About the Book

The Lost Years is a true life story of addiction and recovery that reveals the brutal details of the worst that can happen to an ordinary family and how they triumphed over adversity. It describes a daughter's decline into alcohol and drug addiction, and her mother's attempts to rescue her yet protect herself and her other children. Written as a dual narrative, mother and daughter give their first hand accounts of the years lost to addiction and alcoholism, and how tough love, intervention and rehabilitation eventually saved them and their family. Kristina now works in the treatment of addiction as an expert interventionist and Constance shares her hope and recovery with families, in Al-Anon meetings and in their community.

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Message from Kristina

Thank you for your interest in The Lost Years. I am touched by the all the support I have received through the process of telling our story. The road has not been smooth and your encouragement has kept me moving forward.

If my story inspires you in the direction of change, it is a compliment to my life and my struggles. It helps me make spiritual sense of my past and allows me to sleep without nightmares of the brutal reality I narrowly escaped. I have been able to break free from the bondage of self hatred and burning regret. I can raise my children without a hard edge and a jaded perspective on the world and the people who live in it and this is the purest gift of the book.

I hope to see some of your faces on the book tour or at the conferences where I am presenting. And to those of you, who can't be there, know that the story I have to tell is true and if I can change my life, anyone can.

Mom, thank you for the opportunity to share this project with you. It has been long and cathartic and exciting. I know that the truth that unfolds on these pages was not easy to read and I am sorry for all I have done to cause you harm. Thank you for loving me anyway. I am proud to be your daughter.

Message from Constance

Life is full of surprises and we must stay open to all possibilities. How could I ever have imagined thirteen years ago that Kristina and I would work on this amazing project together? To laugh, cry, feel the sadness, and work late into the night reliving a painful time in our lives. We wish to share with all our readers the healing and understanding this book has brought to our family. Perhaps, the hope in our story will serve as an inspiration to others who might see themselves or their loved ones in similar situations. Thank you to all the many family and friends who have stood by and encouraged us along the way.