Raw, honest, and insightful, This Monstrous Obsession is a book written to support and inform parents and family members of addicts. Like many American doctors and parents of a child with addiction, Dr. Baker did not know anything about addiction care until he experienced it through his son Macky’s addiction and eventual death from a heroin overdose. Through his experience, Dr. Baker learned hard truths about addiction, its treatment, and the profound impact addiction has on both addicts and their families alike.

Though we are deeply familiar with the tragedy and severity of the opioid crisis, almost everything we hear about it in the media or online is outdated, irrelevant, driven by profit over patient care, or just plain wrong. Worse, many doctors don’t understand this crisis either, as no doctor is required to learn about addiction treatment unless they select it as their medical specialty.

In his book, Dr. James Baker lays out the facts about addiction care that parents, family members, or anyone with a loved one suffering from addiction must know. He writes not only as a veteran of hospice care and palliative medicine but also as a parent who has lost a child to addiction.

Dr. Baker weaves together the latest scientific research on addiction treatment, his reflections as a parent of a child with addiction, and Macky’s own thoughts and writings to craft an essential, cutting-edge book on why the opioid crisis persists and how we must treat it.