TreatmentTalk – America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life

“What I can do – and I what I hope others suffering from addictions will also do – is try to learn from the addicts I followed for this book. Bobby, Marvin, Todd, Ellen, Sean, Janice, Jody, and Kate are the true addiction ‘experts.’ They have much to teach us – addicts and nonaddicts alike – about addiction and recovery.” Benoit Denizet-Lewis

One of the speakers at my Al-Anon group spoke about the many books he has read that have been helpful to him, and America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life, by Benoit Denizet-Lewis, was one of the book, which I wanted to read as soon as possible. It is a powerful and engaging book that looks at eight men and women from over America who are struggling with various types of addictions, including sex, food, alcohol, drugs shoplifting, and gambling.

Denizet-Lewis spent three years researching his subjects following them wherever their addiction led them. He looks at the lives of each of these people with compassion, giving those of us that are not addicted, the inside information on the life of an addict. Since my experience has only been with loving people who are addicted to drugs, it was especially interesting to read about the other addictions.

The characters were humanized in a way, that as a reader, I began to feel as if you personally knew them as well, and I couldn’t help but be impressed with the amount of time and effort Denizet-Lewis spent with each addict to write the book.

As you read further into the book, it, at times, become more difficult to follow the characters and I found myself going back to remember who they were and what their addiction was. Denizet-Lewis does solve this problem in his Author’s Note, where he lists the addicts, their occupations and primary addictions.

Denizet-Lewis also discusses some of the research and studies being done. For example, the lesson from a 2003 Wake Forest School of Medicine study of macaque monkeys was, “that environment – if good or bad enough – can sometimes trump genetics and biology.”

Some of the research regarding how drug use affects the brain, as well as medications that may help was interesting to read about. Two that he mentioned were Suboxone for heroin and Antabuse, also one of the oldest, for alcohol.

I found one of the most interesting parts of the book, was when Denizet-Lewis discusses his own addiction (sex) and reveals how he did relapse during the writing of the book. Several of his subjects that he had become friends with lent him their support throughout his relapse. Through their actions, you realize the human side of addiction. The addict, when far enough through to the other side, completely understands the value of a helping hand, no matter who you are.

Whether we like it or not, addiction is here to stay. We all know addicts whether we want to admit it or not, and many of us have friends or family member with this disease that we love. This is a book that is not only informative, but humanizes addiction. Finally, this is a book that reminds us that we need to take care of our children.

“But if I believe anything about addiction, it’s that is roots can usually be found in childhood. (In one study of 872 boys, low self esteem at eleven mostly predicted drug dependency at twenty.)” Benoit Denizet-Lewis