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Rehab: An American Scandal
Pulitzer finalist Shoshana Walter exposes the country’s failed response to the opioid crisis, and the malfeasance, corruption, and snake oil which blight the drug rehabilitation industry.
Our country’s leaders all seem to People who suffer from addiction need treatment. Today, more people have access to treatment than ever before. So why isn’t it working? The answer is that in America—where anyone can get addicted—only certain people get a real chance to recover. Despite record numbers of overdose deaths, our default response is still to punish, while rehabs across the United States fail to incorporate scientifically proven strategies and exploit patients. We’ve heard a great deal about the opioid crisis foisted on America by Big Pharma, but we’ve heard too little about the other half of this epidemic—the reason why so many remain mired in addiction. Until now.
In this book, you’ll find the stories of four people who represent the failures of the rehab-industrial complex, and the ways our treatment system often prevents recovery. April is a black mom in Philadelphia, who witnessed firsthand how the government’s punitive response to the crack epidemic impeded her own mother’s recovery—and then her own. Chris, a young middle-class white man from Louisiana, received more opportunities in his addiction than April, including the chance to go to treatment instead of prison. Yet the only program the judge permitted was one that forced him to perform unpaid back-breaking labor at for-profit companies. Wendy is a mother from a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles, whose son died in a sober living home. She began investigating for-profit treatment programs—yet law enforcement and regulators routinely ignored her warnings, allowing rehab patients to die, again and again. Larry is a surgeon who himself struggled with addiction, who would eventually become one of the first Suboxone prescribers in the nation, drawing the scrutiny of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Together, these four stories illustrate the pitfalls of a system that not only fails to meet the needs of people with addiction, but actively benefits from maintaining their lower status. They also offer insight into how we might fix that system and save lives.
Our country’s leaders all seem to People who suffer from addiction need treatment. Today, more people have access to treatment than ever before. So why isn’t it working? The answer is that in America—where anyone can get addicted—only certain people get a real chance to recover. Despite record numbers of overdose deaths, our default response is still to punish, while rehabs across the United States fail to incorporate scientifically proven strategies and exploit patients. We’ve heard a great deal about the opioid crisis foisted on America by Big Pharma, but we’ve heard too little about the other half of this epidemic—the reason why so many remain mired in addiction. Until now.
In this book, you’ll find the stories of four people who represent the failures of the rehab-industrial complex, and the ways our treatment system often prevents recovery. April is a black mom in Philadelphia, who witnessed firsthand how the government’s punitive response to the crack epidemic impeded her own mother’s recovery—and then her own. Chris, a young middle-class white man from Louisiana, received more opportunities in his addiction than April, including the chance to go to treatment instead of prison. Yet the only program the judge permitted was one that forced him to perform unpaid back-breaking labor at for-profit companies. Wendy is a mother from a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles, whose son died in a sober living home. She began investigating for-profit treatment programs—yet law enforcement and regulators routinely ignored her warnings, allowing rehab patients to die, again and again. Larry is a surgeon who himself struggled with addiction, who would eventually become one of the first Suboxone prescribers in the nation, drawing the scrutiny of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Together, these four stories illustrate the pitfalls of a system that not only fails to meet the needs of people with addiction, but actively benefits from maintaining their lower status. They also offer insight into how we might fix that system and save lives.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2025
80 people are currently reading
980 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 8, 2025
This book was fine. It did what it set out to do. I didn't find the storytelling to be particularly deep (I knew most of the info). Some of the writing (end of chapters) were irksome, the author was really holding our hands in a way that felt almost corny. It is a good overview book into the opioid treatment industry. Given the title I thought the book might go more into AA as well, but it is mostly about drug addiction. I liked the book fine but it isn't one I think will stick with me long term.
August 8, 2025
DNF @ p149
I grabbed this book because I hate every aspect of USian for-profit medical system, but especially as it impacts poor and disabled patients and those who are persons of color.
