The Addict

How does one go from a giggling toddler learning to walk, to a heroin-addict gang member living on the streets? What went wrong? Was it one significant event, or a series of small deviations? Maybe the better question is: How does one get out of the deepest of gutters and into the sunshine? I started writing this book in an attempt to answer those questions. Not only for you, but for myself. I spent my late teens and early 20's addicted to heroin and crack -a true nightmare of an existence- homeless living on skid row, in and out of jails, psych wards, hospitals and treatment centers. Then in 2004 I got sober and have spent the past 20 years working with other addicts to help pull them out of the depths of hell. After a decent amount of success in life, and helping people get sober via Alcoholics Anonymous, I decided to open my own treatment centers. My personal experience, as well as being on the clinical and altruistic side of helping addicts has allowed me to gain a clear picture on the problems at hand. I'll talk about the things that worked for me, I've distilled the 12-steps down to its very essence, burning off any archaic dogmas and infusing principles for your health, along with aspects for the mind and spirit. This book is not just for addicts, but for anyone struggling or in need of a drastic change in life. The elements in this program are what changed my life and pulled me out of the lowest places a human can go. There was no pre-existing familial structure to fall back on, no mentors, no money, no education, no talent, no good looks, or charming character. Just the things I picked up along the way from life, books and a few friends. I've travelled all around the world with my pen and stack of notebooks trying to pour out everything from my head into these pages- hoping to leave my daughters and the world a better place, with the lessons of my life and its misfortunes.