Download or read book Addiction What It Was Like Conviction What Happened Redemption What It Is Like Now A True Story written by James Hendrickson and published by Page Publishing Inc. This book was released on 2021-03-12 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dear reader: In this riveting true story, you will be amazed at the devastation, dysfunction, addiction, and finally, success in the life of the author! He has reinvented himself several times in his seventy-five years on this earth. Living his first four years in a city near Trenton, New Jersey, he moved to a small tenant house on a farm in New Egypt, New Jersey, where the dysfunction began. He lived there with his parents and siblings—always feeling poor, hungry, and abandoned! When he was ten years old, he began doing anything he wanted to do and became a juvenile delinquent.His father passed away when he was twelve, and his mother moved the family to Bordentown, New Jersey, where he felt lost and alone. To ease the pain, he began drinking and hanging out with older teenagers because it made him feel older. He was restless most of the time and began to look for adventure in the wrong ways. Drinking was not an adventure anymore, but stealing cars was! Three court appearances later, he had to reinvent himself for the first time.Now fifteen years old, it was time for another reinvention. He thought he would settle down and change his ways if he had a girlfriend. The first girlfriend didn't work, and girlfriends became another addiction over a period of three years. Alcohol and women weren't working either. The early dysfunction was still there!The chaos went on for nine more years before the redemption started; all those in recovery know what the chaos is, but the author lets you know how it works after redemption.Forty-eight years sober, with twenty-five as a licensed addiction counselor, his story will amaze you with hope and inspiration.

Download or read book Up from Down written by Ted Adamson and published by Ted Adamson. This book was released on 2011 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Up from Down is not a book about gloom and doom, but an inspirational book that offers hope to all who have faltered. Strung out on heroin, Ted Adamson began his journey with a SWAT team descending on a pharmacy to stop his wild rampage in search of drugs. From the cruelty in the county jail to race riots in state prison, the hard, gritty life of a drug addict is portrayed in all its real-world ugliness and despair. Join Ted as he gives us a picture of what the life of a junkie is really like. Look inside the dark side of drug treatment programs. From the bizarre therapies of the Synanon-like Family to the modern twelve-step programs, you will see what passes as treatment in the modern recovery movement. Up from Down takes readers to the depths of human degradation then brings them back through a journey of redemption.

Download or read book The Big Hustle written by Jim Wahlberg and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2020-06-25 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Jim Wahlberg went to prison the second time at 22 years old, he was sentenced to six to nine years for breaking and entering, bargained down from life for home invasion. He had staggered into a Boston cop’s apartment, helping himself to the sellable stuff and all the beer in the fridge. The cop came home, found Jim passed out at the kitchen table, beat the hell out of him, and arrested him. But Wahlberg, a 130-pound kid from Dorchester, had learned some things from his life on the street and his first prison sentence. He knew how to survive. And he knew that if he wanted to avoid serving the full sentence, he would have to do something. He did what he was best at: He hustled. He would create the illusion that he was trying to change, that he’d become the model prisoner, not a guy hell-bent on getting out while he was still young enough to drink more, steal more, and do more drugs. He didn’t know, though, that the Catholic priest he was trying to hustle was actually hustling him. The Big Hustle is the story of a redeemed life and a family’s healing. This is the no-holds-barred, unvarnished, and sometimes brutal true story of Jim Wahlberg, the fifth of nine kids growing up in a working-class Irish Catholic neighborhood outside of Boston, hustling for attention any way he could get it, which led him to the biggest hustle of his life. Against all odds he got clean, he got out, and he got the girl. Jim dedicated his new life as a former addict to working with addicts, and for years has spread the word that recovery is possible. But nothing could have prepared him for what came next. His discovery that his own son was an addict threw Jim into a crisis—one that led him deeper into his faith and led to healing he never thought possible. This book is a testament to God’s power and an invitation to all of us to hope in the darkest places. About the Author Jim is the fifth oldest Wahlberg. Like his brothers Donny and Mark, Jim recovered from his tough upbringing in the streets of Dorchester to become producer, writer, and director of films, including The Circle of Addiction, What About the Kids?, and The Lookalike. Jim is the executive director of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, created to improve the quality of life for inner city youth through a working partnership with other youth organizations. Jim and his wife live in South Florida and have three children.

