Pill Head

by Joshua Lyon

This compelling, honest book investigates the growing epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse among today’s Generation Rx. Through gripping profiles and heartbreaking confessions, this memoir dares to uncover the reality—the addiction, the withdrawal, and the recovery—of this newest generation of pill poppers.Joshua Lyon was no stranger to substance abuse. By the time he was seventeen, he had already found sanctuary in pot, cocaine, Ecstasy, and mushrooms—just to name a few. Ten years later, on assignment for Jane magazine, he found himself with a two-inch-thick bottle of Vicodin in his hands and only one decision to make: dispose of the bottle or give in to his curiosity. He chose the latter. In a matter of weeks he’d found his perfect drug.In the early half of this decade, purchasing painkillers without a doctor was as easy as going online and checking the spam filter in your inbox. The accessibility of these drugs—paired with a false perception of their safety—contributed to their