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One Hit Away: A Memoir of Recovery
- Narrated by: Ryan Haugen
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Winner of 2020's Best Book of the Year Award, Indies Today, Finalist in 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Award (Addiction and Recovery), and a Recipient of an Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion
“One Hit Away is a gripping, startling account into addiction, compassion, and ultimate salvation. It is powerful because of its honesty. Raw without being sensationalistic, this harrowing account of Jordan’s journey provides insight and compassion into the struggle of addiction. It is an important, engrossing book that is hard to put down." (Annie Grace, author of This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life)
At the age of 24, Jordan Barnes woke up next to a lifeless body, rifled through his dead friends’ pockets for any remaining heroin, and went right back to using. Strung out and homeless during the supposed best years of his life, there was no clear way out of the opioid crisis ravaging the streets of Portland, Oregon. But though Jordan had long accepted his fate, his parents still held out hope and would do everything in their power to get him the help he so desperately needed.
After a harrowing journey that proves the life of an addict will always get worse, never better, Jordan found himself at the gates of Sand Island, Hawaii’s most notorious two-year inpatient treatment facility. He soon discovers that though his heart was in the right place, the hardest battle of his life was yet to come.
One Hit Away is his arduous and unlikely true story of recovery, rehabilitation, and redemption.
"One Hit Away takes you on a journey you won't forget. An honest expression of such a common and hardcore reality is so necessary. This memoir is a work of art, truth, and healing on a level many of us have yet to encounter." (Kayleon Dortch-Elliott, author of One Day at a Time: Remaining in Step)
“Raw. Brutal. Jaw-dropping.” (Kylie LeBlanc, addictstripple.com)
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What listeners say about One Hit Away: A Memoir of Recovery
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-05-21
thank you
great memoir. happy to listen to your story. books like these really help me with my recovery. I'm almost two years clean myself, and hearing stories like this always help.
7 people found this helpful
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- Lucia Patarra
- 08-29-20
Dark, Gritty and INSPIRING
Honest and raw book about addiction and recovery. I'm a fellow heroin addict in recovery and this book really resonated with me. This book gives a look into the world of addiction, homelessness, and proves that recovery IS possible. While being dark in parts the author never loses his sense of humor and the story is overall one of love and hope. The narrator also did a great job portraying the desperation of heroin addiction. highly recommend to anyone in recovery, still struggling with addiction, or to anyone who loves an addict and wants to gain insight.
7 people found this helpful
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- Elizabeth Iovine
- 05-12-21
incredible, touching, authentic, inspiring....
I've been on an Audible binge of addiction memoirs for the last few weeks & this is by far one of the most authentic and well written memoirs I have ever read and/or heard; with the narrators voice & inflection perfectly matched to capture the insecure, not quite too jaded...with a touch of innate innocence, goodness,& sweetness, that Jordan's soul seems to be. It is a reminder that addicts are not bad people that need to become good,, but sick people that need to become well. I've recently celebrated 13 years clean & Jordan's story gave me the boost of joy (that living life can often leave you forgetting) of what that means & how I got here. Also, a really beautiful account of a mother's unwavering love & support but with the tough boundaries that are necessary to truly help her son.
5 people found this helpful
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- Salena K Garten
- 08-03-21
A raw truth of heroine addiction.
I needed to understand heroin addiction. I needed more than what my addict son was willing to share with me. I have exhausted my strength and I needed something to replenish my reasons to continue. I cried and I cheered for both mother and son in this story. Thank you for sharing your story I needed to know I was not alone.
4 people found this helpful
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- Niki Myers Rogerson
- 09-17-20
"One hit away"
The story helped me to understand this disease. I feel as though I was there watching him as he struggled though and then made a hard earned recovery. I started it and could not stop listening.
I love his mother and father who never gave up. The writing was excellent. I wished I had read the book rather than listened. If you are from the islands read it, do not listen.
I do live in Hawai'i and did not like the readers pronunciation of Hawaiian words. Some were really bad. Imitations of "Pidgeon English" were done incorrectly. I wished someone from the islands could have done the reading.
4 people found this helpful
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- bonita martin
- 05-20-21
good listen
As a provider trying to understand addiction beyond what is taught, this book helped to shed light on the problems,reasoning and the hold that the addiction can have on an individual. I hope the author has continued his journey of sobriety.
3 people found this helpful
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- Elizabeth
- 12-02-21
I couldn't stop listening!
This was such a hopeful and inspiring listen. I couldn't wait for each opportunity I had to pick up the story and continue listening. I love that the author didn't sugar coat his addiction but also let the reader know there is hope!
2 people found this helpful
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- Evan haigley
- 12-01-21
Very well written memoir
I wasn't sure about the book at first, but after the first chapter, I was hooked. A very compelling story detailing the struggles of a heroin addict in Portland, Oregon. A nice change from the array of memoirs originating out of L.A. It is very inspiring and is one of my favorite memoirs yet.
