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Dealing Addiction: How The Canadian Government Derailed Addiction Recovery
Dealing How the Canadian Government Derailed Addiction Recovery is a powerful and unflinching exploration of addiction, blending personal insight with professional expertise. Karen James, who grew up in an addicted family and later battled addiction herself, brings over twenty-seven years of experience in the addiction field to this eye-opening account.
This book exposes the disturbing realities of addiction treatment, revealing a system that often fails those it claims to help. Drawing on her experiences as a client, volunteer, and counselor, James shares deeply personal stories of struggle and recovery alongside accounts of systemic failures. She shines a light on unethical practices, inadequate training, and the prioritization of funding over patient care.
James challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about addiction—its impact on individuals, families, and society—and the ways in which the system undermines recovery. She critiques the use of language to downplay the issue and the lack of meaningful accountability for those struggling with addiction.
Dealing Addiction is a call to action for honest, compassionate reform. It is essential reading for those seeking a deeper understanding of addiction and the role individuals and systems must play in meaningful recovery.
This book exposes the disturbing realities of addiction treatment, revealing a system that often fails those it claims to help. Drawing on her experiences as a client, volunteer, and counselor, James shares deeply personal stories of struggle and recovery alongside accounts of systemic failures. She shines a light on unethical practices, inadequate training, and the prioritization of funding over patient care.
James challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about addiction—its impact on individuals, families, and society—and the ways in which the system undermines recovery. She critiques the use of language to downplay the issue and the lack of meaningful accountability for those struggling with addiction.
Dealing Addiction is a call to action for honest, compassionate reform. It is essential reading for those seeking a deeper understanding of addiction and the role individuals and systems must play in meaningful recovery.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2025
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4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 6, 2025
(3.50*)
Coming from an addict myself, I really enjoyed how this book, Dealing Addiction: How the Canadian Government Derailed Addiction Recovery is partially a memoir, but also contains social commentary/analysis. Author Karen James draws from her own life experiences — growing up in a family who was plagued by alcoholism and addiction, falling into substance abuse herself, and eventually spending decades working in addiction treatment and recovery services.
The book charts her personal journey, beginning in her childhood, highlighting the trauma and substance use around her and uses that experience as a foundation to examine systemic failures. James does a very good job examining & detailing how government policy, social services, and institutional practices often fail people struggling with addiction. She does not shy away from naming the real problems here: underfunded treatment, over-reliance on surface-level “harm-reduction” posturing, systemic neglect, and the failure to treat addiction as a human & public-health crisis rather than a moral failing.
The hardships discussed in this reading are no joke; it’s truly sad the things we as addicts go through. This book will change how you see addiction. It sure did for me. I’m so glad I have found recovery.
Overall, it is powerful, emotionally honest, and socially-urgent memoir; as it highlights issues or situations within society and the addiction community that are widely recognized as being very important. This book is real, more human, and more necessary than what you would typically pick up in this genre, since it’s not just a “recovery memoir”. Instead, it is written for awareness and more honest responses to what the author argues is a deeply mishandled, misused, and misunderstood public health crisis.
Thank you NetGalley & Atmosphere Press for the ARC!
Coming from an addict myself, I really enjoyed how this book, Dealing Addiction: How the Canadian Government Derailed Addiction Recovery is partially a memoir, but also contains social commentary/analysis. Author Karen James draws from her own life experiences — growing up in a family who was plagued by alcoholism and addiction, falling into substance abuse herself, and eventually spending decades working in addiction treatment and recovery services.
The book charts her personal journey, beginning in her childhood, highlighting the trauma and substance use around her and uses that experience as a foundation to examine systemic failures. James does a very good job examining & detailing how government policy, social services, and institutional practices often fail people struggling with addiction. She does not shy away from naming the real problems here: underfunded treatment, over-reliance on surface-level “harm-reduction” posturing, systemic neglect, and the failure to treat addiction as a human & public-health crisis rather than a moral failing.
The hardships discussed in this reading are no joke; it’s truly sad the things we as addicts go through. This book will change how you see addiction. It sure did for me. I’m so glad I have found recovery.
Overall, it is powerful, emotionally honest, and socially-urgent memoir; as it highlights issues or situations within society and the addiction community that are widely recognized as being very important. This book is real, more human, and more necessary than what you would typically pick up in this genre, since it’s not just a “recovery memoir”. Instead, it is written for awareness and more honest responses to what the author argues is a deeply mishandled, misused, and misunderstood public health crisis.
Thank you NetGalley & Atmosphere Press for the ARC!
Displaying 1 of 1 review