This book is about addictions and how to get past them. The book is a personal memoir, a cultural history, an instructional manual, and a polemic against all the enabling policies that have such unfortunate currency these days. The book illustrates in dramatic and comic detail that the antidote to addictions is rigorous engagement of the whole person. It is written as an enormous Valentine to the millions of men, women, and children who have recognized their addictions and moved on. It is also a swift kick in the rear to the countless politicians, mandarins, and enablers who have never invested a single penny in treatment or an ounce of human energy in providing the hope and guidance that allows the afflicted to live as citizens. These are the woolly-headed "experts" who, under the flags of compassion and love, are further enslaving the already woebegone.