We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the library. Find a location near you.

Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published:
Hachette Books 2016
Status:
Checked Out
Description
Free Refills is the harrowing tale of a Harvard-trained medical doctor run horribly amok through his addiction to prescription medication, and his recovery.
Dr. Peter Grinspoon seemed to be a total success: a Harvard-educated M.D. with a thriving practice; married with two great kids and a gorgeous wife; a pillar of his community. But lurking beneath the thin veneer of having it all was an addict fueled on a daily boatload of prescription meds. When the police finally came calling—after a tip from a sharp-eyed pharmacist—Grinspoon's house of cards came tumbling down fast. His professional ego turned out to be an impediment to getting clean as he cycled through recovery to relapse, his reputation, family life, and lifestyle in ruins. What finally moves him to recover and reclaim life—including working with other physicians who themselves are addicts—makes for inspiring reading.
Also in This Series
Formats
Adobe EPUB eBook
Works on all eReaders (except Kindles), desktop computers and mobile devices with reading apps installed.
Kindle Book
Works on Kindles and devices with a Kindle app installed.
OverDrive Read
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Like This
Other Editions and Formats
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
More Details
Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
02/16/2016
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780316382687, 9780316304672
ASIN:
B00Z7J7BEM
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Peter Grinspoon. (2016). Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction. Hachette Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Peter Grinspoon. 2016. Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction. Hachette Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Peter Grinspoon, Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction. Hachette Books, 2016.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Peter Grinspoon. Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction. Hachette Books, 2016.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
LibraryOwnedAvailable
Shared Digital Collection10

There is 1 hold on this title.

Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
6e208b69-f60f-7348-afe1-0f2c4eda2af3
Go To Grouped Work
Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 15:33:40
Date Updated:
Dec 06, 2020 02:41:09
Last Metadata Check:
Apr 24, 2024 05:15:50
Last Metadata Change:
Feb 04, 2024 07:05:18
Last Availability Check:
Apr 24, 2024 05:15:54
Last Availability Change:
Apr 09, 2024 11:55:28
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Apr 24, 2024 02:13:21

OverDrive Product Record

images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0017-1/{F276E0FD-FCEF-454B-9338-02D10B6DC7C6}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0017-1/{F276E0FD-FCEF-454B-9338-02D10B6DC7C6}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0017-1/F27/6E0/FD/{F276E0FD-FCEF-454B-9338-02D10B6DC7C6}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0017-1/F27/6E0/FD/{F276E0FD-FCEF-454B-9338-02D10B6DC7C6}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
formats
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780316304672
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • identifiers:
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B00Z7J7BEM
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780316304672
      • name: Kindle Book
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780316304672
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • id: ebook-overdrive
mediaType
eBook
primaryCreator
    • role: Author
    • name: Peter Grinspoon
title
Free Refills
dateAdded
2016-12-22T17:29:00-05:00
contentDetails
      • href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=141&titleID=2236966
      • type: text/html
      • account:
          • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
          • id: 1151
sortTitle
Free Refills A Doctor Confronts His Addiction
crossRefId
2236966
subtitle
A Doctor Confronts His Addiction
id
f276e0fd-fcef-454b-9338-02d10b6dc7c6
starRating
3.6