Walter's research is extremely thorough. And I thought she organized the book well, except I found it repetitive. Each case she shares is distinctive, but I don't think she highlights the distinctions, but the similarities, as that's kind of her point. But for me, in finding the material triggering (institutionalization and stigmatization of mental illness, like addiction), this kind of intentionally repetitive structure was difficult to read. I would have liked a diversion in the text, a subplot, a discussion, something besides more and more evidence of abuse and negligent murder of disabled people.
I still maintain that this is an excellent and necessary text for anyone wanting to know more about what goes on behind the curtain at residential mental health facilities.
I grabbed this book because I hate every aspect of USian for-profit medical system, but especially as it impacts poor and disabled patients and those who are persons of color.
Walter's research is extremely thorough. And I thought she organized the book well, except I found it repetitive. Each case she shares is distinctive, but I don't think she highlights the distinctions, but the similarities, as that's kind of her point. But for me, in finding the material triggering (institutionalization and stigmatization of mental illness, like addiction), this kind of intentionally repetitive structure was difficult to read. I would have liked a diversion in the text, a subplot, a discussion, something besides more and more evidence of abuse and negligent murder of disabled people.
I still maintain that this is an excellent and necessary text for anyone wanting to know more about what goes on behind the curtain at residential mental health facilities.
July 4, 2025
Book Review: Rehab: An American Scandal by Shoshana Walter - A Public Health Practitioner's Perspective
Rating: 5/5
Reactions & Emotional Impact
Walter’s Rehab: An American Scandal is a searing, meticulously researched exposé that left me oscillating between outrage and heartbreak. As someone familiar with the opioid crisis’s broad strokes, I was unprepared for the depth of systemic rot Walter uncovers. Her narrative—woven through four protagonists’ lives—transforms statistics into visceral human suffering. April’s story of intergenerational punishment under the crack and opioid regimes shattered me; Chris’s exploitation in forced labor “rehab” programs ignited fury. Walter’s prose is clinical yet compassionate, balancing investigative rigor with emotional resonance. The chapter detailing Wendy’s fight for accountability after her son’s death in a sober living home was particularly gut-wrenching, exposing how profit motives eclipse patient safety. By the end, I felt both haunted by the failures she documents and galvanized by her call for reform.
Strengths
-Narrative Power: Walter’s choice to anchor systemic critique in individual stories (April, Chris, Wendy, Larry) humanizes the crisis without sensationalizing it. Their intersecting struggles reveal how race, class, and policy failures compound addiction’s toll.
-Investigative Depth: The book dismantles rehab industry myths with forensic precision—from fraudulent billing practices to the suppression of evidence-based treatments like Suboxone. Walter’s Pulitzer-finalist chops shine in her sourcing (whistleblowers, court records, insider accounts).
-Structural Clarity: She maps the rehab-industrial complex with stunning clarity, showing how insurers, courts, and regulators collude to prioritize profit over recovery. The DEA’s persecution of Suboxone prescribers (like Larry) is a masterclass in institutional hypocrisy.
-Solutions-Oriented: While unflinching in critique, Walter highlights grassroots alternatives (e.g., harm reduction models) that offer tangible hope.
Constructive Criticism
-Policy Prescriptions: Though the epilogue gestures toward reform, readers may crave a fuller blueprint for dismantling the systems Walter critiques (e.g., specific legislative fixes).
-Global Context: A brief comparative analysis of rehab systems in other nations could underscore the uniquely American failures she exposes.
-Data Visualization: Given the complexity of financial flows in the rehab industry, infographics could enhance accessibility for general readers.
Final Thoughts
This book is a Molotov cocktail tossed at the rehab industry’s façade—a work of moral urgency that belongs alongside Dopesick and Empire of Pain. Walter doesn’t just diagnose a crisis; she indicts the machinery perpetuating it, demanding we confront addiction treatment as a civil rights issue. This is an element, as a public health practitioner myself, I can really appreciate.
Gratitude:
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the gifted copy—this is the kind of journalism that can (and must) spark change.
Why 5/5?
A flawless synthesis of narrative force and investigative brilliance, Rehab: An American Scandal is a landmark work that redefines addiction discourse. Essential reading for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and anyone who believes recovery should not be a privilege - Sincerely, A Public Health Executive Practitioner.
