Our Philosophy

Labeled a must-read by both critics and people in recovery, The East Side of Addiction is a bibliographic tale that takes you through the drug addiction that swept through our beloved hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts. Lake Ave Recovery’s Dr. James DiReda and Jack Maroney, along with close friend Henry Grosse, paint a gritty and real picture of what growing up in the predominately immigrant working class area, known as the East Side, was like. What started off as using to cope with personal issues of abandonment or wanting to fit in, later turned into a life of crime and danger, all while falling deeper and deeper into addiction. This story of a group of close-knit friends from “The Street” takes the readers on a wild ride fit for a Martin Scorsese film. The East Side of Addiction shares a real story of how drugs brought a community to its knees, and only through the power of friendship, recovery and redemption were they able to overcome their struggles. Truly an example of reclamation and recovery, Dr. James DiReda and Jack Maroney have gone from the depths of addiction to a life dedicated to helping those touched by the disease. The East Side of Addiction speaks to its readers on multiple levels. With the current opioid crisis crippling the country, addiction is not just a part of history. One reader went on to say this about the book: “I believe that if this was required reading in 7th grade the incredible numbers of overdoses might be averted. The writing comes from the hearts of these men who have turned their lives around. The same men have gone on to be powers of example on those very streets. These stories are real and playing themselves out in all our communities…perhaps these pages shed insight into where addiction begins.”