SWALLOWING A BITTER PILL

In 2017, 70,237 people in the United States died of a drug overdose. This is an alarming figure, and people like Cindy Mogil-Cooley have taken it as a call to action. In her book, Swallowing A Bitter Pill, she provides shocking statistics, personal stories, tips, hints, and countless resources for people facing all different stages of addiction and recovery.

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Included in this book are several personal stories from Cindy Mogil-Cooley as well as other addicts and their family members. One person that stuck out to me was Shawna. From a young age, she would claim to be in pain resulting in unnecessary surgical procedures to feed her developing addiction to prescription pills. Throughout the text, Shawna explains her addiction from beginning to end. Later, her husband tells his side of the story, including the effect that her addiction had on their family. He also discusses the way that his faith (coupled with professional help) saved his wife and their marriage. Reading about these people made me feel like I was in a group therapy session, and I was genuinely happy for them when things turned out alright.

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Swallowing A Bitter Pill is a self-help book for people struggling with addiction, particularly to prescription pills. As someone who suffers from such a disease, I can honestly say that I wish I'd picked up this book three years ago when I began my journey to recovery. The content was a bit monotonous at times, but the personal narratives brilliantly enhance the otherwise dull text.

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One thing I liked about this book was in the "Relapse" chapter. The author explores some of the common triggers that result in relapse. The biggest one, for me at least, was cravings. Mogil-Cooley describes a tool used to overcome this trigger, which is to remember the acronym, DEADS. DEADS stands for Delay, Escape, Accept, Dispute, and Substitute. The author explains how to use each of these strategies in order to cope with the urges and continue to abstain from drugs and alcohol. This is something I won't soon forget and will continue to share with friends who are still battling with their addiction.

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Another noteworthy part of the book discusses how an addict can explain to their children what is happening when they are entering treatment. Typically, an addict will stay in a facility for a week, minimum. Naturally, their children will wonder where they went. Mogil-Cooley suggests being upfront with your children. The kids will then see that it is brave to admit when you have a problem and that it is okay to ask for help when it is needed. Also, they will hopefully see that drugs are very bad! I did not have children at the time of my drug use, but I do believe that if I had, I would have handled it this way.

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Swallowing A Bitter Pill is 271 pages long and has a 42-page appendix which includes FAQ for addicts and their relatives, as well as a list of Substance Abuse and Mental Health programs for every state in the U.S. In terms of quality, Cindy Mogil-Cooley did a fabulous job of formatting, organizing, and editing the text. I only found three errors, leading me to believe that this was professionally edited. I would highly recommend this resource to anybody affected by addition. There was nothing to dislike about it. I am elated to award Swallowing A Bitter Pill with 4 out of 4 stars.