addiction

Non-Addicts Had Questions About Addiction. Here Are Answers

Answers for non-addicts about addiction to drugs and alcohol. For 15 years I was a heavy drug and alcohol user. After trying to quit repeatedly—and failing miserably—I finally asked for help in 1988. My recovery began with spending 31 days in a rehab, then decades of therapy, plus 28 years of surrounding myself with sober addicts who “get it.” Am I cured? No. But I’m grateful for the daily reprieve.

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jail

Three Addicts Talk About Kicking Opiates in Jail With and Without Suboxone

Written for The Fix Nobody strives to become a heroin addict. Even misguided souls with a romanticized notion of H never intended to go through the nightmare of withdrawal on a jail cell floor. But that’s what happens to many users caught in the whirlwind of our nation’s opiate crisis. Science is teaching us that addicts … Read more

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Woman in Afghanistan

Meet Laila — the Brave Woman Saving Heroin Addicts in Afghanistan

Excerpts from my article written for The Fix All photos courtesy of Mirzaei Films. Laila at the Bridge—How to Combat Heroin Addiction in Afghanistan A new documentary follows a woman’s efforts in Afghanistan to fight addiction. Since the fall of the Taliban, the production of opium has skyrocketed. Afghanistan produces 90% of the world’s supply and 11% … Read more

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HEROIN: Rebel Without a Clue — Written for Honeysuckle Magazine

“I realize that I’ve been hypnotized.”  — Jimi Hendrix Where do self-destructive impulses come from? I had romanticized images of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin but they were dead long before I heard of them. The first time I shot heroin was down at St. Mark’s place in 1978. I was a 17-year-old aspiring artist … Read more

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