American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis--and How to End It

Ryan Hampton's personal, decade-long opioid addiction and recovery led to his tireless campaign to break down barriers and educate others about the epidemic in the United States. In American Fix, his first book, he details what the crisis entails, why it is happening and the scope of who it affects and how. He also offers a well-considered plan to help combat and win the war.
 
Hampton, a former White House staffer under President Obama, shares how he first became addicted to pain killers: he originally received a prescription for an ankle injury, and that led to his heroin habit. A high-functioning addict, Hampton landed multiple senior-level staff positions in the Democratic Party. Yet, even as his career was taking off, he was sinking deeper into secret addiction until his dependency wreaked havoc on his life. After treatment and recovery, he was determined to help others.
 
Through Hampton's story--and those of other addicts, especially those he encounters on an extensive research road trip across the U.S.--he explores the bias, stigma, prejudice and injustice associated with addiction. He outlines challenges addicts face, the pitfalls of treatment and recovery and the role of politics and Big Pharma. Meanwhile, he gives insight and strategies for better communication, harm reduction and feasible pathways to reform. For the more than 45 million Americans and their families who are directly impacted by addiction, Hampton's thoroughly presented, unflinching and deeply personal book will offer understanding, enlightenment and practical solutions. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines
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