40 stories by parents who have lost a child to drug addiction.
The book contains stories by 40 parents who have lost a child to drug addiction. Also included is the brutal and compelling narrative "I Am Your Disease by the Anonymous Addict."
Also included are kids thoughts on peer pressure, tips on coping, bereavement sites and more.
Read this book and you will discover you are not alone. Others share your heartbreak.
Excerpt
"Mom, nobody wakes up one day and decides to be an addict." The stories contained in this book are about people from every walk of life, socieconomic levels, religious and ethnic backgrounds whose lives were intertwined with people who didn't "decide to be an addict." They all share one common bond - living with, and loving an addicted person.
Professional Reviews
The Time Has Come to Take Action,
By Dr. David G. Carter, Sr., Ph.D. (Hartford, CT) - See all my reviews
Terrorism, youth violence, and warfare are frequently in the headlines. Concerns are raised over and over again about youth killing youth and a myriad of other issues that confront our society daily. What I found poignant about the book, I Am Your Disease: The Many Faces of Addiction, is that it describes, from the perspective of a parent, the horrific nature of drug addiction in America.
Through their eyes you connect with the pain, anguish and bewilderment they confront, asking themselves what they could have done to prevent this from happening to their child. However, if you quickly step back you realize that while each specific instance is the result of a particular set of circumstances, drug addiction has become a vast silent killer, in many ways inflicting a more devastating impact than any terrorist group could have on our society. In fact, it is unusual to find a friend, family member, or loved one who is not aware of at least one individual who is suffering from substance abuse.
It is because of the way in which each parent describes her child that the reader quickly realizes that no parent can guarantee that they will not have a similar experience. The children come from all social and ethnic backgrounds, all upbringings and environments. Some were scholars and others athletes - all offering no discernable evidence that they were drug users - but yet, they were.
What will it take for America to wake up and sound the alarm about the devastating nature and dire consequences of drug addiction, to our families, communities and country? I found it difficult to read the book without stopping to think about my children, and what it is that I can do to raise the public awareness and recognition of this significant problem.
This is a book that I recommend for parents, grandparents, youth, college students, educators and business leaders. There is a message for all of us on its pages. If we take heed, addiction will no longer be "silent," we will have taken action! It is my hope that all who read the book will involve others so that the topic may be raised and discussed over and over again - and move us closer to reducing the number of lives lost and lessened due to drug addition. The authors have succeeded in creating a volume that is alarming, realistic, informative and, hopefully, an impetus for change!
Urban Teens and Support Group Moms Find Much Benefit from I Am Your Disease
By Mrs. Cindi Avezzie "English teacher/support g... (Hartford, CT) - See all my reviews
I Am Your Disease: The Many Faces of Addiction continues to be a valuable, highly recommended tool in my role both as an urban high school English teacher and as a Hearts of Hope support group leader for mothers whose children have died. As this book is passed from teen to teen or from mom to mom, the reactions are the same as my own - a deep appreciation for the insight, strength, and life lessons that eminate from each family's heartfelt account. Their courage to share their struggles with us makes us stronger. We listen to the stories, cry over them, and react.
In the classroom this collection unpacks a vital look into the harsh realities of young people's drug addiction, with consequences involving profoundly painful suffering for all involved. During my students' daily 20 minutes of silent sustained reading, they are invited to select a book of their choice. I Am Your Disease has become one of the most talked about and requested books. Each family's personal account opens opportunites for exploring the who, what, why, where, when, and how of addiction, leading to valuable discussions and students' written responses to prompts about this important topic. Questions, personal connections, and possible solutions to drug and gambling addiction begin to arise. All are engaged becausethe topic is one that relates to their lives or the lives of someone they know.
At my Hearts of Hope faith-based support group, moms in bereavement are on a life-long journey of managing grief as they seek hope through a relationhip with God and biblically-based teaching. When we strategize ways to turn heartaches into something positive for ourselves and others, we applaud the I Am Your Disease families and counselors who shared their pain, struggles, and heartbreak in this moving and dynamic book. They have successfully helped all of us by presenting a raw, truthful account that educates us and then leaves us pondering important questions while developing practical coping strategies.
The teens and moms I work with recognize that when we reach a dead end in life, it's not as easy as simply turning around and getting back on the path. Habits, beliefs, behaviors, and toxic relationships can make us feel stuck. I Am Your Disease encouarges people of all ages and cultural backgrounds to open a window of understanding so we can see clearly and take the appropriate steps needed to help ourselves and others. Certainly this book offers the support needed to navigate our journey. The knowledge we gain about the power of addiction and the desire we have to share this important information with others lights our way - thanks to the courageous contributors of I Am Your Disease.
The brutal reality of drug addiction from the perspective of the survivor,
These stories, very sad and unfortunately so real, are about senseless death. The people described are the young victims of drug addiction so severe that it took their lives. Written by their surviving relatives, nearly always parents, the stories are real, raw and painful. They describe the struggles of how the parents supported their children, the anguish they felt as they watched the roller coaster of peaks, valleys, relapse, apparent recovery and finally death. Money, support, pushing them into treatment, all that could be expected of them was done, yet at best it kept their child alive a little longer.
My wife is a counselor who works with female addicts with children and so she understands how powerful the addictive beast can be. Sometimes, the best she can do is to manage the relapse well enough that it does not enter the "threat to life" category. When I explained the stories to her, she understood the problems fully.
The only way that the deaths of these young people can have any meaning is if they are used to persuade others to avoid contact with the monster of addiction. While they are not uplifting, they are important because they are real. When I was in my teens, my brother and I walked home from school with two girls who lived less than a block away. Two hours later, an ambulance was at their house and one of them, my brother's girlfriend, was dead of a drug overdose. Don't for one instant think that such a thing cannot happen to you, because it can. If you are a parent, read this book and learn what the price of a lack of vigilance can be.
