The Addict: One Patient, One Doctor, One Year

Many of us are quick to think of an addict as a monster. What the monster really is, however, is the addiction not the addict. Michael Stein does a wonderful job of showing us the people behind the addiction, not vilifying them, but not taking away any responsibility they have for their actions either. We are able to follow the story of Lucy, the main patient discussed in this book, as she struggles to remove the chains of her addiction. It does not take long for the reader to see that conquering an addiction is more than the just saying no to a certain drug or drugs, it is saying no to a life style and a self destructive way of thinking. While we watch Lucy as she takes steps forward and backward, we can see glimmers of self show more realization in not only her but the man telling her story and hopefully ourselves. show less

I really enjoyed this book, which records one year of treating a woman addicted to Vicodin. It really isn't "Lucy's" story, however; it's really a meditation from Stein on the nature of addiction and its treatment, and the role of the doctor in this situation.

Lucy's story really isn't all that special. Really, she is just an in, a focal point for Stein's musings. The book as a whole is fascinating reading, though, particularly for the window it gives into the though processes of one doctor. I love knowing things like what it's like for a male doctor to give a female patient a physical exam, or what it's like to give a physical exam, period. Small things, like trying to observe all one can in the first pass, lest one cause undue stress show more by focusing on one part of the body more closely ("he looked at that spot on my arm a second time -- there must be something wrong!"). Reading a patient's body language to learn what their boundaries are. Those are the things that were most interesting about this book. I would recommend it to those who enjoyed Atul Gawande's books. show less

Before I tell you this is the best book I have read in years I must first tell you I am a recovering addict/alcoholic w/bipolar disorder (I felt I must reveal this in order for you to get where I'm coming from). If you do not suffer from some form of addiction or are not close to someone suffering from addiction you may not get the same experience I did when when reading this book.

The book is written by an doctor of Internal medicine who, in addition to his regular practice treats opiate addicts with buprenorphine (it's like methadone for heroine addicts). He kept notes (as any good doctor will do), changed the names of his patients, focused the book primarily on one, Lucy, and wrote a great book.

The book was easy to read. Not easy as show more in simplistic, easy as in fluid and hit home in unbelievable ways. I had to start highlighting the passages that hit home there were so many, it was like a form of therapy, hence my opening revealations. I couldn't put the book down and started limiting how many pages I could read in a day so it wouldn't end. When it was over it took me nearly a week and attempts at reading four other books before I could find one that could measure up to this book. It was great. show less

Stein's book, with the perhaps misnomered subtitle "One Patient, One Doctor, One Year," covers the struggle of pill popper Lucy Fields as she tries to regain control of her Vicodin addiction. What follows is perhaps a more true-to-life version of what addiction really is. Not the stories we see on TV with dirty, crazed lunatics as our worst nightmare of what drug addicts are. A powerful story.
However, I felt the book lacked structure. Stein's work was more a general comment on addiction and addictive patients than a well fleshed out case study on one person. Yes, Lucy was the main focus. But her story was interspersed with many other patient's stories and plenty of stories on Stein himself. I felt that many of his patients and their show more lives were just so many supporting facts and background. The narrative of Lucy also tends to get randomly interrupted with repetitive factoids about addiction that alternately do or don't have anything to do with what was just being talked about.
I felt this book had a powerful story to tell and I would have rated it higher with further structuring and more cogency. show less

I received this book as an early review copy. Needing to gain insight on addiction and addicts. This book went above and beyond anything that I could imagine. It is the journey of Lucy who is addicted to Vicodin. Pain killers are becoming a popular method of recreational drug use. I was very surprised to learn about the attitude and how an addict ticks. I also found most of it to be quite true in the cases of poeple in my life who are and have been addicted. I also found it quite shocking that there are doctors who abuse the pharmaceticul system and write prescriptions on a whim. I also found it highly helpful that he did not just take about one way of dextox but both (burephenrine and methadone). Stein writes with an amazing knowledge show more of a topic that he deals with in my opinion quite well. This book is a tool that could help anyone going through addiction or knows someone going through it. Stein has/had an amazing relationship that I could never visualize a doctor having that much of a caring relationship with a patient. show less

"The Addict" takes us on a year long journey through a middle-aged woman's life as a opiate abuser. What makes it so special is the fresh perspective we hear from the author - Lucy's counselor, doctor, and cheerleader, Michael Stein.

The content of the book is interesting enough. Anyone who wants to know more about the thought processes behind addicts will love this book for the information. I know I did. But there was more to appreciate from "The Addict." Stein's voice was so incredibly honest - almost controversially so. He was not afraid to humble himself or let on that he's a selfish human being just like anyone else. I know I certainly forget that about doctors sometimes. I feel the reason he is able to be so blunt and still be a show more likable narrator is because we can tell he cares so much Lucy and all the addicts under his care. Throughout the book we feel everything he feels - every frustration, every joy - which adds a very real, emotional layer to a story that otherwise would've been too cold and informative.

A solid 3.5 stars. show less

A look at an addict from a doctor's perspective is interesting to say the least, but the writing does get a bit ... tedious after a while. It just felt at times as if there was too much information/detail being thrown out. I'm not one to lose interest easily, but I did find myself skimming at times.