Professional Drug Addict (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781952685989)

You'd think Arnel Castro Leyva had done well for himself, having built a far-flung career in the technology industry. But he was always on the verge of financial ruin because his real job was Professional Drug Addict.

Arnel loses everything, and his double life collapses into a mid-life crisis of pandemic proportions. He descends into The Life: drug dealing, financial scams, grand theft auto, living with prostitutes, and organized retail crime. Along the way, he meets a cast of kindred spirits: narcissistic, codependent people-pleasers hell bent on exploiting the system, each other, and themselves.

With prison looming, Arnel is given a chance at redemption through a strict yet therapeutic criminal justice program. He finds the startup idea of his life-helping other formerly incarcerated people with substance use disorders to create a life worth living-and realizes he was on the path to enlightenment all along.