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain
False
formats
      • fileName: FreeRefills_9780316382687_2236966
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 1377222
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780316382687
      • rights:
            • type: Copying
            • value: 0
            • type: Printing
            • value: 0
            • type: Lending
            • value: 0
            • type: ReadAloud
            • value: 0
            • type: ExpirationRights
            • value: 0
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • onSaleDate: 2/16/2016
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=f276e0fd-fcef-454b-9338-02d10b6dc7c6&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: FreeRefills_9780316304672_2236966
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 0
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780316304672
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B00Z7J7BEM
      • name: Kindle Book
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • onSaleDate: 2/16/2016
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=f276e0fd-fcef-454b-9338-02d10b6dc7c6&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: FreeRefills_9780316382687_2236966
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 1377220
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780316382687
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-overdrive
      • onSaleDate: 2/16/2016
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=f276e0fd-fcef-454b-9338-02d10b6dc7c6&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
creators
      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Grinspoon, Peter, MD
      • bioText: Peter Grinspoon, M.D. currently practices as a primary care physician in an inner city clinic in Boston and is on staff at Mass General Hospital. He teaches medicine at Harvard Medical School, and today he is proudly nine years clean.
      • name: Peter Grinspoon
publishDate
2016-02-16T00:00:00-05:00
isOwnedByCollections
True
title
Free Refills
fullDescription
Free Refills is the harrowing tale of a Harvard-trained medical doctor run horribly amok through his addiction to prescription medication, and his recovery.
Dr. Peter Grinspoon seemed to be a total success: a Harvard-educated M.D. with a thriving practice; married with two great kids and a gorgeous wife; a pillar of his community. But lurking beneath the thin veneer of having it all was an addict fueled on a daily boatload of prescription meds. When the police finally came calling—after a tip from a sharp-eyed pharmacist—Grinspoon's house of cards came tumbling down fast. His professional ego turned out to be an impediment to getting clean as he cycled through recovery to relapse, his reputation, family life, and lifestyle in ruins. What finally moves him to recover and reclaim life—including working with other physicians who themselves are addicts—makes for inspiring reading.
reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        December 1, 2015
        The memoir of a doctor whose addiction derailed his career offers flashes of illumination amid clouds of defensiveness and denial. If there really is a textbook case of a delusional addict, the narrative perspective here could provide that textbook. Early on, Grinspoon admits that "the problem at this point was that I was still blaming everyone and everything else for what I was going through: Work was so stressful, H. was such an unforgiving bitch, and it was exhausting being a parent to two small children." What he was going through was a felony arrest for writing false prescriptions for narcotics to feed his addiction. Work was his role as a primary care physician, one in which he showed little empathy and seemed to receive less satisfaction: "It's not human nature to be that caring all day long." H. is, of course, his wife, and his attitude toward her (and hers toward him) seems harsher as the narrative progresses, though he occasionally admits that being married to a lying, self-sabotaging addict was no walk in the park. Their children ultimately provide more than exhaustion, though being caught between two parents who couldn't stand each other couldn't be much fun for them. Grinspoon never developed much appreciation for the lawyer who navigated his way through rehab, suspension, and a return to the practice of medicine; felt unfairly targeted by drug tests that he knew he couldn't fail but did; and never showed anything but contempt for 12-step programs ("I didn't want anything more to do with AA for the next thousand lifestyles"). The author resents the judgment passed by alcoholics who think they are somehow morally superior to drug addicts, yet he passes judgment on practically everyone the narrative encompasses. His recovery from addiction seems to end on a positive note, but every addict knows that a positive test is just one slip away. Grinspoon's story is instructive, with readers potentially learning more than the author has.

        COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        February 1, 2016

        Harvard University-educated physician Grinspoon's first book describes his addiction to prescription painkillers. He describes his childhood, jobs as a young adult, and troubled marriage, and also reflects on his choices and behavior, explaining the origins of his abuse and how he took advantage of the system in order to obtain more pills. The memoir provides an insider's view of the support benefits geared toward health-care professionals who struggle with addiction as well as the ways in which Grinspoon grapples with issues of class and privilege during his visits to court, encounters with his probation officer, and as a member of recovery groups. Once a practicing physician again, he discovers a new skill for identifying and treating addicts such as himself. VERDICT Enlightening and intimate, this book will hold the attention of medical professionals, addiction counselors, and those affected by substance abuse.--Meghan Dowell, Beloit Coll., WI

        Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

popularity
26
links
    • self:
        • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/f276e0fd-fcef-454b-9338-02d10b6dc7c6/metadata
        • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
id
f276e0fd-fcef-454b-9338-02d10b6dc7c6
starRating
3.6
images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0017-1/{F276E0FD-FCEF-454B-9338-02D10B6DC7C6}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0017-1/{F276E0FD-FCEF-454B-9338-02D10B6DC7C6}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0017-1/F27/6E0/FD/{F276E0FD-FCEF-454B-9338-02D10B6DC7C6}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0017-1/F27/6E0/FD/{F276E0FD-FCEF-454B-9338-02D10B6DC7C6}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
isPublicPerformanceAllowed
False
languages
      • code: en
      • name: English
subjects
      • value: Biography & Autobiography
      • value: Medical
      • value: Nonfiction
publishDateText
02/16/2016
otherFormatIdentifiers
      • type: ISBN
      • value: 9780316382700
mediaType
eBook
shortDescription
Free Refills is the harrowing tale of a Harvard-trained medical doctor run horribly amok through his addiction to prescription medication, and his recovery.
Dr. Peter Grinspoon seemed to be a total success: a Harvard-educated M.D. with a thriving practice; married with two great kids and a gorgeous wife; a pillar of his community. But lurking beneath the thin veneer of having it all was an addict fueled on a daily boatload of prescription meds. When the police finally came calling—after a tip from a sharp-eyed pharmacist—Grinspoon's house of cards came tumbling down fast. His professional ego turned out to be an impediment to getting clean as he cycled through recovery to relapse, his reputation, family life, and lifestyle in ruins. What finally moves him to recover and reclaim life—including working with other physicians who themselves are addicts—makes for inspiring reading.
sortTitle
Free Refills A Doctor Confronts His Addiction
crossRefId
2236966
subtitle
A Doctor Confronts His Addiction
publisher
Hachette Books
bisacCodes
      • code: BIO017000
      • description: Biography & Autobiography / Medical
      • code: BIO026000
      • description: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Memoirs