Addiction--what's really going on? : inside a heroin treatment program

Deborah McCloskey truly has a passion for working with heroin addicts, and that passion shows through in this book.  Each story offers a heart-rending view of  an addict and the people who care about them, the addiction and working to the other side, becoming drug free.  McCloskey shows that while there is no easy fix, with understanding and care, and the proper medical treatment; all addicts have the means needed to change their life. 

The characters are richly drawn, and you will find yourself rooting for them and caring about them.  The actual discussion on the use of methodone and the psychology of addiction will prove useful to anyone with a loved one, friend, or family member in the grip of any addiction.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is considering pursuing a career in psychology, social work, or addiction counseling.  You will find it invaluable.  The book is written to appeal to the every day reader, too.  You will learn from it, cry for the addicts, and cheer on the people in the trenchs working with addicts every day.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (5/09)

In “Addiction: What is Really Going On?,” substance abuse counselor Deborah McCloskey takes us inside a southern California treatment program for heroin addicts.  By reading her story, which was fascinating, we learn about the ins and outs of methadone treatment.  We also learn about the counselors and addicts.  Each person has their own story.  If the addicts don’t deal with their issues, their chances of staying clean are nil.  If the substance abuse counselors don’t deal with their own personal issues as well, then they have a harder time being effective counselors.  It was sad to learn that many of them, who are in recovery themselves, also relapse.

Through her experiences and compassion, Ms. McCloskey learned how to work with addicts.  Even though she didn’t always find success with them, she was able to gain their respect and learn how they might try to trick her.  I learned a lot from her counseling style.  Even though she didn’t let her clients get away with anything, she still was able to gain their respect. Dealing effectively with some of her co-workers and a supervisor also took some skill on her part.
           
As a graduate of a Master of Science program in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, part of which involved training in Substance Abuse Counseling, I truly wished that I had had a book like this when I was learning about addictions.  I think that every student in the program would have benefited.  By reading about the clients, their games, their addiction, and what worked, my classmates and I would have benefited hugely.  This in turn would have helped the people with whom we were doing our practicum hours.
           
Heroin addiction is an insidious problem in our society.  Ms. McCloskey was successful in finding some alternative ways of dealing with treatment.  She didn’t like how the system functioned because it definitely was not working for everyone, and so she made some changes on her own caseload to find out how she could achieve success.  I really think that “Addiction: What's Really Going On? Inside a Heroin Treatment Program” should be read by all people who are involved in some form of substance abuse, whether they are counselors, addicts, or family members of addicts.  Sadly because of her passing, Ms. McCloskey will no longer be able to directly help others in this field; however, by assisting with telling her story, Barbara Sinor, PhD, has stepped in as a co-author on this book and in doing so, allows her work to carry on.

<a href="http://insidescooplive.com/author-pages/Sinor-McCloskey-reading-interview.html" target="_blank">Listen to interview on Inside Scoop Live</a><a href="http://insidescooplive.com/author-pages/Sinor-McCloskey-reading-interview.html" target="_blank">
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<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/InterviewMcCloskeySinor.html">Read interview with Barbara Sinor</a>