Broken Open: What Painkillers Taught Me about Life and Recovery

William didn't know something was missing until it happened. He'd been in recovery for alcohol and drugs for years. He was a recovery activist and a spokesperson for the gold standard of treatment and recovery organizations. He was a model leader and follower of Twelve Step programs. But, still, he slipped. And his slip lasted a few years. Privately, he was addicted to painkillers while publicly saying he was in recovery from alcohol and drug use. So, was he still in recovery? How could this happen to someone who did everything "right"? How did it go so wrong?

With brutal honesty and introspection, William shares what happened after sobriety--after he'd published his candid and shocking memoir, Broken, in 2006. While he no longer frequented or passed out on the floor of crack houses, his life of sobriety wasn't perfect. But his recovery was strong, or so he thought. Unfortunately, the opioid epidemic was stronger. It broke him.

Broken Open could be one long story of self-justification. Instead, William takes a courageous look at the years he struggled and suffered to reclaim his recovery. He concludes by sharing the new perspectives these experiences provided. Recovery isn't black and white. Our recovery stories aren't things we have to live up to; they're journeys we get to live into. All-or-nothing approaches don't address the complications that make us human. As we continue our life journeys we learn and change and grow--and the things and people that help us sometimes change too.