Title: Surviving Drug Abuse: Seek Help or Die Trying
Author: Esther Morgan
Publisher: LitFire Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-64398-364-6
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 166
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent
Hollywood Book Reviews
Surviving Drug Abuse: Seek Help or Die Trying is an informative and heartbreaking account of a mother’s attempt to deal with the drug addictions of her children. Esther Morgan has written a memoir that readers won’t forget.
Surviving Drug Abuse tells the story of Morgan’s attempts to deal with the drug addictions of her children, Daniel, David, and Sarah. She details how her eldest son David struggled with opioid and cocaine addiction. He was trafficking drugs and ended up in prison several times. His younger brother Daniel also had an addiction to drugs to self-medicate his untreated depression. Morgan’s daughter Sarah became an addict with tragic consequences.
Morgan writes with brutal honesty about the devastating effects drug addiction has on people and their families. Morgan blames herself for not monitoring her children enough after a divorce. However, she also knows that realistically, there was nothing she could do to prevent the drug dependency of her children. While many may judge her children for their poor choices, Morgan also loved her children despite their numerous mistakes. Morgan understands that the addiction is a lifelong disease that can’t just go away. She also eloquently writes about how her faith and help from friends helped her during her turmoil.
She details the rehab attempts that her children tried along with her attempts to understand her kids’ addiction. The psychological effects of drug addiction on a family are also effectively addressed in Surviving Drug Abuse. Morgan’s writing is a mix of emotional and methodical. Surviving Drug Abuse has helpful statistics about drug addiction in America. She also notes the dire statistics about addicts that end up in prison. Morgan adds her personal problems with addiction by publishing pictures of the sports cars David purchased from selling drugs. Letters from David in prison to Morgan also highlight the toll that prison can take on people that are addicted to drugs.
Surviving Drug Abuse: Seek Help or Die Trying would be best for readers who are struggling with drug addiction or have family with addiction issues. The book would also be ideal for readers who want to read about young adults overcoming addiction in books like Don’t Let Your Kids Kill You by Charles Rubin. The text could be given to parents that are dealing with a loved one’s addiction in a support group.
Surviving Drug Abuse will take readers on an emotional journey. Morgan has written a memoir that will greatly impact readers.