HLN's Jane Velez Publishes New Book

How could you not love a book that starts "singing" David Bowie's "Changes" ("This is the story of my "ch..ch..changes, which took me from insanity to clarity")? In her book iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Overconsumption to a Simpler, Honest Life
(Health Communications, Inc., 2009), the television journalist and fiery host of Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell (HLN) vividly details the adventure of her life and her turbulent struggle with addiction. Forced to be a debutant--her father in a hounds tooth jacket and cravat in the Hamptons--her message is clear: your ethnic background, your income, not even your sexuality will keep addiction from being part of your family. It's not just about drinking, or "partying" too much -- addiction can affect your entire world.

Part memoir, part how-to book, peppered with behind-the-scenes of TV journalism, Velez courageously chronicles her quest from "insanity to clarity, from egocentricity to altruism, from alcoholism to activism." She mixes memoirs with self-help tips, a hybrid that she balances with dexterity. Sacrificing her privacy, she explains the "disease" that is addiction to those who may be starting to accept that they are addicts, to those who are floundering in the first stages, and to family and friends who may be ready to tear their own hair out over the frustration of being manipulated by their addict family member one more time.

Interwoven in these 12-step teachings is her story, the life of the youngest child of an eclectic couple: of an Irish father and a dancing Puerto Rican mother. There are descriptions of herself as irreverent, yes, even bratty, and pictures of her as a tiny little cowgirl, as a debutant, as a reporter in a bikini. Velez laughs at herself the way everyone should, and often. For fans of Velez, iWant offers the stirring story of her growing up, and one can easily imagine her rolling her eyes while retelling her own antics.

Jane will be speaking/autographing her book at the 92nd Street Y on Sunday, October 11th at 7:30pm.

See Jane at the Famsanctuary walk Sunday, October 4th:

Comments

[ilovenewyork]

What a great story.... am huge fan of Jane's. Love that she participated in Farm Sanctuary's walk!

[sterlingcheese]

She has three little mutts? How adorable is that? I love seeing her laughing and cracking up in the video, and I can't wait to see her in a cowboy outfit. I'm a huge JVM fan! I'm psyched to get to know more about her growing up -- family stories are always so interesting in understanding why a person is how they are.
I'm journaling as part of therapy. It's really good for you.

[yogaivy]

Dr. Belisa, Is it therapeutic to write a memoir like this? I'm wondering if you censor yourself knowing so many people are going to read it then know intimate details about your life. She talks about being gay and her dad being a alcoholic and really personal stuff right?

[Dr. Belisa Vranich - Huffpost Blogger]

Any writing -- be it poetry, songwriting (no, that is not Jane's guitar in the background), or just diary entries can be very therapeutic ... in fact I recommend it for most of my patients, especially for relationship issues. When you make yourself chronicle your life and your days you notice patterns more easily. True, that when you write for the public you may censor what you say because readers will be judging you (as well as your spelling), it can be therapeutic in that you have to come to terms with admitting thing to a large audience..­.both writing "privately" and "publicly" serve a purpose. The Artists Way is a great book if you want some help organizing yourself to start writing.

[dragkingmax]

It's so nice to see a psychologist write a review about someone's journey to sobriety and give it props. It's so seldom we see a doctor write about a client (not necessarily theirs) with such respect for their experience. Refreshing and oh so important a topic.

[riotforchange]

It's great to see people in the media show their softer sides. This video shows Jane like you've never seen her, it's mindblowing. I'm picking up the book today. :)

[rachelchanteuse]

I never in a million years would have imagined this hard ass chick to have a drug/alcohol problem. It's really brave of her to come out and talk about it. So many people would probably assume she's just had this blessed easy life and has always been loud, outspoken, and confident. One thing is to go to a NA/AA meeting and share..wri­ting about it for everyone to see takes guts, and helps other folks who are struggling. Bravo!

[photojane]

Getting up in an AA meeting is just as hard, if not harder. Everyone is looking at you, you have to admit your "days" -- I don't think she had it any easier. Plus, like she says..you go from one addiction to the next until you deal with the issues underneath them all. Most of us end up at the consumption phase and just figure it's normal because everyone else is there.

[Dr. Belisa Vranich - Huffpost Blogger]

Part of recovery is becoming more humble. Coming to terms with the fact that your struggle doesn't make you special or different or better....­Making sure you reach out and are available to others (in for instance, sharing your story with all it's embarrassing moments) is essential. Whether your fear is talking into a camera to an audience, over the phone to your parents, or in front of a group of folks with only first names the process of admitting you have a problem and working through it is admirable.­.