Have you ever wondered what addicts go through when they try to quit? This book by Michael Stein is written by a doctor about a year spent with one of his patients. All matters of confidentiality taken care of, Stein describes "Lucy's" journey through her Vicodin addiction from his perspective as her doctor. His approach to opiate addiction is to prescribe buprenorphine and to closely monitor his patients' progress along the way. Bupe, for those of you like me who didn't know, is a synthetic opiate designed specifically for addicts. It produces similar effects as Vicodin without the high.
Media has done so much to portray drug use that unless you're a user, you can't be sure what's realistic and what isn't. This book gave a very honest appraisal of what one experiences mentally, physically, socially, etc. The perspective of the "clear-headed" doctor adds a dose of believability and just happened to be a good advertisement for buprenorphine in the process.
The only bad thing about the book is that it made me dream about drugs. Really disturbing stuff! I've always wondered if I have what one might call an addictive personality. I've never dabbled in drugs and I don't abuse alcohol, but I've always been obsessed with routine, structure, and dependability; some of the things that make drug addiction so difficult to break free from. Even if drugs haven't impacted your life in any way, read this book. It's good for you.
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