Review/Giveaway: Addiction

A WINNING READINGS GIVEAWAY!

Title: Addiction: What's Really Going On? Inside a Heroin Treatment Program
Author: Deborah McCloskey, CADC and Barbara Sinor, PhD

Genre: Nonfiction memoir
How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.
Entry deadline: January 25, 2010
Restrictions: Open internationally

That's right, enter right here for this giveaway. Please note: we are giving away our review copy, so it has been gently read.

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When I opened this book, I admit I was expecting a rather dry dissertation of heroin treatment programs. I was drastically wrong! While I did learn a lot about methadone treatments, what I found was a fascinating look into the life of a compassionate caseworker and the countless lives she touched in her job.

Addiction: What's Really Going On? was co-authored by Deborah McCloskey (now deceased) and Dr. Barbara Sinor. It is based on Deborah's notes during the late 1990s-2000s while employed in a methadone clinic in Southern California. This 224-page paperback is published by Loving Healing Press and has a list price of $19.95. For more information, check out the author's website: http://www.drsinor.com/Addiction.htm.

Here's the publisher's overview of the book:

"Addiction: What's Really Going On? contains powerful true-life stories woven together to form a tapestry filled with pain, joy, defeat, and success. The entire book is molded around Deborah McCloskey's heartfelt desire for her clients to be free of drugs. Her counseling methods both endeared her as "the counselor to get" and locked her into a decade of searching for better ways to help those she felt were stuck on the merry-go-round of a methadone system. This book should be read by teachers, hospitals employees, college students, government officials, and our general adult population whether addicted, sober, or straight."

This was a page-turner of a book. I found myself immersed in a world I didn't know existed. I've encountered drug use to a very small degree in my previous job, as we did routine drug screening there, and I never quite understood why people would risk their livelihood and credibility. I still don't completely understand, but I do have a new respect for them and for those who work with them on a regular basis.

Deborah's own history and story is intertwined with her coworkers and her clients. So you've got not just one drama going on, but dozens... I love how she developed a relationship of mutual respect with her clients - not taking nonsense, but still trusting and wanting the best for them. She was compassionate without being judgmental - a rare quality, I think. And she was called - she took a break for a while, but was compelled to return to counseling - to touching lives and looking for ways to improve the system.

Since most of the books I review here are Christian-based, here's a quick mention that while this book is not written from a Christian background, I appreciated its perspective on serving humanity.

Thanks to Dr. Barbara Sinor for the review copy of this book. If you're interested in the topic of addiction, be sure to visit her new blog: www.drsinor.blogspot.com.