I bought this book after Barry spoke at my church. I've never had an addiction to drugs, but it taught me an empathy towards those who do. It is well written and thoroughly captivating from beginning to end.

This book should be read by anyone who has ever given a thought about today’s drug culture and wondered how anyone could be drawn into the sordid business that feeds on it. Told with honesty and frankness, Barry Woodward, an ordinary working class lad from a loving family in Manchester, finds himself drawn from smoking behind the cycle sheds at school into becoming a heroin addict. The book details his life from the moment he feels that he has his drug taking under control and able to stop at any time to his decline into total dependence where nothing is allowed to stand in the way of his ‘fix’. A series of court appearances and prison sentences, his divorce from his family, and failed relationships hasten his decline which leads to schizophrenia and complete degradation. But this is a book of hope. A chance meeting with an ex Borstal boy and his reluctant introduction to a local church finally leads him to a fulfilled and useful life. Told with humour and complete frankness the book reads well and I recommend it highly to anyone looking for a better understanding of today’s youth culture.

Anyone with an addiction of any kind would find this book extremely helpful, a wonderful story full of hope.