Rating: 5/5
Reactions & Emotional Impact
Walter’s Rehab: An American Scandal is a searing, meticulously researched exposé that left me oscillating between outrage and heartbreak. As someone familiar with the opioid crisis’s broad strokes, I was unprepared for the depth of systemic rot Walter uncovers. Her narrative—woven through four protagonists’ lives—transforms statistics into visceral human suffering. April’s story of intergenerational punishment under the crack and opioid regimes shattered me; Chris’s exploitation in forced labor “rehab” programs ignited fury. Walter’s prose is clinical yet compassionate, balancing investigative rigor with emotional resonance. The chapter detailing Wendy’s fight for accountability after her son’s death in a sober living home was particularly gut-wrenching, exposing how profit motives eclipse patient safety. By the end, I felt both haunted by the failures she documents and galvanized by her call for reform.
Strengths
-Narrative Power: Walter’s choice to anchor systemic critique in individual stories (April, Chris, Wendy, Larry) humanizes the crisis without sensationalizing it. Their intersecting struggles reveal how race, class, and policy failures compound addiction’s toll.
-Investigative Depth: The book dismantles rehab industry myths with forensic precision—from fraudulent billing practices to the suppression of evidence-based treatments like Suboxone. Walter’s Pulitzer-finalist chops shine in her sourcing (whistleblowers, court records, insider accounts).
-Structural Clarity: She maps the rehab-industrial complex with stunning clarity, showing how insurers, courts, and regulators collude to prioritize profit over recovery. The DEA’s persecution of Suboxone prescribers (like Larry) is a masterclass in institutional hypocrisy.
-Solutions-Oriented: While unflinching in critique, Walter highlights grassroots alternatives (e.g., harm reduction models) that offer tangible hope.
Constructive Criticism
-Policy Prescriptions: Though the epilogue gestures toward reform, readers may crave a fuller blueprint for dismantling the systems Walter critiques (e.g., specific legislative fixes).
-Global Context: A brief comparative analysis of rehab systems in other nations could underscore the uniquely American failures she exposes.
-Data Visualization: Given the complexity of financial flows in the rehab industry, infographics could enhance accessibility for general readers.
Final Thoughts
This book is a Molotov cocktail tossed at the rehab industry’s façade—a work of moral urgency that belongs alongside Dopesick and Empire of Pain. Walter doesn’t just diagnose a crisis; she indicts the machinery perpetuating it, demanding we confront addiction treatment as a civil rights issue. This is an element, as a public health practitioner myself, I can really appreciate.
Gratitude:
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the gifted copy—this is the kind of journalism that can (and must) spark change.
Why 5/5?
A flawless synthesis of narrative force and investigative brilliance, Rehab: An American Scandal is a landmark work that redefines addiction discourse. Essential reading for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and anyone who believes recovery should not be a privilege - Sincerely, A Public Health Executive Practitioner.
August 19, 2025
4.5 stars. The author used 4 characters to structure the book, each of which is located in a different part of the US. Each character represents a unique view of the opioid issue, as well. She really got deep enough into each person’s situation to give interest and depth to the conversation without bogging it down with too much detail. I thought she struck a perfect balance in that regard. I was invested in each character and appreciated the epilogue to learn their updated statuses.
The commercial and political aspects of rehab were well-considered and -researched. I feel like i have a better understanding of what rehab is and does - and its limitations and dangers. Anyone who has been touched in any way by addiction will find something to appreciate here. Highly recommend. (The half star under 5 reflects my personal lack of clarity on the physician’s story. Not really sure if the role he filled was overall positive or negative for the addicted community)
The commercial and political aspects of rehab were well-considered and -researched. I feel like i have a better understanding of what rehab is and does - and its limitations and dangers. Anyone who has been touched in any way by addiction will find something to appreciate here. Highly recommend. (The half star under 5 reflects my personal lack of clarity on the physician’s story. Not really sure if the role he filled was overall positive or negative for the addicted community)
August 20, 2025
4.5 rating. This was a tough read. The business of rehab is highlighted in this investigative book following four people and their journeys. Chris and April are addicts that go through different stages of recovery with various results. You can tell which one gets more of the benefit of the doubt and second, third, fourth, etc. chances vs. someone from a minority group who is not given those opportunities. Larry is a former surgeon that lost his profession due to addiction but has reinvented himself as a provider for those in need of the tools in order not to relapse. Wendy lost a son to an overdose and now goes after those responsible for his death and in general the for-profit rehab industry.
