The advocate and writer Kathy Wagner discusses her new memoir Here With You: A Memoir of Love, Family, and Addiction (Douglas & McIntyre, 2023), with Joseph Planta.

Here With You: A Memoir of Love, Family, and Addiction by Kathy Wagner (Douglas & McIntyre, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Here With You

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the powerful books of the season is Kathy Wagner’s Here With You: A Memoir of Love, Family, and Addiction. In the book, she chronicles her struggle to save her son from addiction. We read about Tristan, who at the age of fourteen begins experimenting with drugs. We see how she deals with his drug use and addiction, and the journey towards treatment. It’s a long six years before Tristan consents to treatment. And Ms. Wagner, who joins me now, narrates the tremendous work she does finding ways to save her son, like studying kung fu in China, or culinary school, even paying for his drugs to keep him safe. She’s honest about the patterns of addiction Tristan goes through, which invariably affect Kathy and her family. And when Tristian begins his recovery journey, we see how challenging it is for Tristan, and how costly it is. We see Kathy and her eldest daughter contend with their own recoveries. And after Tristan’s death by accidental fentanyl overdose, we see Kathy dealing with her grief and pain. We see her as she heals, and it’s such an insightful, compassionate read. It’s also brutal and honest, and she doesn’t spare even herself. Kathy Wagner is the mother of three grown children, including her son Tristan who died from fentanyl poisoning in August 2017. She has actively advocated for improved access to quality addiction recovery services. She is a peer support group facilitator, and has appeared on numerous media outlets telling her story. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre, and she joined me from Port Coquitlam, three weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kathy Wagner; Ms. Wagner, good morning.

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