One by One: A Memoir of Love and Loss in the Shadows of Opioid America

A passionate and heartrending memoir of tragedy and perseverance from an opioid addict in an opioid addicted community, and an up-close look at America’s new health crisis.

Nick Bush was a good kid—many of them are—and no one saw it coming. At first it didn’t seem so bad. Then came the cravings. And then came Nick’s status as one of the three million people in the United States alone who abuse opioids. Estimates for global abuse of opioids surpass thirty-six million. Deaths in the US from opioid abuse increased 21 percent from 2016 to 2017; forty-two thousand people died and, as a result, for the second year in a row, the life expectancy of Americans dropped. The death count for 2017 is still pending, but the CDC has said it increased substantially and shows no sign of abating. Both Nick’s sister and younger brother died from opioid overdoses. So did many of his friends.

Incredibly, the stories of the people suffering from opioid addiction rarely get told. Legislation to fight the epidemic is proposed and then thrown out or insufficiently implemented. And people continue to suffer. Communities are torn apart from generation to generation.

In One by One, Nick steps out of the opioid shadows to share his page-turning true story. He is remarkably candid about how he became an addict, as well as the stories of those around him, the deaths of his siblings and friends, and what rock bottom is like. He also brings courage, sharing how he overcame the disease and inspiring others to do the same. This read brings humanity to the disease, faces to the addiction, and an understanding of how it takes hold of people and how to help them before it’s too late.