Pill Head: The Secret Life of a Painkiller Addict Read online

  The New York Times: “Methadone Rises as a Painkiller with Big Risks,” Erik Eckholm and Olga Pierce, August 17, 2008

  US News & World Report: “Teen Brain Might Get Hooked Easier on OxyContin,” Amanda Gardner, September 10, 2008

  WEBSITES & MISCELLANEOUS

  Court of Common Pleas, Clermont County, Ohio—James Dean Hearing Transcripts from March 15th, 2004, March 29th, 2004,

  April 7th, 2004, and April 15th, 2004

  New Jersey State Police News Release: “State Police Division of Criminal Justice Arrest Alleged Members of Multi-Million Dollar Prescription Drug Ring,” January 26, 2007

  Health on the Net: “Dealers, Family Biggest Sources of Illegal Prescription Painkillers,” Alan Mozes, February 9, 2007 CNN.com: “Deadly $2 Heroin Targets Teens,” Tracy Sabo, June 12, 2007

  The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, www.phc4.org/reports/FYI/fyi26.htm

  www.painreliefnetwork.org

  Acknowledgments

  PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF I forget anyone here, since extended opiate use causes memory loss. And yes, I know that excuse has already gotten old.

  Thank you to Brenda Copeland, my editor at Hyperion, for guiding me through this weird journey with a wicked sense of humor, an enormous heart, and no judgments. I knew we were destined to work together the second we met. To my friend and agent, Erin Hosier, from Dunow, Carlson & Lerner, thank you for believing in me for so long. You possess a mind and wit I would kill for. Stephanie Trong, I don’t care if you’re married at the time, I’m still living with you in a Florida condo when I’m an old man. Thank you for showing me that this world is inhabitable.

  A massive thank you to everyone at Hyperion for your belief in this book, especially Ellen Archer, Will Balliett, Jessica Weiner, Betsy Plowman, Allison McGeehon, Pamela Peterson, Navorn Johnson, Kevin MacDonald, and Kate Griffin for dealing with all my anxiety-ridden emails.

  This book wouldn’t have been possible without enormous help from the following people: Melissa Kinsey, Loren Lankford, Chris Steffen, and Tammy Tibbetts. I am forever indebted to all of you for your hard work and dedication.

  Thank you to the following friends who have always had my back, no matter how bad things got: Melissa Plaut, Johnny Rauberts, Philippe Kane, and Erin Flaherty.

  Thank you Timmy, Drew, and Jonah for your feedback on early versions of this manuscript. I will always love each of you.

  Leslie Russo and Louise Yelin, thank you for being friends and mentors early in my career and making me believe I could accomplish anything I wanted to professionally.

  Thank you Dr. Brian Meehan and Dr. Anthony Termine, for keeping me healthy and sane.

  There are too many people to name individually who helped me get interviews with people who are normally hard to reach, but I want to extend a giant thank you to all of the hard-working assistants and media relations employees I worked with. And of course a huge thank you to all the brilliant experts from so many diverse fields who agreed to partake in this book, especially Dr. Carol Boyd, Dr. Alexander Bodkin, Alexander DeLuca, Mark Caverly, and all of the doctors, therapists, and volunteers at the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center. Thank you also to Marion Ettlinger.

  To my entire family, I hope I haven’t made future reunions too awkward. I guess we have a lot to talk about now. I love you all. Special thanks to Mom and Peter for what I see as a whole new relationship. Dad, let’s talk when you finish this. To my sisters, Erica and Nyssa—let’s please all work harder to get together more often. Christopher, Francesca, Josie, Katie, and Ricky, I love you all and hope I haven’t disappointed any of you. Bobby, thank you for the gifts of strength and language.

  And to Emily, all I can say is onward.

  Copyright

  PILL HEAD. Copyright © 2009 Joshua Lyon. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Hyperion e-books.

  Adobe Digital Edition May 2009 ISBN 978-1-4013-9449-3

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  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Contents

  Epigraph

  Prologue

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  Epilogue

  Sources

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright