Dr.
Emmanuel Nzuzu
How to Stay Sober
A Practical Guide to Overcome Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
Tell
your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now,
where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you.
I am excited about the privilege to work with people who are “sick and tired of being sick and tired” and are eager to start a new path in life. Over the years I have been blessed with numerous opportunities to make real difference in the lives of men and women through my roles as a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Counselor and Licensed Mental Health Therapist in the state of Florida. I enjoy being a change agent and doing community improvement programs gained from my experience as a high school teacher, law enforcement officer, business consultant and University Professor (University of Phoenix & University of Swaziland). My calling is to listen to people, to give a voice and an ear to the untold stories of men and women, stories of daily struggles with alcohol/drugs, stories of worry, fear, sleepless nights, despair, rejection and isolation. I help my clients to formulate and develop appropriate solutions to the difficulty and hard questions they have with regard to their challenging life situations and specific individual circumstances. I have extensive experience working with employee assistance programs (EAP).
The first
thing you may have noticed is my last name Nzuzu. Let me tell you the story
behind my name. I grew up in Zimbabwe and Nzuzu means mermaid. In the late 80s
I moved to Manchester (UK) where I lived, studied and worked. Before moving to
the United States in 2003 I was a management consultant in Swaziland, South
Africa and Zimbabwe for both government entities and private commercial
companies. In the United States I completed a Master’s in Mental Health
Counseling at Springfield College in Tampa, Florida and went on to study for my PhD
in psychology at Capella University. Once I graduated with my Master’s degree,
that was all that the state of Florida required to get me licensed as a mental
health counselor, but I knew in my heart that my standards are to be the best
of the best; and that is why I spent four years studying for a doctoral degree
at Capella University since that extra qualification would give me everything I
needed to serve my clients.
I am a
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and Certified Addictions Professional.
I have been in practice as a therapist for over 10 years working for private
hospitals, substance abuse treatment agencies and public mental health
institutions.
I specialize
in helping men and women to effectively deal with destructive-dysfunctional
thought patterns and behaviors related to alcohol/drug use, repair broken
relationships and regain trust of loved ones. I also assist with stress
management and empower people to lead active lives in the family, workplace,
and community.
What
inspired you to author your book?
Over the years
I have seen many alcoholics and drug addicts move in and out of treatment
programs without being able to overcome alcohol and drugs. This book was
written for people who have a desire to be sober but have run out of their
options. It is a life line to those people who believe that they have tried
everything but nothing works.
![]() |
BUY NOW |
Where
did you get the inspiration for your book’s cover?
I am a firm
believer in the power of freedom, liberty and choice. Human beings are not able
to fully experience wholeness without these fundamental values. Alcohol and
drugs rob a person of his/her ability to choose and right to freedom. The book
cover portrays release from the cage of alcoholism and drugs into freedom
ushered following and applying the practical guidelines in the book and
workbook. The book covers depict the cherished freedom from the self-imposed
prison of alcohol and drugs.
Who
has been the most significant influence on you personally and as a writer?
Dr Joe
Dispenza---author, international speaker and visionary is a big influence to me
personally and as a writer. Dr. Joe has remarkably demonstrated that human
beings are endowed with supernatural ability to overcome any adversity and
prevail over any challenges including healing from so-called incurable
diseases.
What
were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this book written?
How to Stay
Sober is a book about healing, hope and living life again to the full. The
greatest struggle was finding a way to convey the message in a manner that
brings about healing, wellness, health and wholeness to my readers. I wanted to
show the reader that both the addiction problem and its solution are inside the
addict and not external. Sometimes, it was tempting to write in a judgmental,
criticizing and blaming style---my fear was that this approach would offend the
people I am supposed to help. So, I struggled to show that the alcoholic and
drug addict are their own worst enemies without pointing fingers. I had to find
diplomatic ways to show that they persevered in self-abuse and overseeing their
own misery and suffering.
![]() |
BUY NOW |
Tell
your readers about your book.
The book seeks to convey the message
that recovery is possible and always available. The major ingredients for
sobriety are motivation, a clear vision, and
honesty. Recovery is possible when you need it and seek it from inside
the heart. You can live a life free from alcohol and drugs but you have to cherish
and embrace the new life and give up the old one. Your willingness and
commitment to becoming brutally honest with yourself are key to successful
recovery. A desire without willingness to change will remain just that, a
desire and nothing else.
Who is your target audience, and why?
