In 2012, Lori L. Gottula was a wife, mom, grandma, successful business owner, community leader-and opiate addict. She became dependent upon painkillers because of a chronic back condition, but is proof that opioid addiction can happen to anyone, even those who wear the most convincing of masks. Addiction is a national epidemic that knows no social or economic boundaries.
Broken and Chained: My First Thirty Days in the Hell Called Detox shows, in gut-wrenching detail, Gottula's freefall to rock bottom, and her first thirty days in detox. It also includes revelations about her functional alcoholism, food addictions, and codependent relationships, and details the grit it takes to break free. It is an extremely difficult road, but in the end, Gottula finds hope, peace, life, and joy. She gives God the glory for all.
Broken and Chained is neither a textbook about drug abuse nor a self-help guide with how-to exercises. It is a very personal, raw testimony that has universal connections. Everyone is weighed down by their own chains. Gottula hopes the story of her unshackling can inspire others, and the loved ones who support them.