Rocks – One man's climb from drugs to dreams

17th October 2014 By: Creamer Media Reporter

Rocks – One man's climb from drugs to dreams

Marco Broccardo

You will find a real life, gritty account of drug addiction in the pages of ROCKS – One Man’s Climb from Drugs to Dreams.  Set in the leafy suburbs of Joburg in the 90s, and at the height of the Johannesburg Rave Culture, this book brings to life the agonising heartache of the drug addicted Marco Broccardo, and that of his family members.

The dirty details of the daily life of an addict – the close encounters with the law, moments of insanity and rock bottom desperation. But amidst all the despair, there is a moment of liberation and hope. Hope that addiction can be beaten through the right decisions and the over-arching idea of love.

From author Marco Broccardo:

    ‘I decided to recount my story on paper with the idea that it would bring hope to those suffering from addiction – to both the addict and their families. The idea that “once an addict always an addict” and that addicts are referred to as “recovering addicts”, exhausted me. I (quite controversially) refer to myself as an ex-addict and firmly believe that addiction can be beaten.

    Through counseling other ex-addicts, or addicts on the threshold of recovering, I have recounted my story (out loud) numerous times. My story has helped people and the opportunity arose to help many more by writing about my experiences.  This book will be able to reach many addicts and more family members that I am currently interacting with.

    It was when I put my story on paper that I realised that through documenting the detail I was in fact reliving moments that were buried, deep down.  Reliving those moments from a new perspective, as an ex-addict, I finally truly understood the pain and suffering that I caused so many people. It provided me with a glimpse of the person I was becoming at the time, and it frightened me.’

This book will take you on a journey – from the despair of being rock bottom to the elation of the mountain-tops of Kilimanjaro.

Rocks is published by Tracey McDonald Publishers

Marco is donating all royalties earned on the sales of his book to the non-profit organisation that he founded, called MOUNTAIN HEIGHTS. To read more about Mountain Heights, and the work that they do to help addicts recover, click HERE.