August 17, 2025
A marvelous page turner!
A brilliant book that reads like a mystery novel. It is so interesting and informative, poignant yet uplifting. Don't be surprised if this ends up on the Pulitzer Prize shortlist!
A brilliant book that reads like a mystery novel. It is so interesting and informative, poignant yet uplifting. Don't be surprised if this ends up on the Pulitzer Prize shortlist!
August 16, 2025
Eye-opening piece of non-fiction. The stories of four people navigating different aspects of the addiction treatment industry are compelling and shocking. A must read for anyone whose life, or the lives of loved ones, has been affected by addition.
August 28, 2025
This book is about some of the problems in the modern world of helping people with drug addictions. The author picked four different people and alternated their stories. Each person's story showed a different facet of issues in rehab: too short of stays allowed by insurance, too many regulations on the drug suboxone, not enough regulations on quality of care, and exploitative and dishonest programming, and weak state oversight that never lead to any changes.
1. Chris went to Cenikor, and from his story I learned: don't go to Cenikor. Their program forced patients to work all day every day as rehabilitation (the direction RFK wants to take things). Cenikor had all its patients work for different agencies or businesses doing hard and dangerous work, and the company got to keep their paychecks (the patients got paid in cigarettes). Their insurance was billed for therapy they never got because they were too busy working. Chris was injured on the job and Cenikor refused to let him seek medical care. The author points out it was his white privilege that got him into this program, but it sounds like a really shitty program, so I'm not sure this was the biggest takedown for white privilege.
2. April's story was heartbreaking. She is a black woman who's a third generation of addicts who had kids super young. She had so many problems created by systemic issues. She was finally able to access rehab in the form of "sober-living homes." These places don't have to provide therapy or detox, and they can have religious values as part of their programming, but you do have to pay for them. The one April went to had three women to a bedroom in tiny bedrooms. She kept relapsing and going back to being homeless, then returning to sober-living homes. They don't have a great success rate but April was eventually able to stay sober and get her kids back. She was a compassionate woman who looked out for homeless addicts after she got sober, doing things like bringing warm hot dogs to the tent city addicts. She was a very resilient and good-hearted person, which stayed with me more strongly than the points about sober living homes.
3. Wendy's story really did not land for me! Sorry, Wendy! Wendy's son died in a sober-living home when he was 20. It was badly run and they falsely advertised a bunch of programs at the home that weren't actually in place. It was run by a Mormon who knew nothing about addiction. Wendy's son had texted her saying he was unhappy/suicidal, but the owner convinced Wendy he was fine and shouldn't leave. Then her son ran away and months later they found his body. That part was sad. The part I didn't sympathize with was Wendy's reaction. She got a bunch of employees to spill the beans on how poorly the place was run and about some of her son's suicide attempts there. So Wendy spent all her time after that emailing everyone in the state these crazy, all caps emails, multiple times a day. She kept saying, "I'm not crazy," but it was because her behavior actually was crazy. She printed out all her emails and would bring them to trials, and the judge would be like "you can't just print out a bunch of emails and submit them as evidence in the middle of a trial." The author was trying to frame her as this warrior mom, but I have been on the other end of people's emails like this, and they're just impossible to deal with. Maybe the point of this story is that grief from bad rehab can make loved ones insane?
