I am well. Completely well.
Wonderful.
Except, Iām lying.
Or was the first time I wrote this, anyway.
Month after month, on days when I felt optimistic enough to imagine that surely I was nearly healed, I watched myself nail this story down on faith alone that by the time youād read these words, theyād be true.
And now, thank God, they are.
I am completely, confidently well.
It feels like a miracle.
It almost feels like Iāve been dead, and now Iāve come back to vibrant life.
I was a happily married mother of three grown children and the author of nine novels. In September of 2012, I optimistically presented myself for total knee replacement surgeryāone of 670,000 such patients in the U.S. that yearāand, thanks to doctorāprescribed Oxycodone and Xanax, promptly descended into three years of drug-induced hell.
Sometimes a writer assigns herself a challenge of experience, deducting her expenses on Tax Form C, then reports back, allowing the reader to decide for herself whether sheād like to embark on some rigorous diet, raise chickens in the backyard, divorce from all screens, sample a new fitness craze, or travel to some trendy eco resort.
This book is no such thing.
No one would ever choose to experience what I and so many others have gone through in suffering withdrawal from physician-prescribed drugs, but since my life took this horrific turn and I happen to be a writer, it feels like being tapped on the shoulderāTag, youāre it. Speak up.
Stories of addiction-related depravity abound; explanations of how people eventually recover, not so much. Mine is the story I longed to hear during my withdrawal: a story of hope, solid evidence that people can somehow live through this and survive. If you read this book some years in the future, rest assured you need not fear Googling my name only to find that I relapsed right after its publication. Whatever lies ahead for me, one thing remains certain: I will not be going down in the flames of ongoing addiction.
Because of the powerfully destructive effects of narcotic painkillers and anti-anxiety benzodiazepines on the brain, I was, for the duration of my prolonged healing, a terribly sick, reclusive woman, in certain stretches nearly comatose and, in my bleakest moments, the raging Bitch of the World.
Ask my family.
Accidental Addict is the story of how it all went downāthe white, middleclass, ānice-lady,ā pharmaceutically-induced trainwreck of my life.
This book title, Accidental Addict (A True Story of Pain and Healing....also Marriage, Real Estate, And Cowboy Dancing), ISBN: 9781483573649, by Linda Crew, published by BookBaby (August 18, 2016) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
Unlike Amazon and other retailers who may also offer Accidental Addict (A True Story of Pain and Healing....also Marriage, Real Estate, And Cowboy Dancing) books on their website, we specialize in large quantities and provide personal service, from trusted, experienced, friendly people in Portland, Oregon. We offer a Price Match Guarantee, and QuickQuote form, to make purchasing quick and easy.
Prefer to work with a human being when you order Accidental Addict (A True Story of Pain and Healing....also Marriage, Real Estate, And Cowboy Dancing) books in bulk? Our Book Specialists are standing by Monday-Friday 8-5 PST, ready to help!