Deborah McCloskey, CDAC and Barbara Sinor, Ph.D.

This book contains a brief look at ten years in the real life of a substance abuse counselor. My coauthor, Deborah McCloskey, took the time to write extensive notes pertaining to her personal struggles of working with drug addicted clients while employed in a methadone clinic (OTP) located in southern California from the late 1990s to her untimely death in 2006. We worked on this book together over several years sharing our passion for client advocacy and discovering alternative ways to deal with those addicted to drugs and alcohol.

The notes progressed to a long narration of countless stories. I have wove these powerful stories, as well as, the immediate highs and lows of her own life crises to form a tapestry filled with pain, joy, defeat, and success. The entire book is molded by Deborah’s heartfelt desire for her clients to be free of drugs. Her deep compassion for those she counseled guided them toward self-education, self-discovery, and self-recovery. These counseling methods both endeared her as “the counselor to get” and locked her into a decade of searching for better ways to help those she felt were stuck on the merry-go-round of a methadone system.

It is evident throughout the book that Deborah’s passion for aiding those in addiction became her focus, as well as, to help redirect the way we as a society handle our drug addicted population. This passion led her to write the fascinating stories which pose the compelling question: “What’s really going on?“ The manuscript addresses this question and others surrounding the need for change in how those with drug addictions are treated in our society. One of Deborah’s goals was to manifest this vision and to bring the reality of addiction out-of-the-closet.

The stories are true, the people are real, as are the life threatening incidences and tales of pain. To balance the darkness, Deborah uses her candid sense of humor to reel in the reader until he can no longer resist. Once he enters, he will not leave until he finds justice. But is there justice? Throughout the book the reader will search for illumination within the intriguing stories of depression and defeat, but find it rarely. Only in a few select brave souls who have struggled to become drug-free will the reader find the answers to the manuscript’s questioning title.

The target group for this manuscript is all with an interest in learning the factual reality of drug and alcohol addiction, including those addicted. Readership will include teachers, social workers, medical professionals, and counselors who wish to experience the eye-opening truth about their students, clients, and patients. This book should be read by teachers, hospitals employees, college students, government officials, those incarcerated, and our general adult population whether addicted, sober, or straight. The manuscript instructs us all to ask questions surrounding those we love and those we do not know--our addiction population.

• addresses the questions surrounding the need for change in how those with drug and alcohol addictions are treated in our society,
• helps us understand the need for a “wake-up” call regarding drug and alcohol use in our country,
• declares a passion for client advocacy and discovering alternative ways to deal with those addicted to drugs and alcohol,
• brings the reality of addiction out-of-the-closet, and instructs us all to ask questions surrounding our tolerance of drug addiction.

Deborah McCloskey (right) attending one of my book signing events in 2004.

“Treating addiction is one of the most complex things that any caregiver can do and it is also among the most richly rewarding… When treatment works effectively with compassionate and knowledgeable caregivers, as depicted in this book the integrity of the individual is restored and hope is rediscovered.

Addiction: What’s Really Going On? captures the experiences of a clinician who worked in an OTP, then called a Methadone Maintenance Treatment facility (MMT)… [the book] effectively captures the dynamic activity within the OTP and demonstrates the incredible relationship between the patients and the caregivers… There is a deeply personal and symbiotic relationship between the patient and the caregiver in these opioid treatment settings as noted throughout the book.”

Deborah McCloskey, CDAC and Barbara Sinor, Ph.D.

“Once I started reading ADDICTION: What’s Really Going On? I could not put it down! You can tell the passion the author has as you read it. I can also tell how she learned about methadone and the patients as she went along in her work. I am sorry we never had a chance to formally meet or maybe we did--I was at that National Conference she referred to and I am pleased that NAMA has been mentioned in the book.”

Roxanne Baker, C. M. A., President

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA)

Author, Scumbag Sewer Rats

Lori Carter-Runyon, Executive Director

Hilltop Recovery Services

“ADDICTION: What’s Really Going On? is a page turner with a deceivingly simple point of view: A helper wanting to help and people needing her help, if only things were that simple. I am fascinated by ADDICTION: What’s Really Going On? on several different levels. First, as a chemically dependent person in recovery; second, as an addictions therapist; and lastly, someone who simply loves a great read. As a person in recovery, the emotions, mindsets, and motivations of real people bound in the web of addiction are depicted in very realistic terms and empathically described right down to the most basic need for simple survival. As a therapist, I understand the balance between the desire to help and make a difference in the world and being at war with the realities of human, ethical, and bureaucratic limitations. I recommend this book to audiences in any helping profession, people in recovery, the families of drug addicts, and the users themselves.”

Bill Urell, M.A., CAAP-II, Addictions Therapist for our older adult population

Author, The Addiction Recovery Help Guide

“Thank you for allowing me to read ADDICTION: What’s Really Going On? This beautiful memoir is indeed a tribute to the humanity and dedication Deborah McCloskey brought to those suffering from severe addictions… you hear her voice clearly, as if she were right next to you retelling her powerful stories personally. The content has excellent crossover potential for professionals, lay people, and addicts alike because the individual stories of addiction ring true at all levels.”