Download or read book Life Is written by Suede Frunchak and published by Charisma Media. This book was released on 2015-10-06 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Youth and young adults struggling with substance abuse, correctional circumstances, addictions, or just life itself can find freedom in this open, honest testimonial of recovery from drugs and alcohol! A true story of redemption through a higher power, Life Is...shares the author's downfall into addiction and lessons experienced in his own passage from drug addiction. The author's testimony gives the reader insight to change negative circumstances that have been passed down from generation to generation. The account of Suede Frunchak's journey through struggles and life lessons propels the reader into a state of hope and self-assurance. Life Is... is a clear translation of divine, forthright, standing courage, and biblical truth.

Download or read book The Million Rand Teaspoon written by Nikki Ridley and published by Penguin Random House South Africa. This book was released on 2011-04-21 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘When I saw Lee cook up the paregoric, strap the tourniquet around her arm and put the needle into her vein, I was instantly captivated by a ritual that would eventually come to dominate my existence. But of course I didn’t know that then. I just wanted to try it.’ - Paul Bateman ‘I will never forget that little teaspoon. It was the only remaining item left in Paul’s flat in Durban when I went there with my wife to see what Paul had done. The only thing left. Not even a fork, or a knife or a cup to go with it. A teaspoon. Other than the clothes on his back, it was the only material thing that Paul had left in the world.’ - Mark Bateman ‘When we visited, we could hear him screaming even before we got out of the car. He was going through withdrawal, even in his comatose state, and that is when we first knew for certain that he could never have got clean if this hadn’t happened. He could never have got through that fully awake and aware and in control of himself. He wouldn’t have been able to.’ - Val Bateman This is the true story of Paul Bateman’s journey from experimentation to drug addiction and beyond. It is also an account of the experiences of the people around him, in their attempts to cope with him, before and after the overdose that almost killed him. The events are told from multiple points of view, with different chapters narrated by Paul, his girlfriend, his mother and other members of his family. The Million-Rand Teaspoon gives a complete, insightful, honest picture of the effect of drugs on the addict and his loved ones.

Download or read book From Cocaine to Christ A Story of Redemption Reconciliation and Recovery written by Brian O. Mohika and published by . This book was released on 2019-06-22 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dramatic and inspiring true story of a former drug addict called to win the lost and challenge others to do the same... Ever heard of someone hitting rock bottom before they finally have a come-to-Jesus moment? Well, Brian will be the first to admit he couldn't tell you which rock bottom finally did the trick! In this riveting account of his personal testimony, he tells the story of how he went from a life in ruins from the consequences of his addictions to sober, clean, and studying for the ministry, as well as inventor of several medical devices already beginning to change countless lives. The Lord Jesus is a God of restoration. He has the ability to create something from nothing, which is where Brian's life story goes to and comes back from: the very bottom. This book is for if you are or have been bound to drugs and alcohol and can't imagine a way out, or you know someone who has and would be encouraged by this powerful and encouraging story of redemption and radical transformation. "I wrote an intentionally short book because I wanted to make it a quick and easy read for as many people as possible. I know many have not gone as far into drugs and alcohol as I have while I also know many have and are currently stuck in their bondage. It's my prayer this book can be placed in their hands as an encouragement and a lifeline. If God can do it for me, He can do it for you as well!" - Brian Mohika

Download or read book Addiction Treatment written by Daniel Hood and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-08 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Addiction Treatment is an ethnography that compares two types of residential drug-free treatment programs-religious, faith-based programs and science-based, secular programs. Although these programs have originated from significantly different ideological bases, in examining the day-to-day operations of each, Daniel E. Hood concludes that they are far more alike than they are different. Drug-free treatment today, whether in secular or religious form, is little more than a remnant of the temperance movement. It is a warning to stop using drugs. At its best, treatment provides practical advice and support for complete abstinence. At its worst, it demeans users for a form of behavior that is not well understood and threatens death if they do not stop. Hood argues that there is no universal agreement on what addiction is and that drug abuse is little more than a catch-all term of no specific meaning used to condemn behavior that is socially unacceptable. Through extensive participatory observations, intimate life history interviews, and informal conversations with residents and staff, Hood shows how both programs use the same basic techniques of ideological persuasion (mutual witnessing), methods of social control (discourse deprivation), and the same proposed zero tolerance, abstinent lifestyle (Christian living vs. Right living) as they endeavor to transform clients from addicts to citizens or from sinners to disciples.

