Hooked But Not Hopeless

Book excerpt: Why are some people more vulnerable to addiction than others? Why isn't willpower enough to escape the lure of addiction? Why can't enablers and co-dependents help the addict? Where can the addict find hope? What are the keys to recovery? How can an addict stay unhooked? Addiction is ugly and it's not curable. But it doesn't have to be fatal-for the addict or the family. Many addicts survive to live a better life, and broken families are often healed. But admitting the condition, acknowledging the awful reality, requires courage. And staying clean takes commitment and determination. The temptation to abuse again is always present. But the power to fight-and even begin the battle anew-lies within, sometimes just beneath the surface and sometimes buried so deeply it seems impossible to find. The trick is to unearth it before it is too late. Dr. Sherry Hoppe and her sister Sylvia Yates wrote this book to reveal how an average person can be caught in the far-reaching and unrelenting tentacles of substance abuse. To put faces behind the words, "I'm ____ and I'm an addict." To illustrate the injuries inflicted on the victim and the family by addiction. To share Sylvia's story and others like hers so you will know you are not alone-that you're not so different after all-if you are an addict or have an addict in your family. To offer hope when you feel hopeless. Dr. Hoppe is a retired university president and author. Sylvia is a former respiratory therapist and recovering addict.