About The Author

Asher Rabinowitz grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, as a first-generation American. His father, an Orthodox Rabbi, and his mother, a woman devoted to communal affairs, instilled in him an appreciation for spirituality that has remained with him. Asher received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Yeshiva University and pursued a career in the clergy. Years later, after completing his graduate and post-graduate studies in social work at SUNY Stonybrook and New York University, Asher entered the profession of behavioral health to assist people more personally as a therapist.

An important influence on Asher’s thinking was the result of meeting a noted psychiatrist, Dr. Abraham Twerski in 1998, when he was invited to deliver a keynote lecture at a symposium hosted by the New School in NYC on “Spirituality, Trauma, and Addiction.” This event, sponsored by Twerski’s publisher, was attended by national and international experts in the field of addiction medicine.

As Twerski, a Hassidic Rabbi, took to the podium, he looked quite striking, dressed in a long black coat, a large velvet skullcap on his head, and a flowing white beard. He appeared as a sort of misplaced Amish farmer standing in front of a cosmopolitan crowd of doctors, researchers, and therapists. He began his talk in a non-clinical, down-home style and explained, with the help of cartoons and stories, the spiritual nature of addiction. His approach resonated with the crowd, and after the event concluded, a throng of people gathered to talk with him, expressing appreciation for his easy-to-understand view of addiction. Asher thought that if a person like Twerski could influence an academic crowd like this, it was a worthy goal for him to consider.

Twerski also enjoyed a friendship with Charles Schulz, the nationally syndicated creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip. As it turned out, Twerski wrote several books in which he used Schulz’s cartoon characters, such as Charlie Brown and Snoopy, to explain people’s everyday behaviors. After seeing Twerski’s work, Shulz was amazed at the insights derived from his own cartoons!

Asher made the transition from Clergy to Addiction Counselor and has spent the last 28 years working as a clinic supervisor and trainer “helping people.” Asher is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-R) and a Credentialed Alcohol & Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC). His presentation credits include the National Association of Social Work Addictions Institute (NASW) and the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD). He has also published in the international peer-reviewed Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions.

Through his years of experience, Asher has found that stories engage people in a personal way, creating a bond that enables them to change from helpless to hopeful. This has been the impetus for writing “The ABCs Of Recovery.”