Clutter Junkie No More
by Barb Rogers
Published by Conari Press
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Connie Anderson
Okay, I admit it. I am a messy person, albeit mostly in my home office.
However, this book is about Clutter, with a capital C--with clutter as a symptom of underlying problems. Hmmmm, people say I could have a nice clean office if I just wanted to (like we say to those with other addictions--"just change/quit").
This book is NOT about organizing messes, but about why people let clutter overwhelm them--to keep the world out.
What brings people to the place of being a "clutter junkie?" When the addict outside cries out for control, what happens?
"All addictions are based in fear and are used for avoidance. Fear of other people, an inability to trust, self-esteem issues, and the feeling of not fitting into the world around them," so the author says in the introduction.
Rogers, who has been in recovery from her own additions, deals with clutter addiction with a 12-step program adapted from AA. These 12 steps move you from the admitting you are powerless over clutter to personal intervention to having a spiritual awakening where the addict practices the 12 steps every day.
Clutter is having too much of anything, nesting comfortably with these things: books, magazines/newspapers, pets, collections--anything that fills the "hole" that brought them to this addiction in the first place--and takes them to a "comfortable place" where they feel in control of one thing in their life, even if its unhealthy.
The 12th step is "we" to show we are not alone in this. Living in clutter keeps others away and feeds our poor self-esteem--like we are living in a box.
The chapters are written around the 12 steps, and the book ends with an entire section about The Serenity Prayer and some wonderful affirmations. It is NOT through acceptance, courage and wisdom that we are given serenity. For the clutter addict that means giving up the chaos, the excuse for being overwhelmed.
Armchair Interviews says: Unlike addictions that we read about all the time, clutter seems like such a small deal--unless the addition happens to you or someone you love.