Description
This book follows Steve Hamilton's addiction through the drug underworld of South Africa, to the time he was pronounced clinically dead, and into the first steps of recovery and the founding of Narcotics Anonymous.Steve Hamilton is a living metaphor for addiction--and ultimately recovery. A hardened addict in his teens, Hamilton had a heroin habit that led him deep into the drug underworld of South Africa. It took eleven stays at institutions and three times being pronounced clinically dead before Hamilton took his first earnest steps toward recovery. Hamilton eventually became a founding member of Narcotics Anonymous in South Africa and has since counseled addicts in treatment clinics. EXCERPT: "That's the trouble with drugs. None of it is real in the end. The whole thing is one big lie. I wish every day that I could start over, turn back the damn clock and see what the real Steve was like and what he could have accomplished without his dangerous toys and dubious playmates. That's another reason why I want my life back."
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I Want My Life Back is not a pretty story- but it's beautifully told and absolutely compelling. The book's cover features a portrait of author Steve Hamilton. You'd guess his age to be somewhere in his late 60's. Guess again. He's 39, and he has seen several lifetimes of hurt and failure. Raised by an alcoholic father, Hamilton learned early how alcohol can dominate every dynamic in family life. Later, alcohol and drugs dominated every aspect of his own life. This book is a moving and compelling portrait of the addicted life. Readers will learn how addiction comes to possess the mind, soul and body of its human prey. Readers will begin to understand why an addict like Hamilton can't quit the very thing that is destroying him. He leads readers to grapple with a mix of emotions: loathing, pity, sympathy, compassion, and ultimately, admiration. He has been clean and sober for more than a dozen years now, and he completely embraces the Twelve Step philosophy.A powerful story powerfully told, I Want My Life Back is Leaving Las Vegas with a happy ending
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