Not everyone can get clean by going to meetings, or checking into short-term rehabs. Some people are so hope-to-die they need a long-term, hard-core program - a program like Sunflower House was in Santa Cruz, California in the 1980s.
When Donna George was arrested for prescription forgery she had to choose between a year in jail or Sunflower House, a rehab that local addicts spoke of with dread. Jail would be shorter and easier, but what would be best for her two young daughters, abandoned with strangers in Hawaii? She knew the answer, but feared the tactics Staff
would use at Sunflower House to break down her walls. She knew how weak she was, how quick to run away.
In STARFISH, Donna George writes unflinchingly of her journey to recovery. She reveals how she abandoned her children in the pursuit of drugs, and shows how tough love broke through her denial. An intimate, gritty, and inspiring story.
"A courageous, literary gift to the reader that provides an extraordinary look into pain, forgiveness and ultimately the kind of redemption that lifts the soul and saves us all from losing our compassion. - Stacey Remick-Simkins, English Department, George Mason University
"As a therapist working in the field of addiction recovery, I'm especially pleased to have such an honest, hopeful account to recommend to my clients. For anyone who doubts that there's a place for 'hard core' recovery programs, this book shows, that while flawed and antiquated in some ways, Sunflower House was a life saver for Donna." Steph, Amazon Review
"We have all done things that we later regret and feel guilty about. Learning to have compassion for ourselves helps us to forgive ourselves for behaviors that may be many, many years in the past … Compassion can help us move on from regretting the people we were yesterday to liking and believing in the people we are today."
Paul410s, Amazon Review
"I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. This was an easy book to read that I just couldn't put down. This was such a personal story of an addict fighting for her life and her children. You will be cheering and crying with her. This book would be such an inspiration
to someone going through the same struggle. Great job!!" CMA, Amazon Review