Addiction--What's Really Going On?: Inside a Heroin Treatment Program [Paperback]

Addiction: What's Really Going On? gives insight into the world of addiction and recovery. Co-authored by Deborah McCloskey and Barbara Sinor, both women hoped to show the world of addiction and recovery in a balanced way, a world teetering between darkness and illumination.

Jane, Eleanor, Rita and Katy, Daniel, Linda, Simon, Annie and more, all clients at the clinic, have their own stories. Some will scare you, some will horrify you. If you haven't been around anyone struggling with addictions, some of the stories will make you feel like you've led a very sheltered life. I was amazed to hear how many families are addicted to heroin, sometimes three generations are clients at methadone clinics. Parents and children, uncles and nephews, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends; the dynamics of addiction seem to cross all lines.

Through Deborah and Barbara, you meet some of the clients and learn about their lives. You hear about how some of them came to use heroin. You learn about the trials and tribulations in their lives. Much of the time they are also coping with domestic abuse, jail (for themselves or a partner), children being taken away, financial problems, and a myriad of health issues.

Most of the clients you will meet in these pages truly want to find an end to the vicious cycle they're trapped in. A few don't; they are there to "play the system." Your heart breaks for those that try to become clean and but do not succeed. You cheer and applaud the success stories, however pathetically few compared to the numbers that are not.

I doubt anyone could read about the lives intertwined throughout Addiction and not have a greater understanding of the world of addiction, even if only to understand how much more there is to know and learn about the problem affecting so many lives.

Through her years as a counselor, Deborah discovered that the reality of a methadone clinic is not what the text books had taught her. Juggling her own personal struggles of her marriage falling apart and her mother's health deteriorating until her ultimate death, Deborah maintained her compassion and her desire to make a difference despite the human, ethical and bureaucratic limitations. Barbara shows Deborah in the light of a truly caring person, someone I wish I could have met on this earthly plane.

The boundaries of my sometimes small, most-times-sheltered, world have been broadened since reading Addition. My heart is filled with an ache in trying to see the addict's struggles in a new light. My heart is filled with joy, knowing there are caring people in this field, such as Deborah and Barbara, giving of themselves, their energy, their love, and their healing. My life is richer from meeting the clients in the pages of Addiction. I recommend this book to anyone struggling with addiction, loved ones of those addicted, and those sober and straight. It will touch your heart and teach you lessons you did not expect.

If you want to help people then get this book! In the form of mostly stories, this woman shows you what really does go on in many clinics today and the lives of the methadone patients as well. But most importantly, it shows a woman who had genuine compassion for these addicts without prejudice. She was willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause and did quite well as well. This woman was definitely a 'one of a kind' counselor who did make a difference in the lives of people who society would have written off as hopeless. You can learn a lot from this woman and from this book. So if you want to help people then get this book!

Deborah McCloskey truly has a passion for working with heroin addicts, and that passion shows through in this book. Each story offers a heart-rending view of an addict and the people who care about them, the addiction and working to the other side, becoming drug free. McCloskey shows that while there is no easy fix, with understanding and care, and the proper medical treatment; all addicts have the means needed to change their life.

The characters are richly drawn, and you will find yourself rooting for them and caring about them. The actual discussion on the use of methodone and the psychology of addiction will prove useful to anyone with a loved one, friend, or family member in the grip of any addiction.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is considering pursuing a career in psychology, social work, or addiction counseling. You will find it invaluable. The book is written to appeal to the every day reader, too. You will learn from it, cry for the addicts, and cheer on the people in the trenchs working with addicts every day.