The Authors

Al J. Mooney, III, MD FAAFP ABAM

Al J. Mooney, M.D., is an internationally recognized expert in the field of addiction and recovery. He has been involved in this field literally since he was a teenager, living in his parents’ new addiction treatment center, Willingway Hospital.

As outlined in the first edition of The Recovery Book, Willingway was founded by Dr. Mooney’s parents after they entered into recovery from drugs and alcohol. Dr. Al, as he is known by friends and colleagues, was CEO of the hospital for more than a decade, and later was a member of the Board of Directors and chairman of the Willingway Foundation. Willingway Hospital is often recognized as one of the top treatment centers in the U.S., and has been called the “Betty Ford Center of the South.” Willingway is now part of the Summit BHC network of treatment centers.

Dr. Mooney, a “recovery activist,” speaks regularly at events in the U.S. and abroad, addressing professional and lay audiences alike on topics such as “Brain Healing in Recovery,” “Neuroplasticity: Rewiring the Brain to Empower Full Recovery,” and “Evolving Science of Abstinence and 12-Step Recovery.” He is routinely invited to give talks, lead workshops and serve as visiting faculty at medical society meetings, medical schools, NIH agencies, hospitals, treatment centers, addiction science conferences, Alcoholics Anonymous conferences, recovery cruise ship events, college campuses, community events, homeless shelters and other venues. He has also been instrumental in the establishment of recovery programs around the world.

Most recently he has been involved in efforts to promote addiction awareness and recovery in Egypt, Bosnia and Ghana, and has worked with Georgia Southern University to establish one of the first “recovery campuses,” where students can pursue an education in an abstinent environment.

Dr. Mooney is a pioneer in the field of addiction medicine. He is an Inaugural Diplomat in the American Board of Addiction Medicine, and helped to establish the certification standards for the specialty. He was one of the first U.S. physicians to be certified in Addiction Medicine, and has served as a board member or advisor at numerous agencies and organizations that focus on addiction and mental health. Dr. Mooney’s medical career has included service at state and private hospitals, community service provider organizations, state leadership and advisory councils, mental health agencies, volunteer associations, and homeless shelters.

Every day, Dr. Mooney works one-on-one with people who are striving to stop drinking or using drugs. He lives in Cary, North Carolina.

Catherine Dold

Co-author Catherine Dold has written about health and environmental issues for publications ranging from The New York Times science section to Cosmopolitan. She has also written for Discover, Smithsonian, the American Medical Association, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and many other major medical and scientific outlets, covering issues such as mental health, genetic testing, alternative medicine, grizzly bear genetics, shark fishing in Costa Rica, the training of search and rescue dogs, and cannibalism among the Anasazi. A former editor at Audubon magazine, she lives in Boulder, Colorado.