Long Walk Out of the Woods

A Physician's Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope, and Recovery

By: Adam B. Hill

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

A pediatric oncologist and palliative care physician Dr. Adam B. Hill suffers stress and disillusionment with the culture of medicine. It led him to alcoholism, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Then, while in recovery, he loses a mentor to suicide, revealing the extent of the burnout epidemic in the medical field.

By sharing his harrowing story, Dr. Hill shows how this problem manifests, considers ways to address it, and confronts commonplace attitudes regarding self-care, recovery/treatment, empathy, and vulnerability amongst medical practitioners. His book is a road map for better practices at a time when doctors around the world are struggling in silence. 

Long Walk Out of the Woods is a game-changing personal narrative and prescriptive book. It expands on Dr. Hill's famous 2017 essay in the New England Journal of Medicine titled "Breaking the Stigma: A Physician’s Perspective on Recovery and Self-Care".

©2019 Adam B. Hill, MD (P)2020 Central Recovery Press

Beautiful

This should be required reading for all future healthcare workers. Raising our heads out of the sand to acknowledge that there is illness in our midst both visible and invisible and only with knowledge can we help one another. Thank you Adam Hill for sharing your journey with the world, you are not alone

horrible narrator,

I stopped in the preface and will go back and read the print or kindle version.

From one Healer to another

Dr. Hill,
Your book was referenced on a Doximity article that I was reading this past Saturday at 3AM... “I Left Medicine For a Year. Here's What I Learned, and Why I'm Coming Back” by Dr. Lycette.
Thank you for your courage, perseverance, and vulnerability. “There’s a lot of pain and suffering in the world that I did not cause.All I can do is stand up to it and do my best to make a difference.”
Best,
- Dr. Dias

Thought Provoking

Adam Hill is a hero to those with mental health and addiction issues, thank-you

A Wonderful Surprise

I was a little apprehensive when I read the title and brief description on the cover. However, this book was quite delightful. The writing was powerful and full of vibrancy. It amazed me how the author truly exposed his inner feelings and thoughts. The narrator is fantastic also. I haven't quite finished the book, but I wanted to be sure to write a review.

The story is about how his dream of becoming a doctor was overshadowed by his sense of guilt and I suppose you would say insecurities. His driving force was to help other people, yet in the end, he was the one who needed help. He learned the lesson that you can't help others unless you help yourself first. It also chronicles the downward spiral of depression and alcoholism.

Additionally, his perspective was from inside the medical community and the disappointment he faced at times from a lack of nurturing support. As he stated, this is quite an irony. It helped me appreciate even more so the difficult challenges that doctors face. In a way, it made me sad, because he nobly wants to help others and yet that desire wasn't rewarded. It is rare to find a doctor who can keep their passion for medicine and a caring attitude toward their patients.



I highly recommend this book.

Wow!

As a mom of a recovering medically (not from alcoholism) disabled daughter, I am truly grateful for books like yours Dr. Hill. I have a background in the hospice palliative care administration. You have covered both subjects so very eloquently. Thank you.

Life. Changing.

This book gave me a sense of connection, clarity, and redemption for healthcare. As a healthcare worker in recovery I feel validated and empowered by this book and I hope that this becomes required reading in all nursing and medical schools. Thank you for your sharing your story!!!