The Weight of Air: A Story of the Lies about Addiction and the Truth about Recovery

Product Description 
"Haunting memoir . . . Readers will cheer for Poses [in this] potent addition to the literature on drug addiction and recovery."—Kirkus Reviews (starred)"A riveting and deeply personal account . . . The blueprint for hope and survival.”—Gerald Posner, New York Times bestselling author of PharmaWhile his wife and two-year-old daughter watched TV in the living room, David Poses was in the kitchen, measuring the distance from his index finger to his armpit. He needed to be sure he could pull the trigger with a shotgun barrel in his mouth. Twenty-six inches. Thirty-two years old. More than a decade in a double life fueled by depression and heroin.In his groundbreaking memoir, The Weight of Air, David chronicles his struggle to overcome mental illness and addiction. By age nineteen, he'd been through medical detox, inpatient rehab, twelve-step programs, and a halfway house. He saw his drug use as a symptom of depression, but the experts insisted that addiction was the problem. Over the next thirteen years, he went from one relapse to the next, drowning in guilt, shame, and secrets, until he finally found an evidence-based treatment that not only saved his life, but helped him thrive.With grit, humor, and brutal honesty, David's story reveals that traditional recovery models actually increase stigma and the risk of overdose, relapse, and death. As depression and addiction rates skyrocket and overdose fatalities surge, The Weight of Air is a scathing indictment of our failed response to the opioid crisis—and proof that success is possible."David Poses's unflinching memoir takes you to the dark corners of addiction—and shows there's a way out."—Eric Eyre, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Death in Mud Lick"A searingly honest addiction memoir with a much-needed perspective."—Maia Szalavitz, New York Times best-selling author of Unbroken Brain 
 Review \n"In this painful, haunting memoir, Poses takes us on a roller-coaster ride: bouts of heroin abuse mixed in with periods of sobriety, which will give readers hope for his prospects—only to have them dashed. . . . A potent addition to the literature on drug addiction and recovery."\n—Kirkus Reviews (starred)\n"David Poses's unflinching memoir takes you to the dark corners of addiction—and shows there's a way out."\n—Eric Eyre, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Death in Mud Lick\n"A searingly honest addiction memoir with a much-needed perspective: addiction is frequently the result of attempts to self-medicate mental illnesses like depression, yet our system treats people with punitive methods that actually make matters worse."\n—Maia Szalavitz, New York Times best-selling author of Unbroken Brain\n"A moving, tender, thoughtful account of addiction and also a compelling critique of a lot that's wrong with the dominant model of addiction treatment."\n—Johann Hari, New York Times best-selling author of Chasing the Scream\n"A riveting and deeply personal account of addiction and the flawed treatment system that repeatedly failed him. . . . The blueprint for hope and survival that is ultimately his story could not arrive at a more important time as the nation grapples with its overdose epidemic."\n—Gerald Posner, award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author of Pharma\n"A fluidly written, disarmingly blunt account of heroin addiction and recovery."\n—Keith Humphreys, White House drug policy adviser to presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama\n"Entertaining, honest, darkly comedic, and smart as hell, David Poses's 
The Weight of Air is a painfully accurate portrayal of heroin addiction and the sorts of treatments forced upon us. . . . [His] book is badly needed during a time when the overdose crisis is at its apex."\n—Amy Dresner, author of My Fair Junkie\n" 
The Weight of Air is at once an intensely personal memoir and a much-needed blueprint for saving lives during this time of profound crisis."\n—Brandon del Pozo, PhD, retired deputy

Biographies & Memoirs

Poses, David

Leaders & Notable People

Sandra Jonas Publishing House LLC

A groundbreaking memoir of a double life fueled by heroin addiction and mental illness While his wife and two-year-old daughter watched TV in the living room, David Poses was in the kitchen, measuring the distance from his index finger to his armpit. He needed to be sure he could pull the trigger with a shotgun barrel in his mouth. Twenty-six inches. Thirty-two years old. More than a decade in a double life fueled by heroin addiction and mental illness. The Weight of Air chronicles David's struggle to overcome the depression that led him to opioids as a teenager. By nineteen, he'd been through medical detox, inpatient rehab, twelve-step programs, and a halfway house, unable to reconcile his experience with conventional wisdom. He saw his addiction as secondary, as a symptom of depression, but the experts insisted that addiction was the primary problem. Over the next thirteen years, he went from one relapse to the next, drowning in guilt, shame, and secrets--until he finally found the treatment that saved his life. With grit and brutal honesty, David shines a bright light on the flaws in our traditional addiction and recovery models, exposing the opioid crisis for what it really is: a convergence of two deadly epidemics. "A fluidly written, disarmingly blunt account of heroin addiction and recovery."--Keith Humphreys, Esther Ting Memorial Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University "By sharing his own story with uninhibited candor, David bravely creates a path for others to do the same."--Stephanie Papes Strong, founder and CEO of Boulder Care "Poses's offbeat humor leavens the chilling details of an often heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story."--Carol Giacomo, journalist and former member of the New York Times Editorial Board

Sandra Jonas Publishing House

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Books by Poses, David

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Poses, David. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Weight of Air: A Story of the Lies about Addiction and the Truth about Recovery

The Weight of Air: A Story of the Lies about Addiction and the Truth about Recovery