A Piece Of Cake: A Memoir

Cupcake panicked when her friend drove her into Mesa Vista, but she convinced herself that the rehabilitation center would only help her use less, rather than quit. Inside, Cupcake was taken to a private room and asked about her entire history of substance use, disease, and more. She found the process humiliating but felt proud to announce that she had no favorite drug and was happy to do them all.

Cupcake had a physical and was found to be 98 pounds. After a shower, she was taken to her room and encouraged to sleep. Cupcake laid in her bed for hours, arguing with her mind about whether she should really be there or not. Suddenly, she started to feel faint, sweaty, and her heart began to race. The nurses told her she was starting withdrawals and gave her some pills to sleep. Cupcake slept for almost two days, then experienced a period of hallucinations.

She was instructed to write a goodbye letter to drugs, and doing so helped her see the effects that using had on her life. She found that she kept busy with meetings, assignments, and counseling, and her cravings quickly reduced. Cupcake also found it helped to know that the other patients had been through similar things.