T.T. Sawyer

[Nuel Ukah]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Ripcord Recovery" by T.T. Sawyer.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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“It’s not about how long anyone has been sober, it’s about being happily sober today.”
— T.T. Sawyer

This book is a memoir of the author’s struggle with addiction, and his journey toward a solution others may call ‘weird’. Ripcord Recovery, T.T. Sawyer says, is “...a message in a bottle for addicts struggling to hang on...” I strongly recommend this book to anyone suffering in the gruesome hand of any form of addiction. There’s so much to learn about dealing with hopeless situations in this book.

Sawyer was a chronic addict to alcohol and drugs. He was not a fighter or abuser of women; he was never jailed, yet addiction cost him a great part of his life. He was expelled from the University Honors program; he lost his family and career, etc. because of addiction. I found it funny that he was an addiction counselor, yet he himself became an addict. So how did he get into this mess?

In 1987, he became sober and was clean until 2010 (22 years later). During that period, he got two degrees — Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences and a Masters of Science in Business. He got married twice and had two children. He also had three major careers. In 2012, he relapsed into alcoholism again and got arrested for public intoxication. In 2013, he relapsed again, and this became his drive to find a solution to his conundrum by all means. In my opinion, the solution to being free from addiction or any negative situation begins with a strong determination to forgo that addiction and abstain totally from anything or circumstance that would cause one to do it again.

When he was 22 years old, Sawyer rejected all drugs his doctors prescribed to him because the drugs weren’t effective in helping him stop his addiction. He continued with this battle between life and addiction until the age of 47. It is imperative to know that just talking in a rehabilitation, prayer, and meditation won’t be enough to change an addict without one’s strong determination to subdue that addiction and a lifetime abstinence from anything that could cause one to relapse. Addiction wounds the soul. It’s like a cancer eating up the individual from the inside. What addicts need above all is healing of the soul. That’s what Sawyer was searching for because he had hit bottom. Though he hadn’t lost hope of recovering his wasted years, he was losing his family and everything to addiction.

Though Sawyer had the zeal to change, he had one major problem — lack of willpower to resist. It’s almost impossible for addicts to say no to addiction. Science cannot give one the willpower to say no. So Sawyer sought for a way forward and the power to get there. He determined to break through this conundrum that was pulling him into the valley of death. No one could help him. He needed a permanent way out of this addiction he thought he had overcome two decades ago.

Somehow, Sawyer heard about medical marijuana. So, he began to research it. He discovered that medical marijuana had been an age-long approach used to treat several ailments. When he told his doctors about it, they didn’t approve. Since he was on the verge of losing his life and nothing was working for him, he decided to experiment on himself. What else could he have done?

However, what I like least is that Sawyer neglected to explain what medical marijuana is. Many people do not approve of his method because they do not understand the term. Hence, it is imperative to understand what medical marijuana is.

According to Wikipedia,

Medical Cannabis or medical marijuana is cannabis and cannabinoids that are recommended by doctors for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production restrictions and other governmental regulations. Limited evidence suggests that cannabis can reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, improve the appetite in people with HIV/AIDS, and reduce chronic pain and muscle spasms.

Researching further, I found out that the difference between ‘Medical Marijuana’ and ‘Natural Marijuana’ is that the psychoactive component known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) i.e. the chemical substance that changes brain functions and causes emotional/behavioral alterations, is extracted so that patients can consume the processed marijuana as a treatment for ailments without getting intoxicated.

Having understood the concept of medical marijuana, I think Sawyer’s Ripcord Recovery is not bad. This makes his work credible. Rather than smoking it, he vaporized it. Sawyer is a genius.

What I like most is the fact that Sawyer the person of God, despite all he went through. I also like how Sawyer used medical marijuana and meditation exercise to overcome his addiction. Sawyer said, “God invented marijuana. Maybe this plant isn’t the demon seed I was raised to believe it was.” That’s perfectly true. God created marijuana, but for what? When the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable. I don’t think marijuana is evil; rather it is the abuse of marijuana that is evil. I think further research on marijuana should be carried out to discover the good it can offer mankind rather than declaring it illegal because of the abuse of it by ignorant fellows.

