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Product Description WHEN I REACHED END STAGE ALCOHOLISM, I WAS POSSESSED.Time and again, I narrowly escaped His murderous attempts. Not this time.If you are willing to believe that there is a possibility you can return to sanity and freedom, my story may serve as the catalyst for an extraordinary recovery. "I Almost Murdered a Complete Stranger:Embarrassing Truths of a Madman's Journey" is a visceral, deadpan account of a near-death experience brought on by the all-too-human descent into chronic alcoholism. Since his awakening to a deep understanding of alcoholism as a life-long affliction, Jim's obsession has been lifted, leaving him free of his desire to drink for the first time in 41 years! Reflecting deeply, he begs the answer to the question, "what changed?"This book does not offer practical insights for recovery, self-help platitudes, or "lessons learned." Anyone whose lives have been shattered by this affliction (and those who love them or treat them) will find support in rekindling hope for freedom, for sanity, and to live a better life. Review What can I say about a book that is alternately horrifying and hilarious? Jim Spina's book is just that. Beautifully written, it's a tale of his enslavement to alcohol from a very early age. He expresses the excitement and joy he felt with his first experience with alcohol at his sister's wedding. The day he met The Stranger. Spina's personification of alcohol as The Stranger brings the entire story to life. The Stranger is the little voice in your ear, urging you to "Go ahead, have another drink. You deserve it." While the addiction did not stop him from achieving great heights in his career or monetary success, one wonders what heights he would have reached without it. That's the amazing part of this story - that, and the fact that he lived to tell about it. Fortunately, he eases the horror of his final dance with death through intermittent bits of comic relief, some not so funny as he makes them seem with his sarcasm and acerbic wit. This is not a book that lectures. It takes you into the life of young Jim Spina where you experience his youthful insecurities, his later service on a nuclear submarine and finally his great business achievements. All the while he was hiding his terrible secret, formulating drinking algorithms to ensure that he stopped drinking early enough that his bloodstream would be clear of alcohol by morning; slipping into the office bathroom to vomit blood into a baggie before returning to a meeting. This is the story no one hears, no one knows. And it's gut-wrenching. Spina will make you laugh out loud, cringe at his self-deprecating humor and recoil at what alcohol does to the human body. The unending despair he felt, the repeated abstinence followed by relapse, the multiple hospitalizations were not enough to enable him to walk away from the demon,The Stranger, who was slowly sucking the life from him. It was only divine intervention, a near death experience that changed him. This is a must-read story for those who are or know an alcohol abuser or an addict. It will stay with you for a long time because The Stranger is just around the corner, lurking and waiting. Just for you. Denise C., author and publicist "Alcoholism is more enigmatic than professionals assert in treatment. Spina sheds light on the complicated,disputed nature of the fatal affliction, and its relationship to the human condition. He bares his soul, exposing his struggle for meaning, and gently invites the reader to discover their purpose." -A.H. "I am glad I went to your website and received the first few pages of your book. I have followed you on Facebook and can say that you look "happy"and "content". I am at an interesting point in my career and personal life and look forward to learning from your book." -E.S. "I compliment you on dealing with this issue and wanting to help others. I have my issues, as well. And it seems that too many homes