Against Doctor's Orders: A True Story of Heroin Addiction Paperback – Large Print, March 6, 2024

It is my greatest hope that this work will serve as a positive influence on someone’s decision to never experiment with heroin. If it helps one person make the right choice, it will have been well worth it."Gritty documentary photography that exposes the dark shadows of drug addiction. A harsh wake-up call with no solutions in sight. Please share this work with your young teenager. Let them get a good, hard look at heroin addiction in the raw. You'll greatly increase their chances of never sticking a needle into their arm. In my opinion, this is one of the hardest-hitting and reality-based documentary photo projects on heroin addiction that has ever been produced. The photography is exceptional, the writing outstanding, and the message is critical."- Norm Elftmann IIIWhat makes the difference? Why is it that some people can experiment with heroin and walk away, never to touch junk again, while other people who experiment with dope become hopelessly hooked, often to the point of their own death? Some claim the difference lies in the character of the person, their individual moral fiber, and personal strength of will. Others look to the person’s family upbringing, social environment, and economic status.While there may be some truth to these points of view, they most certainly are not the only, nor the primary contributing factors to drug addiction. In my judgment, the biological and genetic factors outweigh all others. If a person has the wrong genetic makeup with a strong predisposition towards chemical dependency, it can often seemingly become impossible for that person to break the grip of addiction, no matter their moral compass nor strength of will. When it comes to heroin addiction, it’s merely a game of biological Russian roulette. If you do not struggle with addiction to drugs, if they have never really captured your attention, count yourself lucky.For almost two years, I documented Chicago heroin addicts. I spent between three and five days each week following them through every aspect of their day-to-day lives. I came to know several of them on a really deep and personal level, and even came to know family members of many of the addicts. It was a psychologically and emotionally taxing documentary project.I would like to offer my condolences to all the people throughout the world who suffer from addiction to heroin, and to the families and friends who vicariously become victims of the addiction themselves.“Your work is greatly compelling. The story, the truth behind it speaks volumes. Now if only more people would open their minds and eyes to see the addiction before it gets out of hand, instead of being blind and not believing it could be your child…” –Kara HemlingerAgainst Doctor’s Orders is over 300 pages long, with a 12,000 word main body text, and 180 powerfully gripping black and white documentary photos. Read more