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The face of addiction is changing rapidly, and Alicia Cook is at the forefront of the movement to raise awareness about the challenges those suffering and their families face. We need more people like Alicia fighting for our communities.  – Tom Mac Arthur, Former NJ Congressman

The Other Side of Addiction shares stories of people who have experienced this disease. After losing her cousin, Jessica, to a heroin overdose, Alicia began using her words to help other families going through similar situations feel less alone. She set out with a goal to publish 50 articles on this heart-wrenching topic. These are very personal accounts, written to shed light on this deadly epidemic and prove that anyone can be affected. Due to the sensitive nature of this series, names may have been altered.                                            

Installments (Some links may no longer be active. Sorry!):

Read some revised essays on Alicia’s Medium page.

  1. Lessons I Learned from Loving a Drug Addict
  2. I had a Baby with an Abusive Drug Addict  | Interview
  3. Young Mom Comes Clean on Hiding Her Deadly Addiction  | Interview
  4. “Recovery is Beautiful – But I’ve Lost it”  | Interview
  5. Open Letter to Families Facing Addiction
  6. “I Wrote My Brother’s Eulogy”  | Interview
  7. Stop Saying: “They’re Just Junkies”
  8. Heroin is the Worst thing to Ever Happen to Me
  9. Addict Shares Brutal Truth About Hitting Rock Bottom  | Interview
  10. Why I Will Never Forget the “Dreaded Phone Call”  | Interview
  11. Dad Shares Eulogy After Drugs Kill His Daughter  | Interview
  12. Remembering My Cousin On Her Birthday
  13. Seven Stages of Grief, Mourning the Living
  14. My Mother Overdosed On My Birthday | Interview
  15. Heroin is the Russian Roulette of Our Generation | Speech Alicia Cook gave at a NJ High School 
  16. How My Daughter Went from Percocet to Prostitution | Interview
  17. Short Film Featuring Both Superheroes and Teens to Address Heroin Epidemic | Interview
  18. The Sobriety Collective, for Creatives Battling Substance Use Disorder | Interview
  19. Heroin is the Worst thing to Happen to Me | over one million views on Addiction Unscripted
  20. Heroin is the Russian Roulette of our Generation
  21. Young Woman Loses Three People in Six Months to Heroin | Interview
  22. Lessons Learned from Loving Someone Battling Addiction | National Overdose Awareness Day
  23. Mother-Daughter Team Up to Empower Women in Recovery with “She Recovers” | Interview
  24. Fitness Expert Shares Sobriety Journey, Opens Gym | Interview
  25. Dear Jessica. Love, Alicia and Catherine | 10th Anniversary of Jessica Cook’s death
  26. Mother Addresses Stigma of Losing Son to Drugs | Interview
  27. Addiction Unscripted Community Reveals True World of Addiction, Recovery | Interview
  28. Mother-Turned Author Pens Memoir Chronicling Son’s Addiction to Opiates | Interview
  29. RISE TOGETHER Brings Drug Prevention Back to Youth | Interview
  30. Young Woman Witnessed her Cousin Overdose | Interview
  31. Dear God | Poem on addiction featured on NJTV
  32. Military Widow Recounts Losing Husband to Heroin | Interview
  33. Mother Takes Son’s Drug Dealers to Court, Finds Solace in Organ Donations | Interview
  34. “Heroin was His Mistress” | Interview
  35. I Met Molly 9 Months After She Died | Narrative/Poetry/Interview
  36. Abusive Husband Hid in Attic Instead of Going to Rehab | Interview
  37. Grief is Grief is Grief
  38. This Company Mocked Mental Illness and Addiction in an AD
  39. Our Memories Smell Like Heroin | Interview
  40. Facebook’s Affected by Addiction Support Group Garners National Attention
  41. My Thoughts on Carrie Fisher
  42. I Will Never Stop Writing About Heroin
  43. Mother Daughter Team Dedicate Lives to Women and Children Affected by Substance Use Disorder | Interview
  44. Three Years After Mark Died, His Mother Gave me His Music | Interview
  45. New Jersey Organization Aims to Help Those in Early Recovery | Interview
  46. Drug Prevention Walk Scheduled in Support of NJ’s First Recovery High School | Interview
  47. You Died and I Became This Person
  48. Why the Opiate Epidemic Should Be Declared a National Health Emergency
  49. One Year Ago, Doctors Said She Had Three Months to Live | Interview
  50. We Are Running Out of Photographs