The primary target audiences for the book are people battling alcohol and drug addiction, who experienced a relapse and failed to stay sober after undergoing a treatment (for instance, who completed the AA 12 Step Program). They are looking for a long-term solution that will allow them to stay away from substance abuse. Most potential clients in this group are male, aged 25-55, of American Indian, Caucasian, African American, or Hispanic origin, and addicted to alcohol; many people in this target group have a criminal record, are more likely to be unemployed than not, and suffer from mental health disorders. They belong to the 10% of addicts who are actively seeking help and want to stay sober, and are likely to have tried a range of treatments before, and failed to stay clean longer-term.
The second target audience for the
book are people close to the addicts, who are potentially co-dependent and
co-suffer with the addict. They, therefore, are strongly motivated to help them
fight their addiction. Because they have experienced the addicted person being
sober for a while during and after their treatment, they are hopeful that the
addiction can be treated and are actively looking for ways to help their loved
one stay sober. They would purchase the book either for the person who is
addicted and struggling to stay clean or for their own information, to find out
how they can best support that person. They are likely to be wives, mothers,
sisters, and daughters of the addict, 25-65 years old, of the same origin, and
relatively well educated to seek professional advice through an expert book.
Lastly, the third target audience
for the book are experts who specialize in the field of addiction treatment,
who are looking for alternative long-term solutions that would enable the
addicts to stay sober and prevent relapses. They are knowledgeable, well
educated, aware of the weaknesses of traditional treatment models, and actively
interested in improving them. This group is likely to be 35-65, well-read, and
passionate about keeping their knowledge up-to-date and exploring new concepts
and solutions.
![]() |
BUY NOW |
If
you were going to give one reason for anyone looking at your book to read, why
should they buy it?
How to Stay
Sober is a unique book in that it takes a non-traditional approach to
identifying and treating the drivers of addictions. While in the past, research
suggested that addiction is caused by childhood issues, trauma, or abuse, Dr.
Nzuzu proposes that instead, addictions are driven by fear, denial, hopelessness,
helplessness, selfishness, dishonesty, self-centeredness, inconsideration,
insensitivity, untrustworthiness, impatience and intolerance. Therefore, the
author is looking to address these triggers, providing practical advice on how
to turn these challenges into courage, love, care, honesty, trustworthiness,
patience, humility, tolerance, and responsibility. This is a unique approach,
which will appeal to people with addictions who tried traditional approaches
that didn’t work or failed to identify themselves with the conventional line of
thought in the field and experimental therapists who wish to add an additional
resource to their toolkit.
Most
importantly, however, the book offers practical, hands-on advice and guidance
for people who are determined to clean up and stay sober long term. It
addresses the issue that a large proportion of addicts who undergo treatment
are unable to maintain sobriety after their treatment ends because they don’t
have the tools and the skills to do so and are left ‘stranded’ with their
struggles. Therefore, the most important quality that makes this book stand out
from the crowd is that it is designed to provide long-lasting support to
addicted people that will enable them to stay sober forever. It offers a new
alternative model for treating addiction that addresses traditional treatment
models' conceptual weaknesses and is designed to help addicted people with their
recovery in a positive, inspiring, and practical way.
![]() |
BUY NOW |
What
do you consider your greatest success in life?
Success for me
is being spiritually strong. Working for myself---being self employed,
determining desired income and managing my own time, getting what I want when I
want it, being debt free, buying what I want when I want it for cash, giving
what I want to give and when I want to give freely and without any second
thoughts, travelling around the world when I want to travel and where I want to
travel
What
one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre?
I am writing
from the front lines of alcohol and drug addiction recovery. Other writers
write from imagination, unproven theories and books. My book is a first-hand
report of my on-going observations and conversations with alcoholics and drug
addicts. I used to struggle with alcohol myself and I know first-hand what it
is like to be a slave to alcohol and drugs. Most of the available literature on
addiction is written by authors who may have never interacted with an addict
for a reasonable amount of time to develop clear and accurate understanding of
what the addict is going through.
![]() |
BUY NOW |
How
do you overcome writer’s block?
I take time
off from writing and read a lot of inspiring spiritual books and YouTube
videos.
Gospel music and the Bible help me to
boost my creativity.
What
one piece of advice do you have for new authors.
I really don’t
have any advice for new authors because I don’t know where they are at and what
their needs are. I didn’t start of as intending to write a book. I was
recording my observations over the years and after sometime I realized that
they formed a coherent pattern of messages which I can put together into book
to help people.
![]() |
BUY NOW |
Tell
your readers anything else you want to share.
Change and
transformation are possible-----anyone can do it----the essential elements for
success in any area of life are:
1-ATTENTION,
2-FOCUS,
3-CONCENTRATION,
4-EXPECTATION,
and do all this with
5-ELEVATED
EMOTION.
You were
expectant and passionate about doing alcohol and drugs; how excited and
passionate are you about being sober today.