Coming Clean

Cathryn Kemp was a successful travel journalist who was struck down by a life-threatening illness. After four years of operations and misdiagnoses she left hospital with a repeat prescription for fentanyl, a painkiller 100 times stronger than heroin. Within two years she was taking more than ten times the NHS maximum, all on prescription.

Her family struggled to understand; her boyfriend left her, she hit rock bottom. Discovering she had only six months to live if she didn't give up the drugs she sold everything she owned and checked into rehab. In the treatment centre she was told that she was unlikely to recover from 'the highest level of opiate-abuse in the clinic's history'. To everyone's amazement, she proved them wrong.

This is an extraordinarily poignant, vivid and honest memoir. Based on the twenty-four diaries that the author kept during this period, we travel with Cathryn through her hospital agony, descend with her into the hell of addiction and cheer her as she pulls herself out and upwards. It is a love story, a horror story, a survival story and one that shows only too clearly the very real dangers of the over-prescription of painkillers and tranquillisers. There will also be a resource section for sufferers and their loved ones.

“"This book makes it possible to see how easy it is to fall into addiction. After the first few pages, I found this gripping tale hard to put down."”

Seeringly honest and courageous, an absolutely brilliantly written book about the descent into painkiller addiction that can so easily occur when someone is dealing with unbearable physical and emotional pain. This book should be read by every doctor and mental health practitioner for its unwavering insights into the psychology of addiction. A brave, heartfelt and extraordinary book - Corinne Sweet, author of Overcoming Addiction, psychologist and broadcaster

A brilliantly written book . . . It's not only an inspirational addiction recovery story but also a deeply moving book about recovering from loss on many levels - health, love, independence, career, dignity, trust, optimism . . . Cathryn's story gripped me at gut level from page one - Gael Lindenfield

Compelling and highly topical - Bookseller

Frankly written, Kemp's courageous memior will help those dealing with an addict, or with addiction itself. - Big Issue (North)

Cathryn Kemp is a journalist and travel writer. She was a journalist for The People, News of the World, The Sunday Mirror and the Mirror for seven years before falling ill practically overnight in 2004. She has written several Lonely Planet books, including Romania and Moldov; Estonia; Latvia and Lithuania; Eastern Europe; and Europe on a Shoestring.

'I used to think a drug addict was someone who lived on the far edges of society. Wild-eyed, shaven-headed and living in a filthy squat. That was until I become one.' Cathryn Kemp was a successful travel journalist who fell ill with a life-threatening illness. After four years of painful operations and misdiagnoses she was discharged from hospital with a repeat prescription for fentanyl, a painkiller one hundred times stronger than heroin. Within two years she was taking more than ten times the NHS maximum dosage, all on prescription. Painkiller Addict is a story of our times, as each year more and more prescriptions are written for strong painkillers or tranquillisers. In this extraordinarily poignant, vivid and honest memoir, Cathryn describes her horrifying descent into addiction and her fight for freedom from the medication which saved her life -- then almost destroyed it. It is a love story, a horror story and one of the bravest survival stories you will ever read.

Cathryn Kemp was a successful travel journalist who was struck down by a life-threatening illness. After four years of operations and misdiagnoses she left hospital with a repeat prescription for fentanyl, a painkiller 100 times stronger than heroin. Within two years she was taking more than ten times the NHS maximum, all on prescription.Her family struggled to understand; her boyfriend left her, she hit rock bottom. Discovering she had only six months to live if she didn't give up the drugs she sold everything she owned and checked into rehab. In the treatment centre she was told that she was unlikely to recover from 'the highest level of opiate-abuse in the clinic's history'. To everyone's amazement, she proved them wrong.This is an extraordinarily poignant, vivid and honest memoir. Based on the twenty-four diaries that the author kept during this period, we travel with Cathryn through her hospital agony, descend with her into the hell of addiction and cheer her as she pulls herself out and upwards. It is a love story, a horror story, a survival story and one that shows only too clearly the very real dangers of the over-prescription of painkillers and tranquillisers. There will also be a resource section for sufferers and their loved ones.

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