Our Recommended Books on Heroin Addiction and Treatment

Addiction is a complex brain disease, but luckily there is no shortage of information and resources about it. Whether you are suffering from addiction or you are trying to learn more information about addiction because of a loved one, it is important to learn and understand everything about addiction as best as you can. That is why we gathered our recommended books on heroin addiction and treatment as a starting point for your research.

The Big Book by William G. Wilson

This book serves as the foundation for the 12 Step Program, which is central to the treatment programs offered at Pinelands Recovery Center. It is the world’s largest support group and treatment resource for alcoholism or narcotics addictions. It has been adopted by many other categories such as sex, gambling or shopping addictions. It was originally published in 1939 by author and AA co-founder William G. Wilson, but has since been updated several times.

The Big Book not only talks about the beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous, success stories and other methodology information, but it is also famously known for outlining the 12 Steps of recovery.

The 12 Steps

  1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
  2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
  3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
  4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
  5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
  6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
  7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
  8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
  9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
  10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
  11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
  12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

Trainspotting is another one of our recommended books on heroin addiction and treatment. If you are not in the throes of heroin addiction, it is tough to understand what it is truly like. This book is perfect for someone who’s loved one is suffering from heroin addiction. It will help you better understand them, what they are going through and what they experience on a daily basis. According to Shazia Omar, a social psychologist, the book provides graphic details of how heroin causes dysfunction, crime and anti-social behavior as well as explores how people get into drugs in the first place.

The Big Fix: Hope After Heroin by Tracey Helton Mitchell

This memoir by Tracey Helton Mitchell chronicles her 10-year addition to opioids and is a great resource for a first-hand understanding of the opioid crisis in this country. It is also the perfect insight into how treatments may work for some, but not for others. This importance of individualized treatment can help families understand more about why and how relapse may occur. While the author elected not to take advantage of Medicated Assisted Treatment, she details its efficacy in great length and could provide valuable insight for skeptics.

Cherry by Niko Walker

There’s no better achievement for an author than to be on on the New York Times Bestseller List, which is why this is one of our recommended books on heroin addiction and treatment. According to New York’s book critic, Christian Lorentzen described this book as “the first great novel of the opioid epidemic.” It details the narrator’s heroin addiction in great detail and is a great resource for the family and loved ones of someone suffering from heroin addiction. Understanding the painful withdrawal in such detail will help families better understand the necessary need for Medicated Assisted Treatment and it’s benefits. In addition, it can provide helpful first-hand knowledge of how the opioid epidemic affects everyday people and how opioid addictions come to be.

About Pinelands Recovery Center

If you or someone you love is suffering from heroin addiction, it is important to do as much research as possible. Not only does this include research on treatment centers and plans, but on the actual disease of heroin addiction, as well. Learning as much as possible and hearing people’s stories can better help you understand your loved one, what they are going through and their intense need for treatment.

Pinelands Recovery Center of Medford is widely known as one of New Jersey’s finest, most respected addiction treatment facilities. With comfortable 30-bed accommodations and 24-hour professional staff, we can offer clients a serene, relaxing environment amid the lush piney woods. This stress-free setting with its sense of warmth and welcoming enables you to feel comfortable and confident about your clean and sober life ahead.

We will establish clear goals, both general in nature and specific to your needs. We continue to monitor those goals, to make sure that our clients are progressing and buying into their recovery plan. We thrive on assisting clients in feeling connected to the recovery community, share and demonstrate effective coping techniques, help clients to modify attitudes and patterns of behavior and everything else you will need to be happy and productive living a sober, healthy life.

We ensure that clients complete their planned concrete tasks, encourage hope, optimism and
healthy living. Our recovery program is not a revolving door treatment program; it is a recovery model designed to help clients go on to lead productive, happy lives. For more information, visit pinelandsrecovery.com