One-Way Ticket

Josh Lowenthal's addiction to heroin, in his short life, altered the lives of his family members and friends. This memoir retraces his life to try to make sense of what happened. It aims to provide hope and strength to anyone struggling with a loved one's battle with addiction.

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In 1970, at age 13, Josh Lowenthal used heroin for the first time and began an addiction that would be with him for his whole short life. One-Way Ticket follows Josh on his journey from fleeing early rehab programs in the Northeast as a boy to living on the streets of San Francisco, shoplifting and driving a taxicab to support his habit as a young adult. He entered a downward spiral known to be typical for long-term addicts, was in and out of rehab and jail, by turns hopeful and hopeless about his disease.In this memoir, Rita Lowenthal recreates her son's life, and shows how the lives of his family members and friends were permanently altered by his addiction. It was written in the hopes that the parents of addicts will not feel guilty about their children's choices and will instead develop a greater social perspective about their children's plight.