I would like to thank my coauthor, Karen Chernyaev, for her patience and support throughout the process of writing this book. Karen’s experience as an editor of many books in the field of nonmedical addiction treatment was a great match with my intent to bring the scientific and medical knowledge to readers who may only be familiar with traditional treatment. Her ability to develop patients’ stories and use them to illustrate complicated clinical issues made this book lively and hopefully much more interesting to read than it would be otherwise.
I am most grateful to my wife, Dr. Katarzyna Wlodarczyk Bisaga, for her unwavering emotional support through thirty years of my academic career, including the intense few months I devoted to the writing of this book. I am also grateful to my children for allowing me extra time away from our family life to work on the book.
There are so many colleagues to thank. Without them, I would not be where I am today. Most importantly, Dr. Herbert Kleber, the most generous, sincere, kind, and good-humored clinician and scientist I have ever worked with. He inspired me to devote my professional life to caring for people with substance use disorders—to take on working with this highly stigmatized population, see their humanity and unique needs, and be able to enjoy it. Special thanks to the late Dr. Marian Fischman, whose mentoring during my first few years at Columbia made an indelible impact on my thinking about the importance of scientific rigor in addiction research, which I hope to continue.
Two of my closest colleagues—those I’ve learned from most, and with whom I’ve shared my work on opioid addiction treatment— are Drs. Ned Nunes and Maria Sullivan. I am greatly indebted to both of them for their incisive minds and most generous spirits.
Many other colleagues in Columbia’s Division on Substance Use Disorders have supported my research efforts; most importantly, Dr. Frances Levin, the division’s director who supported my academic career, and the other colleagues with whom I spent more than twenty years conducting research at the Substance Use Research Service: Drs. Richard Foltin, Sandy Comer, Meg Haney, and Suzette Evans.
I would like to thank Drs. John Mariani and Ken Carpenter, with whom I spent countless hours, spread over more than fifteen years, thinking through many complex clinical problems and coming up with innovative research ideas. Finally, I would like to thank the whole STARS (Substance Treatment and Research Service) team, especially long-term research coordinator Kaitlyn Mishlen and the countless research assistants who have been patient enough to work with me over these years. The STARS team and spirit make it a great place to work and help make taking care of patients as a team so rewarding.
It has been a privilege for me to be involved in training so many stellar young addiction psychiatrists who have come to Columbia to learn the craft. Some of them became close collaborators, most recently Dr. Arthur Robin Williams, who has a bright and open mind and the excitement needed to push our field forward. He and I have worked closely on many topics that are discussed in this book, and I am thankful for his insight and support.
I would like to thank many professional colleagues outside of Columbia. Most importantly, Drs. Gilberto Gerra and Elizabeth Saenz, the two most wonderful and devoted physicians who made the Drug Prevention and Health Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) a place that cares deeply about health and reaches the most needy populations in distant places across the globe. I am thankful for all the opportunities to work with the UNODC team in Vienna as well as in many other faraway places.
A few visionary clinicians I have met in the course of my professional life really stand out: most importantly, Drs. George O’Neil and Colin Brewer, who definitely taught me to think outside the box, and Percy Menzies, from whom I learned how to make helping addicted patients enjoyable.
I am also glad I met so many interesting professional colleagues during my work in the area of addiction treatment. My appreciation to Drs. Ed Salsitz and Sarah Church, who were my go-to methadone treatment experts; Dr. David Ockert, a naltrexone expert, and Drs. Charles O’Brien, Tom Kosten, and George Woody, with whom I had many fascinating discussions about medication development. And finally, Dr. Tom McLellan, who continues to inspire me and whose work and courage in changing the field of addiction treatment I hold in the highest esteem.
I am grateful for my colleagues and friends in Poland, where I started my work in addiction treatment almost thirty years ago, especially Drs. Piotr Popik, Marcin Wojnar, and Magdalena Borkowska. After all these years, we continue to collaborate and discuss new developments in our work. And talking to them helps me keep my work in a broader perspective.
I thank the National Institute on Drug Abuse for its ongoing financial support of my research for the past twenty years, which has allowed me to learn so much about addiction treatment and contributed to the writing of this book.
I extend a special thanks to Matthew Lore, president and publisher at The Experiment, who encouraged me to write this book and helped me to realize how important it would be. His tight deadlines were backed by ongoing support, which is much appreciated. And I thank Linda Konner, my literary agent, for introducing me to the world of professional writers.
Last but not least, I would like to thank the countless patients and their families who have allowed me the privilege of working with them. They have shared not only their struggles but also the joys that come with overcoming addiction and entering recovery. Being a part of their lives has made me a wiser and better clinician and enriched me as a person.
Watching them change as they emerged through the ups and downs of treatment has been the most rewarding experience of my professional life. I shared the journey with them, and as much as I helped them, they helped me. This book is a result of this experience, and I hope it will help others, both people struggling with addiction and their families, to have uplifting journeys into the world of recovery.