Slow Dancing With the Devil: A Son's Substance Use Disorder, a Mother's Anguish

Susan Herrick's memoir follows the story of her beloved son and only child, Luke, through his struggle with opioid addiction, recovery and sobriety, and untimely and heartbreaking death. Luke suffered a near-fatal car accident that left him partially paralyzed and addicted to Oxycontin, the very drug that helped save his life. Susan turned to the streets to obtain Suboxone, a legal but medically restricted opioid blocker, in an attempt to save her son's life. Remembering this, she writes, "The day I became my son's drug dealer, we both died, in a way."

This poignant and compelling memoir exposes the rampant prescribing of Oxycontin, upwards of 600mg daily in cases like Luke's, and the role overprescribing plays in the disease of Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Through Luke's story, the author addresses failed public policies, misguided medical practices, societal stigmas, and enabling tendencies of loved ones that hinder recovery for those afflicted with SUD.

Susan Bartz Herrick, MFA, EdD., is a retired professor at UNC-Fayetteville, St. Andrews University, and Methodist University. Early in her career, she was a Community Liaison Specialist at HCA Cumberland Psychiatric Hospital and Treatment Center, giving seminars on Mental Health Disorders and Addiction.