Download or read book Jesus in My Face written by Amy Atwater and published by Tate Publishing & Enterprises. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where there is hope, there is healing. Jesus in My Face is a raw and painfully honest account of a young girl, turned woman, while trapped in the torment of alcoholism and drug addiction. Raised in the church, Amy grew up with Dad's depictions of Christ crucified in her family home. She appreciated his artwork but never grasped the significance. Traumatized by family dysfunction, she chose a path of rebellion plagued with reckless abuse of mind altering substances spanning over three decades. Amy, in search of the ultimate high, lands in rehab at age forty-one. So begins the battle for her soul, no longer resigned to her plight, and attempting to feel worthy of a love she's never known. Be prepared for this awe inspiring true story filled with shocking realities, tragedy, humor, perseverance, encouragement and insight. If you or a loved one is struggling with any addiction, let the healing begin.

Download or read book The Harder They Fall written by Gary Stromberg and published by Hazelden Publishing. This book was released on 2010-07-20 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Updated with photos and new interviews. The heady, drug-induced decades of the sixties and seventies provide the backdrop for this all-star account of addiction and recovery. Among the celebrities interviewed by Gary Stromberg for The Harder They Fall are comedian Richard Lewis; musicians Alice Cooper, Grace Slick, Dr. John, and Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night); actors Malcolm McDowell and Mariette Hartley; Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Franz Wright; writer Anne Lamott; and athletes Doc Ellis and Gerry Cooney. The good news? All are recovering and leading lives of extraordinary accomplishment. "My own disease would like to tell you that my 'isms' are now my 'wasims.' But as this book reads, it's an ongoing process that leads to the sweetest spirituality. My hat's off and great kudos to those who share their story like it is for those of us who still need to hear it." -Steven Tyler - Aerosmith "Read this book! Here are the real winners in life. The best and the brightest with devastating illnesses, living clean, sober, confident, happy lives. If you want to know about alcoholism and addiction and how to get "weller than well," read this book." Capt. Ronald E. Smith - Chairman of the Dept. of Psychiatry, National Naval Medical Center and for twelve years the Psychiatric Consultant to the U S Congress "Here are the stories of twenty-one celebrities who had everything until their abusive chemicals showed them that, at the bottom, they had nothing at all. These pioneers in the modern drug abuse epidemic eventually each found their way into recovery, even redemption. These inspiring stories tell of the joy of finding a way of being that is more precious than fame and fortune." Robert L. DuPont, M.D. - White House Drug Czar for President Nixon and Ford (1973 to 1977), author of The Selfish Brain

Download or read book A Double Shot of Redemption written by Amanda Dinello and published by . This book was released on 2019-09-25 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amanda's autobiography takes readers on her explicit life journey through her addiction during her adolescent years. She exposes the darkness of drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes and the bondages that came with that lifestyle. Her addiction to heroin left her at rock bottom after nearly 20 overdoes by the age of 21. She elaborates how it was divine intervention that saved her.But her story doesn't stop there.In her pursuit of the truth, she was manipulated and abused by someone who claimed to be God's chosen prophet. When Amanda was finally set free from this situation she was left with only a few items to her name.Her story is vulnerable, authentic, heart wrenching, yet inspiring. Journey with her as she details the events from her heroin addiction to her captivity to her redemption from both rock bottoms.