4. Larry was a former surgeon and recovering (?) alcoholic who who was prescribing Suboxone, a drug that reduces cravings for opiates and makes them harder to take (kind of like Chantix does for cigarettes). The author says the problem with Suboxone is that the FDA has put so many limits on who can get it that it's not having nearly the impact it could if it were less stigmatized/heavily regulated by the government. Larry was allowed to only have 30 patients for Suboxone. But he decided to write prescriptions for it as off-label use for "pain." Then his practice turned into a pill mill. He would spend hardly any time with patients and write hundreds of suboxone prescriptions a day for patients lining up all day. Believe it or not, this got him arrested. The author made it seem like this was somewhat of a travesty, but after the Sacklers this guy should really know what pill mill behavior looks like. His story was the worst one.
SO overall, I liked some of the individual stories, but I think the author pretty one-sided in her views. I didn't think her analysis always held up, or that the stories always illustrated the points she was trying to make. But I did learn some new things about shady rehab practices and the latest battles in the drug war, so that was nice! Plus it was a quick read.
1. Chris went to Cenikor, and from his story I learned: don't go to Cenikor. Their program forced patients to work all day every day as rehabilitation (the direction RFK wants to take things). Cenikor had all its patients work for different agencies or businesses doing hard and dangerous work, and the company got to keep their paychecks (the patients got paid in cigarettes). Their insurance was billed for therapy they never got because they were too busy working. Chris was injured on the job and Cenikor refused to let him seek medical care. The author points out it was his white privilege that got him into this program, but it sounds like a really shitty program, so I'm not sure this was the biggest takedown for white privilege.
2. April's story was heartbreaking. She is a black woman who's a third generation of addicts who had kids super young. She had so many problems created by systemic issues. She was finally able to access rehab in the form of "sober-living homes." These places don't have to provide therapy or detox, and they can have religious values as part of their programming, but you do have to pay for them. The one April went to had three women to a bedroom in tiny bedrooms. She kept relapsing and going back to being homeless, then returning to sober-living homes. They don't have a great success rate but April was eventually able to stay sober and get her kids back. She was a compassionate woman who looked out for homeless addicts after she got sober, doing things like bringing warm hot dogs to the tent city addicts. She was a very resilient and good-hearted person, which stayed with me more strongly than the points about sober living homes.
3. Wendy's story really did not land for me! Sorry, Wendy! Wendy's son died in a sober-living home when he was 20. It was badly run and they falsely advertised a bunch of programs at the home that weren't actually in place. It was run by a Mormon who knew nothing about addiction. Wendy's son had texted her saying he was unhappy/suicidal, but the owner convinced Wendy he was fine and shouldn't leave. Then her son ran away and months later they found his body. That part was sad. The part I didn't sympathize with was Wendy's reaction. She got a bunch of employees to spill the beans on how poorly the place was run and about some of her son's suicide attempts there. So Wendy spent all her time after that emailing everyone in the state these crazy, all caps emails, multiple times a day. She kept saying, "I'm not crazy," but it was because her behavior actually was crazy. She printed out all her emails and would bring them to trials, and the judge would be like "you can't just print out a bunch of emails and submit them as evidence in the middle of a trial." The author was trying to frame her as this warrior mom, but I have been on the other end of people's emails like this, and they're just impossible to deal with. Maybe the point of this story is that grief from bad rehab can make loved ones insane?
4. Larry was a former surgeon and recovering (?) alcoholic who who was prescribing Suboxone, a drug that reduces cravings for opiates and makes them harder to take (kind of like Chantix does for cigarettes). The author says the problem with Suboxone is that the FDA has put so many limits on who can get it that it's not having nearly the impact it could if it were less stigmatized/heavily regulated by the government. Larry was allowed to only have 30 patients for Suboxone. But he decided to write prescriptions for it as off-label use for "pain." Then his practice turned into a pill mill. He would spend hardly any time with patients and write hundreds of suboxone prescriptions a day for patients lining up all day. Believe it or not, this got him arrested. The author made it seem like this was somewhat of a travesty, but after the Sacklers this guy should really know what pill mill behavior looks like. His story was the worst one.
SO overall, I liked some of the individual stories, but I think the author pretty one-sided in her views. I didn't think her analysis always held up, or that the stories always illustrated the points she was trying to make. But I did learn some new things about shady rehab practices and the latest battles in the drug war, so that was nice! Plus it was a quick read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an eARC of Shoshana Walter's latest.