Laurie A. Gray, JD

Drug Court Intervention Program

Co-creator, Token of Change™

"While the description of the program setting and patients were, at times, quite grisly and depressing, ADDICTION: What's Really Going On? brought me back to my first week working in an OTP as a counselor... when I was handed a 150 patient caseload. The author's writing style is extremely compelling and the pages turned faster than all of my other reading material. While the first four chapters may not warm communities to the idea of having programs in their neighborhoods, it still captures, for good or bad, the dynamic nature of the methadone treatment programs. Thank you for letting me read through this important document."

Mark W. Parrino, M.P.A., President

American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD)

Addiction: What's Really Going On? Inside a Heroin Treatment Program

Deborah McCloskey, CADC & Barbara Sinor, PhD
Loving Healing Press (2009)
ISBN 9781932690934
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.

ALLBOOK REVIEWS Blog

Highly recommended. Reviewer: Cheryl Ellis, Allbook Reviews www.allbookreviews.com

Learn The Real Story About Heroin Treatment Programs

 August 13, 2009

By	Lauri C. Coates (MASCOUTAH, IL United States)

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 methadone 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 trenches working with addicts every day.
 

Interview with Barbara Sinor, Ph.D.

Deborah McCloskey, CADC & Barbara Sinor, PhD
Loving Healing Press (2009)
ISBN 9781932690934
Interviewer, Tyler Tichelaar (5/09)




 

Tyler:  Welcome, Barbara. I’m happy you could join me today. To begin, will you tell us about what made you and Deborah decide to collaborate on writing “Addiction” and how you went about writing the book together?

Barbara:  This book is a memoir of about ten years of Deborah's life while she was employed in an MMT (Methadone Maintenance Treatment) facility in southern California. These facilities are now called Opioid Treatment Programs. While working with drug and alcoholic addicts, Deborah became disillusioned about how the patients were treated, the patients' negative views toward seeking sobriety, and the intertwined systems that provided their care. Deborah began sharing with me her experiences and I suggested she take notes, so that perhaps one day she might wish to write a book. So, she did just that and asked me to interject my own views and feelings and share with her my experience with writing. At the end of her life, she gave me all 300+ pages of her notes and told me to do what I wanted with them. I knew right then I would form a worthy and important book so her work would be noted.

TO CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS INTERVIEW CLICK HERE

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Check out the new Recovery Journal

Recovering the Self

This new quarterly journal explores the themes of recovery and healing through

poetry, memoir, essay, fiction, humor, media reviews and psycho-education.

I have an article published in this first issue and hope to continue writing for this

one-of-a-kind magazine!

Barbara Sinor, Ph.D.

If you are not familiar with our national addiction to drugs, statistics from SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) National Survey on Drug Use & Health (2007) show that there is an estimated 22.3 million persons with substance dependence or abuse within the past year. Whereas, only approximately, 2.4 million people received treatment at a specialty facility in 2007 and millions of others addicted to drugs and/or alcohol reported they needed treatment but did not receive help for their problem.

My motivation for writing Tales of Addiction: Stories from the Soul came as I was completing ADDICTION: What’s Really Going On? Inside a Heroin Treatment Program which is coauthored with my friend and colleague Deborah McCloskey. It also comes from my personal experience of living with an alcoholic father and again in my adulthood while coping with an alcoholic son. While researching the field of drug and alcohol addiction, it has become clear that more effort is needed to fully understand the plight of our addiction population, as well as, how this population can help guide younger generations toward the freedom of sobriety through the sharing of their own personal stories.

In the case of alcohol, most alcoholics are men but the incidence of alcoholism in women has been increasing over the past thirty years as has adolescent drug and alcohol abuse. Women tend to become addicted to alcohol later in life than men and it is estimated that 1.8 million older women suffer from alcohol addiction. Scientific advances over the last quarter century have established that drug addiction is a chronic brain disease. Alcohol has widespread effects on the brain and can affect neurons (nerve cells), brain chemistry, and blood flow within the frontal lobes of the brain. Researchers are particularly interested in systems of neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) in the brain that are affected by alcohol. Some research is focusing on the way these neurotransmitters are employed in the brain after long-term alcohol use in order to adapt to the cravings and pain of withdrawal.

Key evidence for the view that drug addiction is a chronic brain disease consists of images of people’s brains taken during or following drug exposures. Brain imaging studies have provided information on individual drugs’ neurobiological effects; helped explain the causes and mechanisms of vulnerability to drug abuse; and yielded important insights into abusers’ subjective experiences and behaviors, including their struggles in recovery. (“NCE & Practice Perspectives,” April 2007)

A passionate advocate for addicts of all kinds is the director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) Dr. Nora Volkow. Volkow states that brain science is proving that we all have the potential to become addicted to something: drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, gambling, even food.

Dr. Volkow adds, “I have never met anyone who thought they would become addicted. They always say that this is the last thing they thought would happen to them… But this disease robs you of freewill. The challenge is to find a cure.”

Until a cure is discovered, let us proudly share our pain, struggles, failures and successes with one another in hopes that our children will not follow the addiction path. Whether sober, using, straight or in the process of recovery, everyone’s personal story can be a valuable insight for our younger generations, as well as, an awakening call to ourselves as adults.

 

                                                
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