After losing his childhood friend Bradley Nowell of Sublime to a heroin overdose, Todd Zalkins (aka "Z-Man") spirals into prescription pill addiction. His epic battle with opioid painkillers brings sharp focus to the nation's Opioid Epidemic, what experts are calling the worst drug crisis in US history. Todd suffers through a torturous detox including forty-four days with no sleep. Against extreme odds, he survives his 17-year dependency. Filled with gratitude for his new-found lease on life, Todd dedicates his life to helping those who struggle from the disease of addiction. He becomes an intervention specialist and writes a book, "Dying for Triplicate," detailing his journey into recovery. In a twist of fate, Todd is presented with an opportunity to help Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob, who at twenty-years old is battling his own addiction to drugs and alcohol. "As devastating as it was to lose our only son, the only thing that could be worse would be losing Jake, " says Bradley’s father, Jim “Papa" Nowell. A story of redemption, and recovery, The Long Way Back shatters the stigma of addiction and gives hope to those struggling to get clean.
