Opiate Nation: A Memoir of Love, Loss & Acceptance

by Jude Dimeglio Trang

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Author: Jude Dimeglio Trang

Publisher: Jude Dimeglio Trang

Hardcover:
ISBN 10: 064858853X
ISBN 13: 978-0648588535

This is a heart-wrenching and honest account of a family's eﬀort to understand the journey of their son that led to his death from a heroin overdose, and how they dealt with their grief and sadness, their guilt and their anger at themselves, at others, and at God. More than a memoir, "Opiate Nation" is a crisis report. Jude and her husband John found themselves navigating the bewildering new era of bright young adults exposed to opiates before they have even reached the legal age to drink--or drive. They deftly pick apart the responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies, the beneﬁ ts of Medication Assisted Treatments, the eﬀectiveness of sober living houses, the way in which shame can isolate, and realize their Baby Boomer generation has trouble setting boundaries. Jude and John's 20/20 hindsight drives their commitment to tell the truth about their son's life and death. Th is is their invaluable gift to other families who hope to keep the opioid epidemic away from their homes and for those who must deal with addiction--or those who have experienced a death--in their own families.

Review

A mother's tenacity propelled Jude DiMeglio Trang through unimaginable grief to make sense of the death of her son to an overdose. More than a memoir, "Opiate Nation" is a crisis report. Jude and her husband John found themselves navigating the bewildering new era of bright young adults exposed to opiates before they have even reached the legal age to drink or drive. Jude deftly picks apart the responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies, the benefits of Suboxone, the effectiveness of sober living houses, the way in which shame can isolate, and wonders if her Baby Boomer generation has trouble setting boundaries. Jude and John understand that hindsight is 20/20, and that's what drives their commitment to tell the truth about their son's life and death, in the ultimate gift to other families.-Jenny Valentish, author of "Woman of Substances: A Journey Into Addiction and Treatment"

Jude and John are brave to write their book. Of particular use for others, and surely not easy to write about, are their descriptions of behaviors in their son that in retrospect were signs of his addiction that they wish they could have recognized and acted on, as well as occasions when they were given advice by people who knew addiction, advice which they didn't fully take.-Jennifer P. Schneider M.D., Ph.D., Addiction and Pain Medicine

About the Author

Jude DiMeglio Trang is a landscape designer, creating gardens for clients in the beautiful Sonoran Desert. She has been writing personal journals, lyrics and music for decades and most recently, maintaining a blog addressing topics related to addiction. After losing their son to a heroin overdose, she and her husband John kept a daily journal for a year as a way to hold on to their son and their sanity and as an enduring memorial to document their grief. The decision to write a memoir based on their journal and their son's life grew from her desire to help reduce the overwhelming number of lives lost to drug addiction in the 21st century. Jude and her husband John live in Tucson, Arizona and part of the year in Melbourne, Australia with their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters.

John M. Trang, Ph.D., is a pharmaceutical scientist. During his tenure in academe, he served as professor and department chairman, and as an investigator on research grants and contracts. For the past twenty-five years John has provided independent research and consulting services to the pharmaceutical industry worldwide. He has published numerous research articles, chapters, and abstracts.

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Opiate Nation: A Memoir of Love, Loss & Acceptance