"Profit and punishment have ruled our treatment system, but it is these same concepts that seem to rule the United States. It is an addiction, since the founding of this country, that we just can't seem to quit".
Wow, this is an incredibly tough but essential read for everyone in the United States right now. Addiction has affected almost everyone's life at this point. Whether it’s someone's own addiction or those of friends or family, the damage is the same. People want to blame others, point fingers, and can't understand why some people "can't just stop using." They don’t see why nobody is helping, where to turn for help, or why people even start using drugs in the first place.
This non-fiction masterpiece is divided into three parts and follows four individuals' journeys from start to (sometimes quite literally) the end. It exposes the dark, ugly side of addiction treatment in the US. Covering sober living, scams, court-ordered treatment, private options, insurance costs, and more. The story is raw and gripping, yet handled with great care. It's clear why Shoshana Walter is a Pulitzer finalist.
I recommend this book to everyone. This should be required reading for those working in counseling, social work, etc.
Available August 12
"Profit and punishment have ruled our treatment system, but it is these same concepts that seem to rule the United States. It is an addiction, since the founding of this country, that we just can't seem to quit".
Wow, this is an incredibly tough but essential read for everyone in the United States right now. Addiction has affected almost everyone's life at this point. Whether it’s someone's own addiction or those of friends or family, the damage is the same. People want to blame others, point fingers, and can't understand why some people "can't just stop using." They don’t see why nobody is helping, where to turn for help, or why people even start using drugs in the first place.
This non-fiction masterpiece is divided into three parts and follows four individuals' journeys from start to (sometimes quite literally) the end. It exposes the dark, ugly side of addiction treatment in the US. Covering sober living, scams, court-ordered treatment, private options, insurance costs, and more. The story is raw and gripping, yet handled with great care. It's clear why Shoshana Walter is a Pulitzer finalist.
I recommend this book to everyone. This should be required reading for those working in counseling, social work, etc.
Available August 12
August 22, 2025
A sad quasi-sequel to Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America, showing how greed, victim-blaming, racism, lack of oversight, and more greed made a mockery of the drug addiction "treatment" process. Here's a prime example of the shitshow: when opioid pushers Purdue Pharma went under, their aggressive salespeople were eagerly snapped up by the company that manufactured Suboxone (an opioid disorder treatment medication), and offered the same incentives to enroll as many physicians as possible. The job titles might have evolved from "sales rep" to "clinical liaison," and the medication was genuinely effective, but the profit motive remained the same. And low-income patients were still screwed.
August 27, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC on this very timely and important book. These are true stories of people across all ethnicities and economic backgrounds who are addicts and want to get clean. As someone who has had experience with this personally in my life with friends and family, we know that this Rehab industry is filled with scammers and schemers praising their almighty dollars. The families left behind when they lose one of their own to this disease while in a treatment center is terrifying. But the fact that the bureaucracy allows it and refuses to give consequences to those in charge is absolutely enraging. It took me longer than usual to finish this book because I was so upset and felt so helpless while reading he’s in passion please of mothers and fathers. This is a terribly important book and should be read by all this book was so well researched and so well written and explains everything in layman‘s terms. Highly Recommended!
September 6, 2025
An eye opening account taken from several stories of real people either part of the problem or enduring through a system designed to profit from drug addiction rehab without the true rehabilitation needed to sustain sobriety. It was hard to read, sickening beyond measure and complicit in bringing awareness into for-profit organizations supposedly helping addicts through sober living communities, rehab centers and even medical fields who only enabled and even worsened the addict's condition. Shameful, ridiculous and a down right outrage learning about the state government's lack of recourse or ability to make needed changes and not enforcing necessary punitive measures to hold these despicable people accountable for known deaths under their watch.
A must read for those unaware of the nefarious intentions of these so called rehabs that are just as bad as the street drug dealers and pharmaceutical companies.
A must read for those unaware of the nefarious intentions of these so called rehabs that are just as bad as the street drug dealers and pharmaceutical companies.