Download or read book The Fifth Vital written by Mike Majlak and published by Mike Majlak. This book was released on 2021-05-05 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: USA TODAY BESTSELLING BOOK! Mike Majlak was a seventeen-year-old from a loving, middle-class family in Milford, Connecticut, when he got caught up in the opioid epidemic that swept the nation. For close to a decade thereafter, his life was a wasteland of darkness and despair. While his peers were graduating from college, buying homes, getting married, having kids, and leading normal lives, Mike was snorting OxyContin, climbing out of cars at gunpoint, and burying his childhood friends. Unable to escape the noose of addiction, he eventually lost the trust and support of everyone who had ever loved him. Alone, with nothing but drugs to keep him company, darkness closed in, and the light inside him--the last flicker of hope--began to dim. His dreams, potential, and future were all being devoured by a relentless addiction too powerful to fight. Despair filled him as he realized he wasn't going to survive. Somehow, he did... HE NOT ONLY SURVIVED, HE THRIVED. Now he's a social media personality with millions of followers, and an entrepreneur, marketer, podcaster, YouTuber, and author who hopes to use his voice to shine a light for those whose own lights have grown dim. This is his story.

Download or read book The Journey Back written by Lesley A. Victoria and published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2022-08-01 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book depicts the story of LesleyaEUR(tm)s journey from the depths of darkness and into the light of a forgiving and gracious God. This is not intended to be a self-help book, but rather a story of hope and forgiveness; hope for better days beyond addiction, and forgiveness to oneself for past mistakes and missteps. The reader will learn of LesleyaEUR(tm)s struggles from a raging drug addiction to the shock of a cancer diagnosis, followed by a massive stroke which resulted in the paralysis of her left side. This book depicts the on-going physical struggles Lesley experiences daily, but it also illustrates the numerous and awe-inspiring epiphanies which have brought her back into GodaEUR(tm)s grace. aEURoeThe Journey BackaEUR is a triumph over the demons that have always remained one step behind, sometimes appearing perilously close. LesleyaEUR(tm)s story has been written to help others who are living inside the black hole of addiction, know that there is healing Light waiting on the other side.

Download or read book Witness written by Lee Hollingsworth and published by Inservice Press, LLC. This book was released on 2009-04 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Witness is an exciting chronicle of one man's descent into a success fueled addictive abyss. His will finally broken, his family scarred, witness his slow accumulation of spiritual awareness, and the development of strength through humility and service. A very private and personal revelation, Lee tells a true story of hope and rebirth, that inspires new clarity towards faith.

Download or read book Lost in Ghost Town written by Carder Stout and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychologist to the Hollywood elite Dr. Carder Stout delivers a page-turning memoir about his fall from grace into the gritty underbelly of crack addiction, running drugs for the Shoreline Crips, surviving homelessness, escaping a murder plot, and finding redemption in the most unlikely of places. Dr. Carder Stout’s clientele includes Oscar-, Golden Globe-, Emmy-, Tony- and Grammy-winners, bestselling authors, and billionaires. He may not be able to share their dark secrets, but for the first time, everyone will know his. At the age of thirty-four, Carder would have gladly pawned the silver spoon he was born choking on for a rock of crack. His downfall was as swift as his privilege was vast…or had he been falling all along? Raised in a Georgetown mansion and educated at exclusive institutions, Carder ran with a crowd of movers, shakers, and future Oscar-winners in New York City. But words like “promise” and “potential” are meaningless in the face of serious addiction. Lost years and a stint in rehab later, when Carder was a dirty, broke, soon-to-be-homeless crackhead wandering the streets of Venice, California. His lucky break came thanks to his old Ford Taurus: he lands a job of driving for a philosophical drug czar with whom he finds friendship and self-worth as he helps deliver quality product to LA’s drug enthusiasts, from trust-fund kids, gang affiliates, trophy wives, hip-hop producers, and Russian pimps. But even his loyalty and protection can’t save Carder from the peril of the streets--or the eventual contract on his life. From a youth of affluence to the hit the Shoreline Crips put on his life, Carder delves deep into life on the streets. Lost in Ghost Town is a riveting, raw, and heartfelt look at the power of addiction, the beauty of redemption, and finding truth somewhere in between.

