"A lawyer turned therapist examines the chaos many families endure when addiction disrupts their lives. Based in part on her own family's journey, Van Vechten explains the science of addiction, the theory of treatment, and the Twelve-Step model of recovery, providing sensible information and tips for reasoned action in support of a loved one while fostering personal growth and recovery."--Publisher's description.

"Stranded in a volatile, ever-shifting family, saddled with a mercurial mother mired in crack addiction, and demeaned daily for his perceived weakness, Joseph Earl Thomas was under constant threat. Roaches fell from the ceiling, colonizing bowls of noodles and cereal boxes. Fists and palms pounded down at school and at home, leaving welts that ached long after they disappeared. An inescapable hunger gnawed at his frequently empty stomach, and requests...

"Two parents stand by powerlessly as their only child seems intent on destroying herself. As the mother--a novelist--attempts to understand her daughter, she finds herself revisiting her own uneasy, unresolved relationship with her mother. Weaving between childhoods past and present, laced with temptation and betrayal, Nonfiction: A novel is an unflinching account of a mother, daughter, wife, and author reckoning with the world around her. But can...

A collection of true stories about growing up with a family member suffering from an addiction.

"An unforgettable memoir about a girl who escapes her childhood as a preschool drug dealer to earn a divinity degree from Duke University-and then realizes she must confront her past to truly find her way home. "Home, it turns out, is where the war is. It's also where the healing begins." Born to drug-dealing parents in rural Indiana, Dana Trent is a preschooler the first time she uses a razor blade to cut up weed and fill dime bags for her schizophrenic...

"From a child's-eye view, Travis Dandro recounts growing up with a drug-addicted birth father, alcoholic step-dad, and overwhelmed mother. As a kid, Dandro would temper the tension of his every day with flights of fancy, finding refuge in toys and animals and insects rather than the unpredictable adults around him. Dandro perceptively details the effects of poverty and addiction on a family while maintaining a child's innocence for as long as he can....

Mary O'Malley's only brother, Jonny is losing his battle to drugs and addiction and her mother is absent and distracted. It seems the only person who might understand is Griffen Connolly, whose older sister runs with Jonny in the wrong crowd. Mary thought Griff was too cool, too popular for her. But now he wants to hang out with her, and listen. When two girls Mary thought were her friends decide to slam another girl online, Mary tries to look the...

Christian and Helen Bohlen's mental illnesses nearly destroyed their marriage, but they found a way to have a happy relationship after all. They detail their struggles in this invaluable resource for couples coping with mental, emotional, and/or addiction issues. When Christian married Helen, he dreamed of "doing great things with a loving companion at [his] side." The reality hardly matched his dreams. Doctors diagnosed Helen with "borderline personality...

"A riveting, deeply personal exploration of the opioid crisis-an empathic memoir infused with hints of true crime. In November 2013, Rose Andersen's younger sister Sarah died of an overdose in the bathroom of her boyfriend's home in a small town with one of the highest rates of opioid use in the state. Like too many of her generation, she had become addicted to heroin. Sarah was 24 years old. To imagine her way into Sarah's life and her choices, Rose...