Addiction: What's Really Going On?

Inside a Heroin Treatment Program

This book is a non-fiction memoir; it 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.

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.


Addiction: What’s Really Going On?

  • 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

 

 

 

.Barbara and Deborah McCloskey

Dr. Sinor and Deborah at a book signing event in 2004

 

 

Excerpt from Foreword

Mark Parrino, M.P.A., President

American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD)

“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.”











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Professional Reviews

 
“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)
 
“ADDICTION: What's Really Going On? is an authoritative, turbulent, and powerful book with a down to earth, gritty look into the dynamics of an inner-city methadone clinic's staff and clientele that offers a true, original, and confounding image of an underworld population rife with liars, thieves, and expert manipulators. The authors offer provocative psychological insights, such as how everyone is born to be addicted in some way; for example, how people always park their cars in the same place or go to work using the same route. Deborah McCloskey's skills as a counselor is also brought alive by the respect she achieved, and some of the questions she raises requires our thought. Such as why are there commercials on television for medications (drugs) when there is supposed to be a war on drugs; or when will people get tired of paying for the reward of addiction at their children's expense; and, will they see the advantages of getting and staying clean and sober. This book is a testament that demands societal change, as well as, individual growth.”
John E. Smethers, Ph.D.
Author, Scumbag Sewer Rats

"ADDICTION: What's Really Going On? is a red hot page-turner, it is like reading about trench warfare. The authors lift the veil and bring light to our nations underbelly. It is gritty and gripping as you enter into the lives of those who are like crabs trying to get out of a barrel. This is the horrifying tale of what happens when you go down the river of substance abuse and you don't have a paddle. Hope comes when you realize that there are people in this world committed to unselfish service and who have unconditional love for others. All of the people who work in this field deserve a national service medal. Thank you Deborah and Barbara for showing us your humanity and for what we all can aspire to.”
Anusha Amen-Ra, CNC, CEO,
Sacred Space Healing and Retreat Centers International, Inc.

"ADDICTION: What's Really Going On? is a truthful look into the world of Methadone Treatment with a mix of compassion and humor. It is a great read for those in the field of recovery and provides insight for those who do not understand the life of addiction and recovery. Much applause to Dr. Sinor for bringing her friend’s poignant story to life; a great tribute to Deborah McCloskey.”
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, Author,The Addiction Recovery Help Guide

"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)

Professional Review

Addiction: What's Really Going On? Inside a Heroin Treatment Program
Deborah McCloskey, CADC & Barbara Sinor, Ph.D.
Loving Healing Press (2009)
ISBN 9781932690934
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views

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.