As seen on The Today Show

A page-turning memoir from a former opioid addict in an opioid addicted community—and an up-close look at America's new health crisis.

Behind closed doors, millions of people abuse opioids. Nicholas Bush was one of them. In this beautifully raw and refreshingly honest memoir, Bush boldly allows readers into his addiction-ravaged community. We see how heroin nearly claimed his life on multiple occasions, how it stole the lives of his young siblings and friends, and how it continues to wage a deadly toll on American neighborhoods—claiming thousands of lives and decreasing the average lifespan. But we also see that there is a way off of the devastating rollercoaster of opioid addiction, even for the most afflicted. Nicholas fights for recovery, claws his way out of a criminal livelihood, and finds his footing with faith and family, providing Americans with the inspirational story that is deeply needed today.

Behind closed doors, thirty-six million people around the world abuse opioids, three million of them are in the US. Nick Bush was one of them. Forty-five thousand people in the US die annually from the disease, two lives lost to it were Nick's sister and brother, three were his friends. Opioid addiction is recognized as the nation's worst health crisis. Because of it, the average American lifespan is decreasing. Incredibly, the stories of the people suffering from opioid addiction rarely get told. In One by One, Nick steps out of the opioid shadows to share his page-turning true story. He is remarkably candid about how he became an addict, as well as the stories of those around him, in a community ravaged by the disease. Nick, though, is a survivor. Here he tells how, and inspires us to know that the war against opioid addiction is one that we can win if only we are willing to bring humanity to the disease, faces to the addiction.

“Bush’s memoir opens with a bang…Readers looking for the pervasiveness of despair and addiction, look no further; Bush’s family is certainly representative. That’s the central message of [One by One], which tracks matter-of-factly—without the war-story glorification of too many recovery books—what it means to be boxed in by drugs.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"Nicholas Bush, thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for writing this book."
-Craig Melvin, host of The Today Show

"A great read."
-Cynthia Newsome, midday anchor for 41 Action News