Book ReviewAddiction: What’s Really Going
On?By Deborah McCloskey and Barbara Sinor, Ph.D.
Reviewed by
Trisha Faye
Addiction: What’s Really Going
On? tells the inside story of a methadone treatment clinic in Los
Angeles, California in the 1990s. This book gives insight into the world of
addiction and recovery; helpful for the addicted, those that work in the field,
family members, and those fighting addiction issues in their lives or those of
loved ones.
The book is co-authored by Deborah McCloskey and Barbara Sinor. Friends and
colleagues through the years, they joined together for this joint effort.
Deborah, Allie in the book, was the recovery counselor with the experience in
the clinic and wrote copious notes. Barbara, Dora in the book and Dr. Sinor in
real life, also specializes in recovery issues ranging from childhood abuse to
alcohol and drug addiction. When Deborah’s battle with cancer ended her story’s
getting published, Barbara stepped in to her friend’s aide and completed the
manuscript and ensured the book’s publication.
Both women hoped to show the world of addiction and recovery in a balanced
way, a world teetering between darkness and illumination. These two friends
shared many similarities in their lives: Both have had the common desire to
unravel the mysteries of addiction and its power over lives. Both searched
holistically for answers. Both questioned society’s views on addiction. Both
were passionate about their field. Both chose alternative ways to combat and
deal with addictions whenever possible.
They were two
human angels, filled with compassion for humanity.
Barbara continues wearing her earthly wings, while Deborah now watches from
another realm.
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. Some medical
issues are secondary to drug abuse, some are related to the lifestyle associated
with addiction, and some just associated with poor health. And, occasionally,
you will read about the end of someone’s addiction due to their death, an
unfortunate statistic in this gruesome fight.
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.
But yet, is there anyone who does not fight addiction in one form or another?
In the book, Deborah (as Counselor Allie) points out to one of the clients that
humanity itself is prone to addiction. She points out how most people tend to
park in the same spot, or take the same route to work everyday. Our routine and
everyday habits may be more closely intertwined with other habits than we ever
knew.
To that, I add my own examples, such as the Diet Coke I spent so many years
trying to “kick.” Ten years later – and for the third time – I think I finally
have the “habit” broken. But sometimes, all it takes is one and I am right back
to where I was before. Other habits many of us face: Chocolate, Sugar, Fast
foods and fatty, greasy foods.
Addictions come in so many forms. However, the Diet Coke, or chocolate, is
legal. Although it’s not good for us, the effects on our health and our lives
are relatively minor compared to the havoc that heroin, alcohol, or other drugs
can bring. But, just because it’s legal and socially acceptable, that doesn’t
mean the rest of us are any better than those fighting the devastating villains
of illicit drugs or alcohol. We’re all human; we’re all in this together. [Added
as my own reviewer opinion.]
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.
Addiction: What’s Really Going On? tells the inside story of a
methadone treatment clinic in Los Angeles, California in the 1990s. This book
gives insight into the world of addiction and recovery; helpful for the
addicted, those that work in the field, family members, and those fighting
addiction issues in their lives or those of loved ones.
The book is co-authored by Deborah McCloskey and Barbara Sinor. Friends and
colleagues through the years, they joined together for this joint effort.
Deborah, Allie in the book, was the recovery counselor with the experience in
the clinic and wrote copious notes. Barbara, Dora in the book and Dr. Sinor in
real life, also specializes in recovery issues ranging from childhood abuse to
alcohol and drug addiction. When Deborah’s battle with cancer ended her story’s
getting published, Barbara stepped in to her friend’s aide and completed the
manuscript and ensured the book’s publication.
Both women hoped to show the world of addiction and recovery in a balanced
way, a world teetering between darkness and illumination. These two friends
shared many similarities in their lives: Both have had the common desire to
unravel the mysteries of addiction and its power over lives. Both searched
holistically for answers. Both questioned society’s views on addiction. Both
were passionate about their field. Both chose alternative ways to combat and
deal with addictions whenever possible.
They were two
human angels, filled with compassion for humanity.
Barbara continues wearing her earthly wings, while Deborah now watches from
another realm.
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. Some medical
issues are secondary to drug abuse, some are related to the lifestyle associated
with addiction, and some just associated with poor health. And, occasionally,
you will read about the end of someone’s addiction due to their death, an
unfortunate statistic in this gruesome fight.
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.
But yet, is there anyone who does not fight addiction in one form or another?
In the book, Deborah (as Counselor Allie) points out to one of the clients that
humanity itself is prone to addiction. She points out how most people tend to
park in the same spot, or take the same route to work everyday. Our routine and
everyday habits may be more closely intertwined with other habits than we ever
knew.
To that, I add my own examples, such as the Diet Coke I spent so many years
trying to “kick.” Ten years later – and for the third time – I think I finally
have the “habit” broken. But sometimes, all it takes is one and I am right back
to where I was before. Other habits many of us face: Chocolate, Sugar, Fast
foods and fatty, greasy foods.
Addictions come in so many forms. However, the Diet Coke, or chocolate, is
legal. Although it’s not good for us, the effects on our health and our lives
are relatively minor compared to the havoc that heroin, alcohol, or other drugs
can bring. But, just because it’s legal and socially acceptable, that doesn’t
mean the rest of us are any better than those fighting the devastating villains
of illicit drugs or alcohol. We’re all human; we’re all in this together. [Added
as my own reviewer opinion.]
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.
More about this book can be found on my web site:
Inspiration for Recovery