September 7, 2025
This was part collective biography, part exposé of the rehab industry, especially the for-profit facilities. I've worked in addiction treatment and based on this book, I should be grateful the facilities where I worked were NOT like what she described. Then again, they eventually went out of business for lack of funding. The author describes the funding difficulties for addiction treatment, especially non-profit agencies. She also thoroughly covers the lack of oversight where it's needed, and the excessive restrictions where there should be more flexibility. While she doesn't cover all the problems plaguing the US mental health system, she covers quite a few and how these programs affect clients, physicians and treatment professionals, and families.
August 15, 2025
I loved this book. It manages to be a page-turner while exploring a really difficult subject with depth and complexity. We get to know four main characters each navigating a different facet of a very broken rehab system. The opioid epidemic is well trod territory, but Rehab contained many new and important revelations, including about socioeconomic inequality and its impact on addiction and recovery. I felt enraged reading the book, invigorated and also hopeful. I highly recommend this book and would read it again!
August 21, 2025
Thanks to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
This is informative and infuriating. Anyone who has had a loved one go through the experience of addiction treatment knows that it is a challenging industry to navigate even for people with means and opportunity, and this book does an excellent job showing the disparities in programs, accessibility, and more in this environment. It's well researched and essential.
This is informative and infuriating. Anyone who has had a loved one go through the experience of addiction treatment knows that it is a challenging industry to navigate even for people with means and opportunity, and this book does an excellent job showing the disparities in programs, accessibility, and more in this environment. It's well researched and essential.
August 27, 2025
Rehab is an important, compelling and well-written piece of journalism that exposes a downstream consequence of the drug epidemic: the drug rehabilitation industry. Through the lives of four characters (at times fascinating, tragic and relateably normal) we encounter the drug rehab industry and its long arc through 20th century America, from AA and Synanon to today. The authors deep sympathy for drug users, addicts and their families is evident throughout. Highly recommended!
August 29, 2025
An eye-opening piece of investigative literature that should be recommended further and wider. I never would have suspected the corruption this novel exposes within the addiction treatment industry in this country. It's hard to say I'm surprised by it though. Things need to change. I highly recommend this to anyone who works in healthcare, pharma, politics, or knows someone who has struggled with drug addiction.
August 29, 2025
Rehab: An American Scandal is a hard to put down read into the drug rehab industry in the United States. It’s not exhaustive but a well-reported look using four people’s stories. The writing is crisp. The author is clear that the real addiction here is the addiction to profit and until we cure ourselves of that, the rehab system isn’t getting fixed anytime soon.
September 10, 2025
reinforced not all healthcare, drug/alcohol, is equal by location and economic status. What bothered me the most is the blatant disregard for other than $$ by those dispensing and government monitoring. There was no. checks and balance in this case.
Worth reading.
Worth reading.
August 16, 2025
Details the grimey underbelly of rehab facilities.
September 3, 2025
wonderful read
I thoroughly enjoyed this very thoughtful and nicely interlaced series of recovery related stories that highlighted major problems in the for-profit recovery industry
I thoroughly enjoyed this very thoughtful and nicely interlaced series of recovery related stories that highlighted major problems in the for-profit recovery industry
September 11, 2025
Best work I’ve read on the state of addiction treatment in the US. Riveting, informative, revealing, shocking, moving, and deeply insightful. Everyone should read!
September 7, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC on this very timely and important book. These are true stories of people across all ethnicities and economic backgrounds who are addicts and want to get clean. As someone who has had experience with this personally in my life with friends and family, we know that this Rehab industry is filled with scammers and schemers praising their almighty dollars. The families left behind when they lose one of their own to this disease while in a treatment center is terrifying. But the fact that the bureaucracy allows it and refuses to give consequences to those in charge is absolutely enraging. It took me longer than usual to finish this book because I was so upset and felt so helpless while reading he’s in passion please of mothers and fathers. This is a terribly important book and should be read by all this book was so well researched and so well written and explains everything in layman‘s terms. Highly Recommended
August 15, 2025
A brilliant, eye-opening book about the human cost of the broken rehab industry. I’m still thinking about it.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews