First, Do No Harm: Breaking the Cycles of Love and DestructionBy J.T. ThompsonReleases January 27, 2026 | Preorders Available Now This is a memoir about loving someone who is slowly disappearing to addiction, and the quiet violence of trying to help without becoming part of the harm. It’s about the grief that begins long before death, and the cost of loving without witnesses. On September 11, 2001, I graduated from combat medic training and took an oath: First, do no harm. Twenty years later, that oath became impossibly complicated when the person I loved most was dying, and the systems meant to protect us criminalized the very act of caring. First, Do No Harm tells the story of Dustin and me. Two men loving each other authentically in a world not built for us. It explores the blurred line between helping and enabling, the impossible choices families face when addiction collides with a broken system, and what it costs to keep trying when the rules weren’t written with people like us in mind. This memoir doesn’t offer easy answers or neat resolutions. It’s not tragedy porn or a victim narrative. Instead, it’s an unflinching look at how love, compassion, and medical ethics can be criminalized by systems that fail the very people they’re meant to protect. It’s about humanizing those we’ve lost to addiction, refusing the silence that comes with shame, and breaking cycles of generational trauma. What early readers are saying: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “One of the most courageous and necessary books I’ve ever read. A heartbreaking, vital, and unforgettable work.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This isn’t a book about failure; it’s a book about how love can sometimes place you in impossible positions. Beautiful, painful, and incredibly human.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Confronts the opioid crisis with rare honesty and courage… Devastating yet hopeful.” This memoir is for: ∙ Anyone who’s loved someone they couldn’t save ∙ LGBTQ+ readers seeking authentic, unsanitized representation ∙ Families affected by addiction ∙ Harm reduction advocates ∙ Those interested in how criminal justice fails vulnerable communities ∙ Readers who appreciate raw, honest storytelling that refuses to look away Available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook (narrated by Nathan Bailey). Author: J.T. Thompson is a U.S. Army veteran, combat medic, and the author of six books across multiple genres. He lives in Portland, Oregon, and is an advocate for harm reduction and LGBTQ+ support.
This is a memoir about loving someone who is slowly disappearing to addiction, and the quiet violence of trying to help without becoming part of the harm. It’s about the grief that begins long before death, and the cost of loving without witnesses.
On September 11, 2001, I graduated from combat medic training and took an oath: First, do no harm. Twenty years later, that oath became impossibly complicated when the person I loved most was dying, and the systems meant to protect us criminalized the very act of caring.
First, Do No Harm tells the story of Dustin and me. Two men loving each other authentically in a world not built for us. It explores the blurred line between helping and enabling, the impossible choices families face when addiction collides with a broken system, and what it costs to keep trying when the rules weren’t written with people like us in mind.
This memoir doesn’t offer easy answers or neat resolutions. It’s not tragedy porn or a victim narrative. Instead, it’s an unflinching look at how love, compassion, and medical ethics can be criminalized by systems that fail the very people they’re meant to protect. It’s about humanizing those we’ve lost to addiction, refusing the silence that comes with shame, and breaking cycles of generational trauma.
What early readers are saying:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “One of the most courageous and necessary books I’ve ever read. A heartbreaking, vital, and unforgettable work.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This isn’t a book about failure; it’s a book about how love can sometimes place you in impossible positions. Beautiful, painful, and incredibly human.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Confronts the opioid crisis with rare honesty and courage… Devastating yet hopeful.”
This memoir is for:
∙ Anyone who’s loved someone they couldn’t save
∙ LGBTQ+ readers seeking authentic, unsanitized representation
∙ Families affected by addiction
∙ Harm reduction advocates
∙ Those interested in how criminal justice fails vulnerable communities
∙ Readers who appreciate raw, honest storytelling that refuses to look away
Available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook (narrated by Nathan Bailey).
Author: J.T. Thompson is a U.S. Army veteran, combat medic, and the author of six books across multiple genres. He lives in Portland, Oregon, and is an advocate for harm reduction and LGBTQ+ support.