The Big Fix

Hope After Heroin

By: Tracey Helton Mitchell

Narrated by: Tracey Helton Mitchell

After surviving nearly a decade of heroin abuse and hard living on the streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District, Tracey Helton Mitchell decided to get clean for good.

With raw honesty and a poignant perspective on life that only comes from starting at rock bottom, The Big Fix tells her story of transformation from homeless heroin addict to stable mother of three—and the hard work and hard lessons that got her there. Rather than dwelling on the pain of addiction, Tracey focuses on her journey of recovery and rebuilding her life, while exposing the failings of the American rehab system and laying out a path for change.

Starting with the first step in her recovery, Tracey re-learns how to interact with men, build new friendships, handle money, and rekindle her relationship with her mother, all while staying sober, sharp, and dedicated to her future. A decidedly female story of addiction, The Big Fix describes the unique challenges faced by women caught in the grip of substance abuse, such as the toxic connection between drug addition and prostitution.

Tracey’s story of hope, hard work, and rehabilitation will inspire anyone who has been affected by substance abuse while offering hope for a better future.

a must read!

This book should be amongst the essential reads list, for anybody who wants some insight into addiction/opiate addiction, recovery, relapse, etc... I felt so many different emotions, as I listened to the author's narration. Great f'ing book!

Just what I needed. Hope.

What did you like best about this story?

The hope I now have for my loved one who has just begun rehab. Thank you for telling me how it really is. Without the fluff. Without the useless jargon. There is no 'take a nice bath and a long walk' crap in this book.

What three words best describe Tracey Helton Mitchell’s voice?

I would recommend, for future books- (and I hope there are future books) that they be told as it happened. In the telling of it. Not just very carefully pronounced reading. To read it in your own voice such as the way you say..."sooooooo much" ! That's all you. I love that. I can relate to a person telling me how it was.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Almost all of it. I was so engrossed that Saturday in my easy chair was seemingly over very quickly.

Any additional comments?

When Grandma called Katie....I burst into tears. It was such a personal and tender moment shared. I don't know where the tears came from as I'm not a crier. Maybe the relief of childbirth and the long life's struggles beforehand, but I heard the catch in the author's voice also.
I stopped the book after a few chapters to watch the documentary, then went back to the book. It made it so much more personal in that I saw the author 'in person'.

A beacon of hope for a heart sick mother.

Opened my eyes to my own prejudice about heroin. Totally changed my mind on Methadone.
I will be a much more understanding person and mother because of this book.

A great read from Junkie to recovery..

I really enjoyed this book and listening to the life story of the author, A balance look at the life of a junkie living the life of recovery. A good dose of common sense drug policy and help for folks interested in beginning recovery. I also really enjoy listening to autobiographies read by the Author, and Tracy does a fantastic job, it really added to the story. Its nice to read a heroin story with a happy ending lived day by day.

LOVE when authors narrate their own book!!!

Tracey Helton is A HUGE inspiration to any folks that have struggled with any addiction. Her generosity goes beyond this book, she is available to all who contact her, and this book is definitely a must for anyone touched by addiction. It will give you HOPE in such a hopeless epidemic. I love her, and love this book!