Painkillers, Heroin, and the Road to Sanity

April 7, 2014
Gammill, who regularly leads interventions on Dr. Phil, addresses a rise in opiate abuse in the United States and the nature of addiction and recovery, informed by her own lifelong struggle with prescription painkillers. Two million Americans are currently afflicted with opiate addiction, and with new uncrushable Oxycontin pills, many users have switched to heroin. The ages of first-time users is skewing younger than ever and have a higher rate of relapse after recovery. Gammill became addicted to pain medication post-surgery, using it to deal with residual pain from being molested as a child, alongside untreated anxiety and depression. She recounts her experiences with “doctor shopping,” seasonal “euphoric recall,” thoughts of suicide, and compulsive behaviors. Gammill critiques the “managed care” healthcare system in which hurried doctors dole out pills with little forethought, pharmaceutical companies unscrupulously push medications, and insurance companies fail to cover rehab expenses while their CEOs net huge profits. Gammill recommends working a 12-step program and provides strategies for maintaining sobriety as well as other options if you cannot afford treatment. This book provides a welcome education on opiate addiction and thoughtful words of support from someone who has been there and come out the other side.

August 1, 2014

Opiate addiction is rampant, and recovering addict and interventionist Gammill (The Interventionist) provides a radically effective approach to getting and staying clean. Opiate addiction is an illness that the author asserts may take a multipronged approach to recover from. Gammill explores the physiology of opiate addiction and shows how innocently one may become hooked on any of these substances. The strongest point of her message is that there is hope, although some of that resides in reforming the addiction treatment and legal system. On a personal level, the author provides a five-day plan for withdrawing from drugs and beginning recovery. VERDICT Most helpful for those embedded in opiate abuse and their friends or family members who are seeking understanding and help.

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