A Conversation With Zach Samuels Author of Confessions of a Crack Head
Norm Goldman
July 24, 2008
Good day Zach and thanks for participating in our interview.
Norm:
When and how were you first introduced to drugs?
Zach:
When I was about 13 my friend invited me to a pot party. I was curious and went but I was also scared to try it because my mother being a principal warned me of the dangers of drugs. Being the rebel that I am I guess I just always had to try the forbidden fruits.
Norm:
What was the lowest thing you ever did to obtain drugs?
Zach:
I broke into my parents place breaking the door down at 2 in the morning (they are both 80 years old) and demanded money that I had given them to hold for me. My dad was crying and it broke my heart but I felt like I had no choice because I was so desperate for more.
Norm:
What was the turning point in your life when you decided that you had enough of drugs and you wanted to change? How did you go about getting help?
Zach:
Originally when I was 28 I ended up spending some crazy time with a paranoid dealer with a gun. It was the straw that broke the camel´s back I guess because shortly after that I sought help through Narcotics Anonymous.
Norm:
What do you believe works for recovery?
Zach:
I believe in twelve step programs- having a sponsor, working the steps, going to meetings regularly, reading recovery literature, and doing service work. I also think that some people need to go to treatment or get counseling in order to deal with some of their core issues that keep diving them back to the drug.
Norm:
Do you believe that in substance treatment there can be no moderation and that abstinence is the only way?
Zach:
The simple answer to that is yes. I subscribe to the disease model which professes that we have an allergy of the body, meaning that if we take one we develop a craving which demands more and more. Therefore, total abstinence is the key.
Norm:
Do you believe that if a spouse is an addict, he or she should be kicked out until he or she seeks help?
Zach:
I think it depends on the situation. I definitely think in order to help someone you must never enable them in any way but you can support them by showing them where help can be found. But until the addict is ready to stop they should not be supported in any monetary way, only offered treatment options.
Norm:
Could you briefly tell our readers something about your book Confessions of a Crack Head?
Zach:
It is my story and it is a story of desperation and devastation. But it also a story of freedom and hope. It covers a lot of the things I went through in my active addiction as well as my various attempts and successes at recovery. A point of focus of the book is the love for my daughter, my guilt and remorse over the past and my hopes for a better future.
Norm:
What motivated you to write your book?
Zach:
I was telling my cousin from Toronto about my story and he was interested in turning it into a play because is an actor/director/writer. So he convinced me to start writing and being the addict that I am once I started writing I just couldn´t stop!
Norm:
What was the most difficult thing for you about writing your book?
Zach:
I think the hardest part was reliving a lot of my horror stories. Sometimes it actually really made me feel like using again which is insane because those stories are full of pain and hardship. I guess the element of excitement was still there though.
Norm:
Whom do you believe will benefit from your book and why? What are your hopes for this book?
Zach:
I hope this book helps three parties. Those already in recovery who don´t want to go back, those who need recovery but aren´t there yet, and the friends and families of addict in the problem and in recovery who have trouble understanding the addict. It is my hope that anyone affected by addiction can gain strength and hope from the book and see that no matter how desperate, how low one goes and how many times the addict falls, he/she can always get back up and try again and succeed.
Norm:
What will you be doing for promotion and how much of it is your doing?
Zach:
I am working with a company on an Internet campaign, writing some articles, other interviews, getting some reviews, etc. It´s a lot of fun. I also have a website at www.confessionsofacrackhead.net which has sample chapters, book information, resources for families and those in recovery, a blog, and more
Norm:
Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us? (We would love to hear all about them!)
Zach:
I´ll be starting a meditation book in the fall for crack heads in recovery with daily reflection on staying clean and sober.
Norm:
Is there anything else we have not covered that you would like to add and how can our readers find out more about you and your book?
Zach:
Norm I´m just grateful for the opportunity to share with you about my book and hope that it helps a few people along the way. It can be found at any online bookstore as well as at my website which once again is www.confessionsofacrackhead.net
Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.