Synopses & Reviews
Through the life-changing intervention staged by Dr. Phil on his show, Gammill not only committed to getting help for her addiction, but she also went on to become a professional interventionist, helping thousands of others in distress. In
The Interventionist, Gammill's own story is intertwined with depictions of her often harrowing and always inspiring interventions and those of some of the addicts and families she's worked with over the years. In each chapter she recounts details of a client's unique battle with addiction and the devastation that led to a loved one's request for her help.
Gammill's story--and the stories of the brave people who come to her for help--demonstrates how it is possible to emerge from the seemingly hopeless world of out-of-control drug use and not only regain one's sanity, but actually discover that life clean and sober can be more meaningful than it ever was before.
Review
The Interventionist Joani Gammill. Hazelden, $14.95 trade paper (336p) ISBN 978-1-59285-894-1
"Addiction trumps everything. Even love of my children," confesses Gammill in this incredible story of salvation. A registered nurse and mother of two from Maryland, Gammill transforms from an out-of-control drug addict to an "interventionist" who has helped eight women and one man take their first steps toward sobriety. Gammill tells their harrowing, stories, and her own, in this memoir of success, failure, and redemption. Gammill credits her own life-saving step toward recovery to self-help guru Dr. Phil McGraw, who responded to her written plea for help with a long, painful stint in rehab--and a gig on his TV show. While she tells the stories of others, like CJ, a woman who consumes almost anything that is mind-altering, but remains determined to fight an addiction that "came "to kill, steal and destroy," it is Gammill's unsettling story that best illustrates the one enduring truth about a sickness that can alter both a person's life and personality: the recognition that even in the throes of the disease, an addict is far more than the addiction. These tales should inspire and challenge addicts as well as their caregivers and families. (May) Reviewed on: 03/14 --Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Joani Gammill, RN, CNDAI, CNDCS, appears regularly on the Dr. Phil show where she leads interventions that have inspired millions of his viewers. Before her career as an interventionist, she worked as a registered nurse in medical facilities, then in a state-run drug-and-alcohol-rehabilitation center.