Modern History Press is about to release the new novel of author and yoga instructor Daralyse Lyons. Titled Yoga Cocaine, the book details the trying journey of Jessica, the protagonist, from addiction to recovery.
Jessica’s story centers on her attempts to create a path to recovery “on the mat” and in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous, and all along, she grapples with one seemingly unanswerable question: “Is recovery worth it?”
There have been many studies and scholarly publications on the psychology of drug addiction in women. What makes Yoga Cocaine stand out in contemporary women novels about addiction is author Daralyse Lyons’ expertise in yoga as a channel of transformation for women going through inner crises.
Though Lyons doesn’t have direct experience with drug addiction, she suffered from anorexia and bulimia and was in and out of treatment from the time she was 14 up to the age of 26. She recounts her experience of those difficult days in relation to her novel’s protagonist.
“I know what it is to fall victim to the lure of self-punishing cycles and, although this is a work of fiction, I have empathy for Jessica’s character. I especially relate to her shame and self-loathing as she tries to fill her inner void in any way possible. I think all authors are reflected even in their fiction and all characters in some way carry elements of their authors. For me, writing Jessica’s story well into my own recovery-in which yoga played an integral part-was an opportunity to capture the complexity of the recovery experience.”
Addiction recovery always makes one think of the risk of relapse, which is part of Yoga Cocaine.
“Based on my own experiences and on Jessica’s experiences, which are distinctly hers, every relapse offers an opportunity to course-correct,” says Lyons. “There are invariably a lot of choices, thoughts and emotions that lead up to the decision to revert to old patterns of behavior. So being able to look back at all the moments that led to the decision to revert to one’s addictive substances is an opportunity for awareness.”
Yoga Cocaine is set to hit the press in paperback, hardcover, and eBook editions on January 1st, 2020. Early copies will be made available to reviewers upon request. Please contact [email protected].
Learn more about the author and her work at www.DaralyseLyons.com.
