A mother decides to write the story of her son’s long-term
methamphetamine addiction as a means to find out why he became an addict and how
she can help him. Discovering the true extent of his use and the likely result:
permanent psychosis, prison or death, she launches a rescue mission to save his
life. With the courage to follow her instincts, Whyte is able to get her
malnourished and brain-damaged Kiwi-born son, Hemi, from his new home in
Australia
to hers in Indonesia, and provide home-based care that turns him around. This is
a book about tenacity and love. It also explores the limits of care available
for drug addicts in New Zealand and Australia and challenges the idea that
it’s up to these people to find their own way to treatment, declaring this
approach both socially negligent and a violation of human rights.
As our families, health services and courts try to come to grips with the
scourge of crystal meth that is devastating so many lives, Dancing on a
Razor’s Edge
is a must-read. Endorsed by Doug Sellman, Director of the National Addiction
Centre at the Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Sciences and
Professor at the University of Otago
