Love and Kisses from My Padded Cell - Clinical Tales of Addiction

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. From the publisher Destruction By One’s Own Hand What is the difference between an addiction and a habit? Anyone with strong particular affinities might well wonder if these urges are a source of danger. Addicts are willing to do anything to scratch their psychic itch. Those around them gape in horror at the ease with which addicts compromise their sanity, good name, and fortune. Mishaps and Failures And Mind Boggling Compulsions In Love and Kisses from My Padded Cell, Dr. Ellie Katz recounts the struggles of ten men and women who fell victim to the irresistible draw of addiction. There is no lack of tragedy, pathos or remorse, but there is also a hint of comedy as we explore the lives of people who have run counter to their true essences and behaved like genuine jackasses. The hero in each of these tales is not the rehab counselor nor the Twelve-Step Program The addict is the hero and the addiction is the villain, or maybe they are both the villain. But more than anything else, Love and Kisses from My Padded Cell is about the hope that by sharing these stories other sufferers will be inspired to seek "and perhaps even find” a better way.

As someone who is decidedly on the fence in regards to addiction being a disease or a choice (plus decidedly NOT being a fan of 12 Step Groups), this book was a fascinating read. The habit perspective fascinated me and all the tales from the patients were well written and presented. Definitely a thought-provoking read.