For a person recovering from addiction, the initial process may quite often be painful. Writing a book for such a person full of conflicts and confusion is no easy task. It has got to be racy enough to read, lucid enough to comprehend and pragmatic enough to practice. The following people worked as a team and made this possible. I am grateful to each one for his / her contribution .

My heartfelt thanks to

UNESCO and the European Commission who provided the grant and made this possible.

Rukmani Jayaraman who has perfected the creative process of weaving sound concepts and practical tools around a web of stories narrated in an engaging style. The tools and tips provided by Rukmani have been culled out of the authentic experience at the TTK Hospital of those who have been helping in the recovery of thousands of patients over the last 25 years.

U. Kanakam who took enormous pains to collect so many contextually relevant stories providing valuable inputs to the book

The counselling staff of TTK Hospital and AA members for the peer review and meaningful feedback.

Meera Rajagopalan who has edited the book and ensured correctness of language.

Lalitha Thiagarajan who has contributed through her creative illustrations.

Alamelu who provided assistance in the typing and development of the numerous manuscript drafts.

Many stories, anecdotes, are the result of a collection from various sources such as the website, books, magazines and mythology, preserved over the last few years. Since sources were not noted down, it is not possible to provide accurate acknowledgement. I would however wish to thank all those who may have contributed to this work, even though anonymously.

Thank you
Dr. Shanthi Ranganathan