It’s the last day for Silver Spoons blog tour organized by WOW Women on Writing and I have Sarah Dickinson to talk about her book. Through the eyes of a couple, we learn about the opioid epidemic. The story comes from Sarah’s own experiences and that is why it is great to chat with her a little more. Sarah is a lifelong resident in beautiful upstate New York. She is a mom to two daughters and three rescue dogs. She currently attends college and is in the midst of switching careers. When she isn’t doing it all, she reads comic books, blogs, and takes weekend getaways.
It was wonderful to connect with her! Enjoy the interview, and get some insights about the book! If you haven’t checked out my book thoughts yet, they can be found here. 🙂
- What inspired you to write this book?
The inspiration to write this was twofold. I experienced a relationship with an addict that turned my world upside down and changed who I was. Another factor was that I was clueless about how to help him, get through it and not lose any more of myself. Everything I encountered about addiction ended when the addict entered rehab and focused on the shameful things they did and that was about it.
- Which three words come to your mind for ‘addiction’?
Broken
Outcast
Worthy
- Do you think genetics and environment influence addiction?
I think both genetics and environment can influence addiction. Mental illness is a common issue for people dealing with addiction. Addiction runs in families. Man made doctor prescribed opiates leave people physically addicted in weeks. But the bottom line is some people can experiment with drugs and walk away, and some can’t. Which, in my opinion, means it can happen to anyone.
- You explored in your book the challenges and obstacles in supporting your significant other in these tough times. Was there any one piece of wisdom that helped you encourage your significant other during their recovery process, especially when it was daunting?
I wish there had been a simple piece of wisdom that had helped, but the truth is there’s no magic words to reach an addict. You can’t speak a cancer patient into remission and you can’t talk an addict clean. It has nothing to do with you, your love or anything else. An addict in the deepest depths of their addiction wants to stop. They want to be able to walk away from their addiction and to stop hurting the ones they love. They can’t, because it’s a disease that just doesn’t work that way. So the best I can say is to set boundaries to not enable them but support them. And always offer them your love and support.
- If someone could take away one thing from your book – a lesson, an inspiration, anything – what would you hope it to be?
The thing I wish the most for people who read this is different for who’s reading it.
- For an active addict I hope they can gain an understanding for their disease and seek help.
- For a recovering addict I hope it gives them insight into their relationships & hope for their continuing recovery.
- For someone who loves a person suffering from addiction I hope they gain a strength and comfort knowing they aren’t alone and ways to support the person they love.
- Lastly for the average reader who has no experience with addiction I hope they gain empathy and understanding. That they walk away thinking addicts are more than their addiction. They are people recovering from a disease.
Ways to connect with the author: Facebook, Blog, Instagram.
** Silver Spoons: One’s Journey Through Addiction is available in stores. **
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
If you want to know more about the book, check out other stops on the tour. See full list here.
Cover image: Photo by David McCumskay on Unsplash
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