From the Back CoverAt the age of 14, a girl barely cognizant of responsibility, safety or survival, Lori Stephens was thrown out into the street by her mother. This would be the beginning of a life no one deserves to endure, ever. With nowhere to go, confused and frightened beyond comprehension, she settled in inside of a small washroom of a condo complex. Curled up as small as she could make herself, she lay abandoned, with only her pillow case filled with a few clothes. What happened next can only be adequately described in the pages within..., and this was only the beginning. Through her struggle to stay alive in a world she barely understood, with no lessons about life or warnings, with non-existent parents from a broken home, without support and encouragement or life experiences that might help in understanding right from wrong, good from bad, safety from danger..., this young girl met adversity headlong, with no recourse at her disposal. The memoirs of the next 30 years of her life of drug abuse, with METHAMPHETAMINES as her mainstay, physical violence, rape, conflict with the Law..., are described profoundly in this book. Also, the courage, the will to stay alive, the guts to persevere through an impossible road out of the toughest trap from which one might ever have to escape, Lori Stephens overcomes impossible adversity. And in result, this woman's strength to overcome--and her heroism to help others do the same--can only inspire and encourage every person in their daily lives. This is something to be shared and cheered about, because we all win when someone beats impossible odds. Through their examples, we, ourselves, become fortified and empowered to overcome; we become more willing to help; we become more excited about living life! This woman's story will amaze you. It will make you realize so many things about yourself. And it will likely be something that you carry with you, for inspiration, for the rest of your life.About the AuthorLORI L. STEPHENS Lori L. Stephens led most of her life in turmoil and great loss. However, with her newfound hope on life, she completely turned things around and became a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem. She now enjoys helping others in their struggles with addiction. In one way it is her payback to society, in another way it is where she gets her most pleasure. She hopes to one day open a `clean and sober' house for those who are working on a program of recovery. Ms. Stephens is a talented aspiring writer who plans to continue writing books, non-fiction and fiction, to inspire others in their struggles with life. ROBERT S. NAHAS Robert S.He has helped many aspiring authors through the entire literary process of writing, editing, proofreading, printing, publishing and marketing their books. In this book, Robert collaborated with Lori L. Stephens in the writing process. Lori is a talented aspiring writer. Together they created an exceptional book that people will enjoy and be inspired by for years to come.Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.February 12, 2005; 6:42 a.m. The kitchen floor was cold. It seems the cheek is more sensitive to temperature than other areas of the body. The linoleum didn't feel as hard as other times I'd met with it face-to-face. Maybe my face had become calloused, or maybe I was still too fucked up to feel anything as solid as the ground. My spinning head started to slow down. I felt like I'd just stepped off the Tilt-a-Whirl at the carnival. No point of reference, nothing around me staying in one place, everything changing shape. My eyes slowly focused, filtering out the fuzzy, indiscernible shapes in the surrounding environment. Local sounds still seemed off in the distance, coupled with a cave-like ringing sound in my ears. My body, numb and lax, felt like it vibrated, so much that it hummed from the inside out. Though I lay motionless, I could feel every cell in my body vacillating in frantic horror, trying to keep my organs in play and everything going according to the master plan. It was mass chaos without the coordinated efforts of my brain, which was off-line and useless at the time. With the toxic concoction that had flown through my body for the past twenty hours, there was a cellular panic of a different order. The desperate urge for more was well heard by the incumbent resident. My insatiable body scorned the exhausted liver and kidneys for robbing the precious poison, while they approached total shutdown. And like every other time, the voices, in unison, grew louder and louder with each pump of my heart: "MORE METH!... MORE METH!... MORE METH!... MORE METH!" Like in the final mile of a marathon, my heart struggled to thrust yet one more time. My mental anguish, like a sleeping giant, began to awaken. The world and all its confusion, terror, and loathing sneers, slowly became recognizable, again. That moment of truth where I realized I had to live through another day became an enforced reality, and I lay there in total contention, and fear, of the whole world and all of life itself. Every ounce of my being was struggling to keep me from going back into a comatose state, or even better - dying. I didn't have the nerve to kill myself, but if it happened, I wouldn't have protested. Still, all areas of my body continued to scream like an angry, frantic mob, "More Meth! More Meth! More Meth!" As I rolled my head to face the ceiling, the saliva slid down my face and neck and into my left ear. The repulsive feeling allowed me to silently feel more humiliation ever so deservingly. I lay flat on my back, unable to lift my head. After a while I sat up; I began to remember who I was. I don't think I ever felt more disgusted with anyone as I did at those moments of waking from near death. I don't think I hated anyone more than the sorry little bitch at ground-zero. I loathed being trapped in my own skin. If I could vacate, I would. But then again, I was - unbeknownst to me - working hard at getting out of Dodge. As the millions of dead cells floated aimlessly through my body, I sat, like every morning of this kind, thinking..., thinking..., always thinking about the past..., about the things...all of the bad things that had happened to me, how bad life was. how do books help us TRAPpED: Memoirs of an EX-METH addict and her RECOVERY out of the insanity of it all
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Pleasant surprise.By ShannaWhen I downloaded the sample for this book, I thought it might be a sensationalist version of a drug addict's story. I could not have been more wrong. Lori may have the equivalent of an eighth grade education, but it only serves to tell her story simply and beautifully. By the end of the book, (yes, I bought it immediately after I finished the sample), the emotion behind the simplicity shines through. The simplest sentences are fraught with meaning and sincerity. What begins as a story of hurt, betrayal, and bad decisions, turns into a story of hope, beauty, and recovery. I have never submitted a review of any book I have ever read, but this one is well deserving.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fabulous memoir - dreadful typing job/proof readingBy gamannLori you are to be commended for surviving a life of abuse and "Stinking Thinking!" Thank God you found N.A.Your book is wonderfully informative. I could not put it down! Unfortunately whomever typed it into electronicformat did you a disservice with poor typing and obviously no proof reading. Your message still got through.I desperately hope and pray your Jessica tracks you down and you get to see and hug her again in your life.Good luck in the future and thanks for sharing.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Heartfelt and Well Written MemoirBy TdescombesLori Stephens tells her heartbreaking story of a life torn apart by addiction with an almost photographic memory. Despite leaving school virtually as a child, she is able to reflect on her experiences with wisdom and insight, and her recollections of abuse, neglect, jail and mostly the long slow death of drug addiction make this autobiography worth reading. I only wish that the author had the advise of a top notch editor, who could have directed this novice author to elaborate in some areas, cut back in others thereby producing a tighter final product...this author has the talent to become a strong voice in the recovery community with the right guidance (a la Heather King or Nic Sheff). Still, I very much enjoyed "Trapped" and would absolutely recommend the book to anyone interested in addiction and recovery, or just a good story about a brave woman who overcame great adversity to personal triumph.