2 people found this helpful
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- joel niehuus
- 11-29-21
Great book
I found that I was listening in bunches over hours of time. Not a dull moment at all. Consistently kept me want to know what happens next. Lastly, a true story that has such a blessed ending. This book will change lives. Thank you for sharing !
2 people found this helpful
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- Nathan
- 11-20-21
Incredible book!
Jordan thank you so much for sharing this experience with the world. You will influence thousands of lives with this. You have no idea.
Thank you 🙏🏼
2 people found this helpful
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- Terry T
- 03-25-22
Ok but preachy
God heavy and a lot of unscientific recovery methods. Good story just could have done without the prayer and acupuncture lecture.
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- sammyb1
- 02-08-22
Brilliant
Read the reviews and decided to buy. So glad I did. Read a lot of this genre of book and this was one of the most memorable. Written beautifully. Read with feeling. Massive respect to people who have to go through this finished it very quickly and looked forward to listening each evening.
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- maricruz
- 01-31-22
very touching 😢
it was a very touching story from recovery highly recommended feel so much compassion and his mom god bless her is such a hero
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- Tracey-Anne
- 01-17-22
Such a raw account of the life of an addict
I chose this book as I too struggle with addiction, not on this level but enough to realise that I have a problem that I do not want to get any worse. Hearing how Jordan felt through both his highs and his lows, the unwavering commitment his amazing parents showed towards his recovery and his ability to overcome his addiction was quite a journey of both pain and resilience. His father gave him a tough talking to when he was ready to throw the towel in, one that gave me hope. His words of wisdom was like a golden key towards unlocking his motivation. One, if you read this book, may help you too.
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- jon gledhill
- 11-29-20
Raw heartfelt true
A heartbreaking true story of a man who went from addiction to rehab and beyond. A story where he could have everything but chose his addiction over this.
Brilliantly written, raw and uplifting.
"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."
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- S.Sugden
- 09-07-20
Truly amazing.
This is a beautifully written memoir. Jordan discribes his experiences with honesty and hope. This is a truly inspiring book and I feel grateful to have heard Jordan's battles and ongoing success. This is definitely a book I will return to again.
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- Steven O'Brien
- 09-02-20
Inspiration
Listened to all 10 hours in 2 days. If anyone is struggling with addiction then this is the book for you. It proves anyone can change
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- Karen with a Kindle
- 08-29-20
Highly HIGHLY recommended!
One Hit Away is the memoir of an addict and his attempts to leave a life where every act in every day is one of survival – in the author's words, “to take what we can, when we can, and figure tomorrow out if it comes” never being sure that there is a tomorrow. It begins with a bombshell right off the bat as he wakes up next to the dead body of his friend. One might think it can't get any worse than that, but to paraphrase one of the chapter titles, rock bottom has a basement.
The story of his life in the drug world and repeated attempts to get out of it is alternately horrifying and heartbreaking (with occasional moments when I couldn't help but laugh, even in such a serious situation). Less than halfway into this, I had cried out loud, and at one point, literally and viscerally had to fight from getting physically sick.
The author in no way glorifies the drug life – this is not a story of disco glitz, club drugs and silver coke spoons. Neither does he sensationalize the low points – there is no need to. This is the low-down dirty of brutal and raw need that never lessens, a need for something whose ultimate goal is to kill, and having to tell yourself that “heaven is out of the picture” in order to justify whatever it takes to fill that need. It's doing things that have you saying to yourself “I can't believe what I've become”, and suffering while realizing the hurt it's inflicting on others, knowing that you are better than this – but being helpless to stop. It's about reaching the point where quitting is literally a life and death decision, and one with a deadline. And even then, it takes a superhero level of fortitude and determination to reach the finish line and to overcome the damage he's done to himself and others.
The author's writing is brilliant as he draws you into the story. It's clear, it's easy to follow, it moves quickly, and is hard to put down. The writing style, his descriptions of surroundings and the emotions and feelings puts you in scene and inside his head, feeling the sickness along with him, feeling the desperation, and cheering for him to stay with it on those occasions where he teetered on the edge. Reading this was like watching a movie in my head, it was that well-written. The Audible version is also superb. Good choice of a narrator - feeling and emotion emanates. I get chills listening to parts of this, even after having read the written version.
But beyond the story and the writing, there's more to this. Within the lines of this memoir, there is help. From the author's note in the beginning of the book where he includes resources for the addict, to the presence of people along the way who tried to help, and how they DID help. His family quite obviously instilled in him values like compassion, integrity, and honesty. That was quite clear throughout the book. His guilt at knowing this, but having to step over those values because of the need for drugs was painful to read. The family went over and above what might be expected; they helped and supported without coddling or giving in to him, they said no when they had to, as much as it pained them. The author recognizes these people, and shows us what works and what doesn't when dealing with an addict.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who knows someone suffering from addiction or going through recovery, and also to their families. Or to anyone who needs a reminder that you CAN overcome if you want it bad enough. I have no doubt that this is going to save some lives.
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