The author’s writing style was very descriptive and persuasive. The book is engaging in the sense that the reader gets curious to discover the author’s method of dealing with addiction. The book’s pace was moderate and well-developed. However, I noticed a few errors such as a missing preposition, wrong spelling, and wrong punctuation. Notwithstanding, these errors do not diminish the credibility of Sawyer’s Ripcord Recovery or distract the reader. I rate T.T. Sawyer’s Ripcord Recovery 4 out of 4 stars.

Medical practitioners and scientists can use this book to research further on the subject matter and improve the science world. Addicts seeking for a way out would find this book very helpful. The book ended perfectly. Sawyer has been sober for some years now since he began to use medical marijuana, and he has become a successful corporate executive in good standing. Indeed, no situation is hopeless. There is always a way. Never give up hope!

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Ripcord Recovery
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[Diana Lowery]

I enjoyed your review. I also reviewed this book and found it ironic that the author was once an addiction counselor. You put a lot of research into your evaluation. I am glad you found the book useful.

[djr6090]

He may be a genius, but I wonder if anyone gave a thought to how life threatening vaping is. Is he trading one serious risk for another?

[Nuel Ukah]

I enjoyed your review. I also reviewed this book and found it ironic that the author was once an addiction counselor. You put a lot of research into your evaluation. I am glad you found the book useful.

Yes. I tried my best. Thanks for your comment.

[Nuel Ukah]

He may be a genius, but I wonder if anyone gave a thought to how life threatening vaping is. Is he trading one serious risk for another?

Well, that was the fear of his doctors and everyone that reads his book. But the fact is that it worked for him when all other efforts failed. Thanks for your candid comment.

[Florence Nalianya]

Congratulations for this powerful review.This must be a very good read.

[Ronel_Steyn]

Thank you for the thorough review. The details and effort put into it show that you enjoyed this book. Great job!!

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

I had read other reviews of this book, but I didn't know the definition of medical marihuana that you were so kind to provide, so I always thought the author was perhaps substituting one addiction with others, but it's actually quite a clever solution.
I agree with your insight. We, as humans, are often the problem when we abuse substances or circumstances, not the substances themselves.
I'm glad this book provides hope and, perhaps, an alternative healing path for those struggling with addiction.
What an amazing review! Thank you!

[InStoree]

Addiction wounds the soul. It’s like a cancer eating up the individual from the inside.

I loved the way you expressed this. I can only imagine the struggles that one person can go through when addiction is tattooed on his/her lifestyle.

I read a book that clearly informs people about hemp and its health benefits. If I may, I would recommend it to those interested in cracking the myths of medicinal marijuana. It's called The Hemp Miracle by Carol Merlo.

I enjoy reading your review. You provided some valuable information and also gave me a clear vision of what this book is about. Congratulation, Nuel!

[Nuel Ukah]

Addiction wounds the soul. It’s like a cancer eating up the individual from the inside.

I loved the way you expressed this. I can only imagine the struggles that one person can go through when addiction is tattooed on his/her lifestyle.

I read a book that clearly informs people about hemp and its health benefits. If I may, I would recommend it to those interested in cracking the myths of medicinal marijuana. It's called The Hemp Miracle by Carol Merlo.

I enjoy reading your review. You provided some valuable information and also gave me a clear vision of what this book is about. Congratulation, Nuel!

Thanks for reading my review, Christina. I'm glad you found it helpful.

[Nuel Ukah]

Congratulations for this powerful review.This must be a very good read.

Thanks for reading my review, Florence. It's a good read.

[Nuel Ukah]

Thank you for the thorough review. The details and effort put into it show that you enjoyed this book. Great job!!

Thanks for reading my review, Ronel. Yes, I enjoyed the book.

[Nuel Ukah]

I had read other reviews of this book, but I didn't know the definition of medical marihuana that you were so kind to provide, so I always thought the author was perhaps substituting one addiction with others, but it's actually quite a clever solution.
I agree with your insight. We, as humans, are often the problem when we abuse substances or circumstances, not the substances themselves.
I'm glad this book provides hope and, perhaps, an alternative healing path for those struggling with addiction.
What an amazing review! Thank you!

Thanks for reading my review, Luna. I love your comment and I'm glad you found it helpful.

[Sanju Lali]

The sentence is very important “It’s not about how long anyone has been sober, it’s about being happily sober today" it has deep meaning in it. Thanks for your insightful review though.

[Nkoo]

Thank you for an enlightened and informative review. I'm happy that marijuana is not entirely bad and that some good can come out of it. Hope is extremely powerful. It can make the difference between life and death.