Palak Aggarwal

Dear Author, I have spent reading chapters of your book while travelling back home , in between my lunch time and weekends of course and yes probably the tiny breaks I had if patient would arrive late for his/her therapy session. Not because you have written it magnificently , of course there’s no doubt that it’s a great book . But what appealed to me as a therapist was the relatability factor. I could actually think about how the patient would feel if they are in their detox or rehabilitation programs . I could reflect on other side of the story . I hate to apologise yet I have to , I have skipped Dr.Yusuf Merchant’s chapter because somewhere a part of me was so involved in your story . The *what next*curiosity couldn’t let me focus on the other essential element of the book which was Dr.Merchant’s journey and how he created Land at Mumbai ,Maharashtra. All the characters felt too personal be it Akshay,Sonia or DJ and listening to their tragic end has broken my heart somewhere. Meanwhile, if I have to talk about you, much of mixed emotions I had to deal with. All your apprehensions, hopelessness, thought loops seemed too personal and I as a therapist felt at so many points I also undergo these emotions .All your anxiety seemed too real and genuine . But in the end , what I admire the most is the wit while what I respect the most, is your inspiration from Dr. Merchant, your willpower and all your efforts gone into maintaining abstinence from hard drugs . Your book says all drugs are all obsessions and all obsessions are addictive like a drug. Somewhere , with this line I felt even though we may not be addictive to any substance but sometimes get addicted to certain patterns in life and change is the only constant to break our own ineffective patterns .