Assistant professor publishes second book.
Benjamin Canha, PhD '20, RN, assistant professor, has published Recovery Cartoons: Addiction Research (Book II) in which he presents his research exploring the culture of humor in 12-step recovery programs.
By gathering data through observations of humor at meetings, interviews with members, and focus groups, Canha describes the impact humor and laughter has in supporting successful recovery.
"Having fun and not taking ourselves so seriously" allows members to replace drugs and alcohol with connections to others trying to recover, according to Canha. Rich data results are accented with hundreds more hilarious cartoons drawn by Canha, adding levity to his interesting findings. He also tells the story of "Recovery Cartoons" and presents eye-opening Cognitive Behavior Therapy exercises. With Recovery Cartoons: The 12 Steps (Book I) , Canha began this series with a synthesis of 12-step literature and a description of his experiences confronting his own demons. Canha's style of interspersing hilarious one-liner cartoons throughout the text elevates the readers to a creative format of actually experiencing the joy of humor while exploring insights into addiction