Download or read book From Dope to Hope written by Tim Ryan (Businessman) and published by . This book was released on 2017-03-15 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This is the addict's journey: how it happens, how it progresses, and how it ends. Fortunately, this is also the journey of recovery: how it happens, and how it blossoms. There is always hope." --"Dr. Drew" Pinsky, M.D.Heroin addiction didn't make Tim a better person. It stole more than half of his life. But he's dedicated every waking minute since walking out of prison to dealing hope to addicts and their families. By his own account, Tim Ryan shouldn't be here. But as he states, "Where there is life, there is hope." Known as The Hope Dealer, Tim is a successful entrepreneur, grateful recovering heroin addict and alcoholic, nationally ranked barefoot water skier--and truth-talking, convicted felon.*As a business leader in a high-tech industry, Tim made and lost millions. *As a father and husband, Tim introduced his own son to deadly drugs. *As a heroin addict, Tim is a walking miracle. He's overdosed eight times, was pronounced clinically dead three, and suffered two minor heart attacks. He's been arrested more than ten times and served prison time alongside known gang leaders--many of whom became his closest confidants in recovery.*As the founder of A Man in Recovery Foundation and motivational speaker, Tim's mission is to help one addict at a time transform their lives from dope to hope.Tim has been a featured thought leader in numerous national media, including USA Today, Newsweek, and "The Steve Harvey Show with Dr. Drew," and dozens of nationally syndicated radio shows. He was an invited guest by the U.S. President to the 2016 State of the Union Address. This story chronicles Tim's grueling journey into addiction, loss, and recovery. Sit with Tim in his prison cell. Walk with him as loved ones are torn from his reach. Rejoice with him as lives are miraculously recovered.

Download or read book Believe written by Raphael Aron and published by Fontaine Press Pty Ltd. This book was released on 2009 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A kooky bus with syringes painted on the side used to drive around my neighbourhood. The man behind the wheel was Raphael Aron, the anti-drug guy. Far from an armchair commentator, Raphael is someone who has actually gone to the shadows of society to help people, and returned with an original insight." - John Safran, presenter, ABC television and Triple J radio. It is not possible to read this book without being moved and inspired. It provides the reader with a unique insight into the mind and soul of a drug addict. The Australian market has seen the publication of a number of books which deal with addictions. This book is different. The book juxtaposes the lives of two addicts, using recorded personal and intimate experiences and emotions. Their eloquent diaries are published in the book together with the session notes of their counsellor and author, Raphael Aron. The book reveals the raw nature of addiction and the hold it has over those who suffer from it. The contrasting stories and journeys of two young people are compelling, as are the incredible efforts and insightful techniques applied by the counsellor to help battle their addiction.

Download or read book Reality Check written by Mike Sorrentino and published by Verified Publishing. This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino gives fans the inside scoop they've been begging for with his explosive tell-all.In this page-turning whirlwind of action-packed, unbelievable stories, Mike paints a raw and uncensored picture of his rise to stardom, steep fall, and amazing renaissance, all told with unwavering honesty. Divulging everything from drug-fueled orgies to what really happened behind the scenes of reality television's most loved and dysfunctional family, Mike's book reveals all for the first time. In his familiar, straightforward voice, he hilariously tells of intoxicated run-ins with celebrities like The Rock, Robert Downey Jr., Drake, Jay Leno, Leonardo DiCaprio, David Hasselhoff, Jason Statham, Lil Wayne, Kristin Cavallari, Whoopi Goldberg, and more. Alongside the comical moments, he describes more poignant events, such as the frantic searches for opiates to sate excruciating withdrawals, including one such time in Italy, which led to the infamous wall headbutt fight with Ronnie. No punches are pulled in this unfiltered tale, relating Mike's darkest thoughts after trying heroin, going to prison, and grieving his wife's tragic miscarriages. However, like in all true redemption stories, Mike never gave up, and readers are sure to be inspired by his determination to get clean and sober and become the man he is today. With pure candor and vulnerability, he delivers details on the mindset that got him through those dark times and onto the enlightened, sober path he walks today. Through personal anecdotes and invaluable life lessons, Mike teaches readers how to overcome obstacles and embrace change. From conquering personal demons to finding redemption, he proves that it's never too late to turn your life around and make the best of any situation. Get ready for a reality check like no other as you immerse yourself in Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino's exhilarating memoir.