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 |

Overview of The Road To Fort Worth

The author tackles the impossible when he puts words to the cacophonous symphony that defines 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. On his stroll across campus, he watched one foot follow the other in a rhythmic pattern and thought about time. As he stepped from the past into the future, he was stunned by the realization that the present moment was so fleeting that it couldn't exist. His breathing became shallow and feelings of horror flushed through his body in spasms, like waves crashing on the shoreline, retreating, then returning in another blow. He was convinced that he had entered a portal into hell, and he endured the agony of the next three hours. When the clock struck midnight, he entered a bar, 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 the disorder. 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.

Hope - The Guiding Light of Recovery The Road To Fort Worth is one of a handful of novels that has been written on the progression of the dual disorder of alcoholism and panic disorder. People are looking for information and hope, and the book offers both, in a clear, honest chronicle that spans Jack Wendell's life from 1967 to the present time. Words, well structured, can restructure lives. Recovery is profoundly influenced by the experience, strength and hope of those who have found their way to freedom.

The Author

Mr. Smith is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, where he studied psychology, philosophy and religion. He began a business career in New York City in 1969 with a bright future looming on the horizon until a flaw in genetics took him on a bumpy ride down the road of panic disorder and alcoholism. The book was born out of his deep sense of gratitude for his recovery and a desire to share his experience, strength and hope with others affected by co-existing disorders. Mr. Smith is a resident of the Gulf Coast of Florida. He has published a second novel, Little Boy Blue Alpha, and is working on his third writing project.

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LITTLE BOY BLUE ALPHA  On Sale for $3.99 >

My second novel is a Sci-Fi adventure, which begins with the bombing of Hiroshima and the Roswell incident. Is it too real to be considered fantasy, yet too uncanny to been seen as proof of alien life? Only you can answer this question. This is a book that you'll not want to miss! There's nothing like a view from outer-space to bring you back to earth.

A JOURNEY OF SOULS  >

I edited and formatted this book for publishing. It was written by my brother-in-law and friend, Richard Schutt, during the last several months of his fight to win the battle with Multiple Myeloma. This inspirational story, written in both prose and lyrical poetry, is the journey of a family seeking the answer to the question, "Does Heaven exist?"

Articles

Dual Diagnosis: Panic Disorder And Alcoholism

Alcoholism has destroyed countless lives and relationships. Alcoholism is a direct cause of death, disease, crime, violence, divorce, job loss and highway accidents, with an annual cost in the billions of dollars. The emotional impact of alcoholism cannot be measured. For every active alcoholic, five or more people in their lives are deeply scarred by the disease.

The devastation of panic disorder is more insidious. Panic attacks are horrifying experiences and repeated attacks can leave a victim in a chronic state of fear, restricting their mobility and their ability to earn a living. Someone with a dual diagnosis faces a crippling, treatment resistant disease until the co-existing disorders are treated simultaneously.

I've written a number of informative articles on the process of recovery, panic disorder and alcoholism, which can be found in the articles' section of this site. I've included stories and poetry in the section as well. 

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