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