A recovering heroin addict tells of how his early days of alcohol and drug use nearly destroyed his life and recounts his decline into a life of crime and homelessness and his successful recovery.

"The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania."

The history behind Chasing the high -- What to expect from this book -- Crash and rescue -- Above the city, steeped in misery -- Back from the edge -- Substance abuse and addiction defined -- Addiction is a disease -- A hellish journey -- The early days of using -- My not-so-shady past -- A forbidden sip -- One puff leads to another -- My uncertain future -- Heroin -- A rite of passage versus the slippery slope to addiction -- The ride down that slope -- Who becomes addicted, who does not, and why? -- The noose tightens -- A moment of truth, and then denial -- First shot at detoxification -- Learning the life of an addict -- Desperate moves -- Returning to an unfamiliar home -- "This is your brain on drugs" -- Different types of drugs of abuse -- Trying to get help -- Overconfidence and denial : do not mix -- A minor arrest -- A major arrest -- Up, down, up, down : the saga of addiction continues -- A crucial turning point -- Substance abuse treatment : what to expect -- Treatment of co-occurring mental disorders -- Recovery -- What does recovery mean for you? -- If a relapse occurs-- -- Looking back, looking ahead -- "Real" recovery is whatever works for us.