A bridge to the mainland

this book is not just about me. it's about life, relationships with parents, siblings, children and friends. it's about addictions, it's about you, and most importantly, it's about "change." i will be surprised if you can't find yourself somewhere in this book. i promise you, at the end of the book, life will seem easier. it's about taking back control of your life. not letting drugs, alcohol, or people have control of you.i am not a celebrity. i am a regular person who became addicted to drugs because i didn't have the courage or the knowledge to take charge of my life and to make positive changes.the medical center at duke university in durham, nc took me on as a "case history." i learned so much from dr. bernard bressler, dr. joy bressler and the other medical staff, and want to share it with you.in the book, i tell what it feels like to be addicted to opioids. i talk about going through withdrawal and counseling. what happens in group therapy and i share private counseling as well. i have changed the names of the patients, family members and friends as not to cause embarrassment. i am not using my real name.i wrote the initial draft of this book 43 years ago when everything was fresh in my mind. i put the book on the shelf and there it laid for forty three years, collecting dust, as there was no ending and the time was not right. now, with the opioid crisis, the time is right and the book now has a happy and surprising ending.i will forever be grateful to sherry scollfield and martha o'donnell for their help in the final editing of the book. it would have been impossible for me to finish it as i am now in dialysis, battling lung cancer, and struggling with neuropathy in my hands and feet.