Book Details

Chasing the High: A Firsthand Account of One Young Person's Experience with Substance Abuse

Preface

1. Crash and Rescue

Above the city, steeped in misery

Back from the edge

Substance abuse and addiction defined

Addiction is a disease

A hellish journey

2. The Early Days of Using

My not-so-shady past

A forbidden sip

One puff leads to another

My uncertain future

Heroin

A rite of passage versus the slippery slope to addiction

The ride down that slope

Who becomes addicted, who does not, and why?

3. The Noose Tightens

A moment of truth, and then denial

First shot at detoxification

Learning the life of an addict

Desperate moves

Returning to an unfamiliar home

"This is your brain on drugs"

Different types of drugs of abuse

4. Trying to Get Help

Overconfidence and denial: do not mix

A minor arrest

A major arrest

Up, down, up, down-the saga of addiction continues

A crucial turning point

Substance abuse treatment: what to expect

Treatment of co-occurring mental disorders

5. Recovery

What does recovery mean for you?

If a relapse occurs

6. Looking Back, Looking Ahead

"Real" recovery is whatever works for us

FAQ

Glossary

Resources

Bibliography

Index

• Freakonomics
• The Ascent of Money
• Unequal Childhoods