20 Stops: Blue Book of Poems for Addiction Recovery

By Tom Despard

You know the weight of addiction. Maybe it is yours. Maybe it belongs to someone you love. Either way, it has shaped the landscape of your life, and you are searching for a path forward.

20 Stops offers that path in an unlikely form: poetry. Organized as a journey of twenty poems in two parts, Start Here and Stay There, this collection meets you where you are and walks beside you through the stages of recovery. Each poem is paired with a simple, actionable stop, from "Get started" to "Surrender" to "Be set free," creating a reflective itinerary you can return to again and again. Rooted in Christian faith and the wisdom of the Serenity Prayer, these poems invite you to think, feel, and act your way toward wholeness. They do not preach. They stir. They sit with you in the hard places and remind you that the road, though long, grows smoother with each honest step.

Tom Despard is a child of an alcoholic, a brother to two men who found recovery through faith, and a poet who chose fifteen years of sobriety to break the cycle. He is the author of six poetry collections and an advisor to the International Network of Creatives in Naples, Florida.

Your marathon is already underway. This blue book is the companion you carry with you, one stop at a time.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HM9NT3G4
• ISBN13: 9798318851162
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Length: 58 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.5" x 8.5"