A VISION OF HOPE

A beacon of hope lit the path to freedom and a new way of life for a man suffering from panic disorder and alcoholism. He was like a sailor lost in the fog, always seeking a safe harbor, but unable to navigate a perilous sea. He lived on his wits to find a roof to shelter him and enough drinks to render him unconscious day after day. He knew that there was no solution to the panic that engulfed him until the day he stumbled into Fort Worth... "There are some books that distract you for an evening and are then forgotten. `The Road to Fort Worth' does not belong in this class of books. This novel gets inside you because it's the real deal." Joshua Bigger, Author | Buy The Road To Fort Worth $3.99 |

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Overview of The Road To Fort Worth

The author tackles the impossible when he puts words to the cacophonous symphony that defined Jack Wendell's life. The narrative begins with his alter-ego's first anxiety attack, continuing with a series of episodes that take Jack on a walk into an alternate universe of madness. Overwhelmed by terror and the urgency of leaving the tormenting hell that embraced him, he discovers the sedative, calming effects of alcohol.

Jack Wendell's rite of passage into adulthood began three hours before midnight on the eve of his twenty-first birthday. Midway on his stroll across campus, he watched one foot follow the other in a rhythmic pattern and thought about time. He realized that the present moment was so fleeting that it couldn't exist and suddenly felt dizzy, and his breathing became shallow and rapid. The student union seemed like an ocean away as feelings of horror washed through his body in spasms, like waves crashing on the shore, then retreating and returning for another blow. He endured the anguish for the next three hours, convinced that he had entered a portal into hell. When the clock struck midnight, he entered a tavern, ordered a glass of whiskey and the elixir washed away his panic with three magic bends of his elbow.

This was only the beginning of Wendell's long love affair with booze, his only relief from the anxiety attacks that haunted him in an era when little was known about his affliction. He couldn't function with the anxiety that possessed him and drank in an attempt to control his horrifying feelings, but couldn't work in a perpetual state of intoxication. On his journey, he encountered a host of unlikely companions and circumstances, including rehabs, institutions, therapists and a horde of dysfunctional people who would harbor him for a time, yet, sooner or later, he was forced onto the street again in search of another haven, where he could drink to his heart's content.

If you're an alcoholic or a victim of panic disorder, you'll understand Jack's dilemma. If you're one of the five people adversely affected by the alcoholic, you'll gain a new understanding of his plight. You'll never again look at alcoholism and panic disorder in the same light. You'll understand that a few simple principles are the key to recovery. You'll learn that it's easier to get sober than to stay sober, and that it's possible to arrive on the other side of the overwhelming obsession to drink without drinking. You'll learn that one's internal dialogue has a large impact on panic attacks, and that a few cognitive restructuring techniques will help to ease and dissipate the episodes with practice. After reading The Road To Fort Worth, you'll have discovered how to avoid some of the pitfalls that enslaved Jack and how to begin to recover from two devastating diseases.

The Road To Fort Worth is a long overdue novel about a man suffering from panic disorder and alcoholism. It could be seen as a continuation of Charles R. Jackson's classic novel, The Lost Weekend. It's the story of a life on the rocks with a twist of lemon. It's the story of how one man learned to untie the inextricable knot binding two debilitating disorders that so many people have been unable to unravel.

Never give up hope.
It is the guiding light of recovery.