I am writing this book as a guide for those who are contemplating or attempting to recover from addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Addiction is a pervasive and devastating condition that not only destroys the individual lives of the addicts themselves, but also deeply and negatively affects the lives of those closest to the addict, including their family and friends. Addiction leads to an unraveling of the very social fabric of our communities with the related problems of crime and lost productivity that accompany drug/alcohol use and addiction.

Addiction is so pervasive in our society that I can safely say that probably every one of us has known someone who is or has been addicted or has personally been affected by someone who is or has been addicted. Indeed, it is estimated that almost one in ten individuals in the United States has a current addiction or will become addicted in their lifetime!

I have decided to write this book as someone who has more than just a professional interest in the study of and treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, but also as someone who has a very personal and deep investment in this topic. Besides being a medical doctor who has undergone many years of education and training and who has garnered experience over the years in the study of and treatment of addiction and its medical consequences, I am also a recovering alcoholic who has been in active and sustained recovery for almost twenty-five years now. Most of what I have to say in the following pages comes from what I have learned from my personal experience of the living hell that was my addiction and the salvation that was my recovery.