Alto, NM -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/07/2015 -- 23 million people in the United States are burdened with the deadly disease of addiction – that's roughly 13% of the population.

In the new bestseller, Waiting to Die, Longing to Live Love, Russell K. Lanier chronicles in depth the challenges of a year of his life in a residency program for drug and alcohol addicts.

Russell Lanier was an alcoholic and a hard-core drug addict. He got out of jail in north Alabama. It's was his fifth DUI charge. His jail time was too short – just two days. His fine was too low – just $750. The judge was lenient and Lanier's lawyer was skilled. He worked out a deal so a conviction would never appear on his driving record. This misadventure was merely the latest experience in Lanier's life he considered not worth living.

Lanier reflects on his hopelessness: "I wouldn't have lived long if I had kept using and I was not sure I wanted to live even if I stopped. I had seen others kick their habits but at age forty-nine, I was overweight and unemployed – a hopeless case. I was waiting to die, but longing to live – and love."

This bestseller recounts how Lanier finally got clean and sober from both drugs and alcohol. As you read each chapter, you will discover several things that may help you understand the mind of a drug addict. It's about healing and how Lanier came to understand that the thing he needed to be saved from most was himself. Within these pages, you will see addiction's true personality as he turns the spotlight on this monster. Lanier tells readers, "Hold on tight because it's going to be one hell of a roller coaster ride!"

About Russell Lanier
Russell Lanier is an award-winning, university-educated television news producer. Russell was among the best in his profession garnering top ratings with nearly every show he wrote and produced during his twenty years on the frontlines of broadcast news. He even created a sports feature that later won the reporter assigned to the seasonal project an Emmy Award. Along the way, Lanier also developed a journalistic savvy about writing crime stories that intrigued his colleagues -- he seemed to have an insider's knowledge about street crime. But it was his secret, double-life that finally caught up with him and kept him from ascending the ladder to big-market success. While engaging in his passion of gathering the news, Russell became the news.

He uses the same hard-hitting news writing style in his book, Waiting To Die, Longing To Love, that won him top billing in his profession. You will read how he finally finds victory when he comes face-to-face with his demon, addiction, in his sixth trip to rehab. He courageously tells the obscene truth about substance abuse.

His personal battle will inspire you to take action against the monsters you may feel controlling your life. It is Lanier's new mission to speak to young people about his experience as an addict and warn them of the perils of experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

Lanier is available for interviews.

Waiting to Die, Longing to Love is available on Amazon.com.

Book preview: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018PR1XZU

CONTACT: Viki Winterton
www.waitingtodiebook.com
PHONE: 704-557-0190
Email: Viki@getei.com