The Addict - by Michael Stein (Paperback)

From the Back Cover

The Addict opens a window on the very private world of prescription drug addiction, revealing the harrowing story of a young woman whose life has been taken over by a need she can't extinguish.

Lucy's first appointment with Dr. Michael Stein on a sunny April day began a yearlong series of encounters that took her back to the origins of her addiction and unraveled a life driven by compulsion and the constant pursuit of the next pill. The Addict follows Lucy from the start of her treatment, through relapse, to her eventual long-term recovery, including her breakup with a destructive boyfriend whose own drug addiction surpassed hers. It is an unforgettable tale of a young woman living on the edge but determined to take control of her life--and a deeply personal account of a doctor on the front lines of an epidemic.

Review Quotes

"No other writer has captured the essential truths about illness with as much clarity." - Annie Dillard
"The Addict is a beautifully told story of addiction, but from the perspective of a physician whose vast experience working with people caught up in substance abuse reveals itself not in cynicism but in great insight, empathy and compassion. Stein's experience and his writing skills provide a window to what it is about being human that drives us to addiction andwhat it takes to be rescued." - Abraham Verghese, author of The Tennis Partner, My Own Country and Cutting for Stone
"With a crisp detachment that belies his vulnerability and caring, Stein masterfully records the relentless pain-physical and psychological-that brings a 29-year-old Vicodin addict, to his door ... [a] haunting narrative ... Stein's clear-eyed compassion catapults her story from pathetic to sympathetic." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Through the story of one patient--a 29-year-old woman hooked on prescription drugs--Dr. Michael Stein explores the dynamics of addiction in our culture." - New York Newsday
"A gripping, illuminating book...hauntingly and successfully, Stein lets readers make a doctor's experiences their own." - Janet Maslin, New York Times