Collateral Damage: The Hidden Cost of Addiction

So You’re in Prison: Now What? — Peter Lyndon-James

Every book about addiction focuses on the addict — how they got there, what treatment looks like, and how to get them out. But what about you?

If Peter Lyndon-James’s previous book, A Family Guide to Addiction, was the map that gave you practical tools to navigate the crisis, Collateral Damage is the book that finally acknowledges the toll the journey has taken on you. It gives voice to the ordinary struggles of a Tuesday night, the weight of broken promises, and the quiet, isolated grief of mourning someone who is still alive.

Written for the exhausted parent, the hyper-vigilant partner, the invisible sibling, and the overwhelmed grandparent, this book focuses entirely on your path to healing.

Peter spent twenty-six years in active addiction and knows the profound destruction it leaves behind — because he caused it in his own family. Now, drawing from that lived experience, he writes with unflinching honesty and empathy to help you make sense of the chaos. He guides you to untangle the heavy emotions — anger, shame, and fear — that you have carried in secret, and helps you recognise the incredible endurance you have already shown.

You have survived the midnight phone calls, the financial strain, and the constant state of emergency. Now it is time to look at what comes next. You do not have to be defined by someone else’s addiction. Featuring powerful “Letters from the Frontline” written by real family members, this book stands as a testament to your strength and proof that you are not alone.

It offers the straight-talking truth and validation you need to finally step out of survival mode, release the guilt that was never yours to carry, and find the courage to begin your own recovery and reclaim your life.