"Beyond the Lies" is here!
A book with a fresh new look at addiction
Have you ever?
● Had a gut feeling your addicted loved one was lying but you couldn’t prove it?
● Spoken up to the addict or alcoholic in your life about their using and their response created some doubt in your mind?
● Lost sleep worrying about your loved one’s drinking or drug use?
● Heard your addicted loved say something like, “It’s not what you think it is,” and made you question what you saw, heard, or smelled?
● Felt in your gut something was not right, but then your loved one came up with some excuse that made you feel like maybe your gut feeling was wrong?
● Worried that your intoxicated loved one might cause a scene at a party or family event?
Substance use disorder (SUD) is so much more than drinking alcohol or using drugs. In fact, physical addiction is really just a sideshow, a distraction, from what the disease really is. The more pervasive and damaging parts of addiction (especially for loved ones of addicts and alcoholics) are the mental and emotional aspects. If you love someone with SUD, you may not realize you are being systematically manipulated and controlled by the addicted person in your life. This is one of the big reasons why addiction is called “a family disease”.
If you can relate to any of the questions at the start of this post, then you have felt what I am talking about. Those questions are just the tip of the iceberg. My mission is to share the common behavioral patterns of addicts and alcoholics so you can better understand what is happening to you.
The articles you see here on my Substack page are part of that mission, and they are essentially excerpts of my new book Beyond the Lies. It is a book for the loved ones of addicts and alcoholics, and it is also useful for those who have struggled with substance abuse, as it provides a deeper understanding of what it means to be addicted.
You can check out the book on Amazon:
Beyond the Lies: Addiction is much more than drinking alcohol and using drugs
What people are saying
Michele Maize, editor of a publication dedicated to addiction and recovery called Black Bear over on Medium, gives a comprehensive review of Beyond the Lies, link below:
A stellar addiction and sobriety book by fellow Medium writer Craig Jackson
In her write up she says:
“If you are looking to get sober, are newly sober, need a sobriety refresher like me, or are the loved one of someone stuck in addiction, this book is a must-read.”
Check out my website to see more quotes from readers, the latest updates and to learn more about me:
Did you Know?
According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) performed by the government agency SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration):
48.4 million people aged 12 or older (or 16.8%) had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year.
What does 16.8% mean?
● It means that SUD is common, almost 2 people out of 10 have SUD.
● If between family and friends, an addict or alcoholic has say, 10 people who make up their inner circle, that means that for every 10 people surveyed to find 2 people with SUD, an additional 17 people are affected. The numbers say that any person in the general population has 168% probability of being affected by someone with SUD.
● How is 168% probability possible? It means that while some people may not know anyone with SUD, others will have multiple people in their network with SUD.
I share these numbers with you for this reason: Addiction is common, and for every addict or alcoholic, 10 loved ones could be affected! So…
PLEASE share my free Substack page and my book to your network, there are some people you may not realize who need it.
Thank you for reading and for your support!