
The Lost Years
Surviving a Mother and Daughter's Worst Nightmare
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $14.61
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Hillary Huber
-
Donna Postel
About this listen
Kristina, the second of four children, begins by telling how a little sip of vodka sipped secretly at a party her parents were giving started her on a pathway to addiction. In that instant, alcohol became her pathway to comfort. Over the next eight years, she sank further into addiction, moving on to cocaine and methamphetamines. In telling her story, she gives a brutally honest description of her addiction and crimes.
Adding a heart-wrenching counterpart to each chapter of the book, Kristina's mother, Connie, gives a parent's account of what was happening throughout her child's experience. She describes her powerlessness to help her addicted daughter, the breakup of her unhappy marriage, and how she came to terms with her own codependency. She also describes the worst decision a mother ever has to make: to turn her oldest daughter out of her house, sending her onto the streets, in order to protect herself and her other children. Then follows the remarkable story of Kristina's recovery, her mother's tough love, and the years of acclimating herself to living a normal life. Ultimately she reclaimed herself, her place in her family, and a new and loving relationship with her mother.
©2006 Kristina Wandzilak and Constance Curry (P)2017 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Love Warrior
- A Memoir
- By: Glennon Doyle
- Narrated by: Glennon Doyle
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just when Glennon Doyle Melton was beginning to feel she had it all figured out - three happy children, a doting spouse, and a writing career so successful that her first book catapulted to the top of the New York Times best seller list - her husband revealed his infidelity and she was forced to realize that nothing was as it seemed. A recovering alcoholic and bulimic, Glennon found that rock bottom was a familiar place. In the midst of crisis, she knew to hold on to what she discovered in recovery: that her deepest pain has always held within it an invitation to a richer life.
-
-
A good examination of Pain, Hope and Love.
- By Kelly on 10-04-16
By: Glennon Doyle
-
One Hit Away: A Memoir of Recovery
- By: Jordan P. Barnes
- Narrated by: Ryan Haugen
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the age of 24, Jordan Barnes woke up next to a lifeless body, rifled through his dead friends’ pockets for any remaining heroin, and went right back to using. Strung out and homeless during the supposed best years of his life, there was no clear way out of the opioid crisis ravaging the streets of Portland, Oregon. But though Jordan had long accepted his fate, his parents still held out hope and would do everything in their power to get him the help he so desperately needed.
-
-
thank you
- By Melanie Alexandra on 03-05-21
By: Jordan P. Barnes
-
Smacked
- A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction, and Tragedy
- By: Eilene Zimmerman
- Narrated by: Eilene Zimmerman
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Something was wrong with Peter. Eilene Zimmerman noticed that her ex-husband looked thin, seemed distracted, and was frequently absent from activities with their children. Yet in many ways, Peter seemed to have it all. So begins Smacked, a brilliant and moving memoir of Eilene’s shocking discovery, one that sets her on a journey to find out how a man she knew for nearly 30 years became a drug addict, hiding it so well that neither she nor anyone else in his life suspected what was happening.
-
-
Fantastic and captivating.
- By Julie Vandenheuvel on 03-12-20
By: Eilene Zimmerman
-
Broken
- My Story of Addiction and Redemption
- By: William Cope Moyers, Katherine Ketcham
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Broken, William Cope Moyers tells the story of a love affair with alcohol and crack cocaine that led him to the brink of death over and over again. A harrowing account, it paints a picture of a young man with every advantage who found himself spiraling into a dark abyss. Battling shame and self-doubt at every turn, the author finally emerges into the clear light of recovery as he dedicates his life to changing the politics of addiction.
-
-
AGONIZING arrogance, entitlement, self promotion
- By karen McCann on 03-14-19
By: William Cope Moyers, and others
-
Not by Chance
- How Parents Boost Their Teen's Success in and After Treatment
- By: Tim Thayne
- Narrated by: Tim Thayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Your struggling teenager is going to a residential or wilderness treatment program. Their addictions, learning disabilities, or emotional/behavioral issues have brought you to a moment of decision. Heartsick, anxious, and exhausted, questions bounce endlessly around your mind. Will this work? Was this really necessary? Will she ever forgive me? Can we handle him at home when the time comes? Dr. Tim Thayne delivers the answers in his groundbreaking book Not by Chance.
-
-
An amazing, heartfelt and non judgmental guide that is helping me parent from confidence not fear.
- By shig on 05-21-20
By: Tim Thayne
-
Starvation Heights
- Dangerous Women: True Crime Stories
- By: Gregg Olsen
- Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1911 two British heiresses, Claire and Dora Williamson, read a brochure about a revolutionary fasting treatment that promised a lifetime of good health. The sanatorium in the village of Olalla, west of Seattle, was surrounded by a beautiful forest, sparkling waters and fresh air. The sisters agreed it sounded perfect and exactly the restorative holiday they needed. But within a month of arriving, under the supervision of Doctor Linda Burfield Hazzard, Claire and Dora began to realise the frightening truth – they were not patients but prisoners at the isolated sanitorium.
-
-
Excellent true crime story!
- By Colleen T. Mizeres on 01-26-23
By: Gregg Olsen
-
Love Warrior
- A Memoir
- By: Glennon Doyle
- Narrated by: Glennon Doyle
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just when Glennon Doyle Melton was beginning to feel she had it all figured out - three happy children, a doting spouse, and a writing career so successful that her first book catapulted to the top of the New York Times best seller list - her husband revealed his infidelity and she was forced to realize that nothing was as it seemed. A recovering alcoholic and bulimic, Glennon found that rock bottom was a familiar place. In the midst of crisis, she knew to hold on to what she discovered in recovery: that her deepest pain has always held within it an invitation to a richer life.
-
-
A good examination of Pain, Hope and Love.
- By Kelly on 10-04-16
By: Glennon Doyle
-
One Hit Away: A Memoir of Recovery
- By: Jordan P. Barnes
- Narrated by: Ryan Haugen
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the age of 24, Jordan Barnes woke up next to a lifeless body, rifled through his dead friends’ pockets for any remaining heroin, and went right back to using. Strung out and homeless during the supposed best years of his life, there was no clear way out of the opioid crisis ravaging the streets of Portland, Oregon. But though Jordan had long accepted his fate, his parents still held out hope and would do everything in their power to get him the help he so desperately needed.
-
-
thank you
- By Melanie Alexandra on 03-05-21
By: Jordan P. Barnes
-
Smacked
- A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction, and Tragedy
- By: Eilene Zimmerman
- Narrated by: Eilene Zimmerman
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Something was wrong with Peter. Eilene Zimmerman noticed that her ex-husband looked thin, seemed distracted, and was frequently absent from activities with their children. Yet in many ways, Peter seemed to have it all. So begins Smacked, a brilliant and moving memoir of Eilene’s shocking discovery, one that sets her on a journey to find out how a man she knew for nearly 30 years became a drug addict, hiding it so well that neither she nor anyone else in his life suspected what was happening.
-
-
Fantastic and captivating.
- By Julie Vandenheuvel on 03-12-20
By: Eilene Zimmerman
-
Broken
- My Story of Addiction and Redemption
- By: William Cope Moyers, Katherine Ketcham
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Broken, William Cope Moyers tells the story of a love affair with alcohol and crack cocaine that led him to the brink of death over and over again. A harrowing account, it paints a picture of a young man with every advantage who found himself spiraling into a dark abyss. Battling shame and self-doubt at every turn, the author finally emerges into the clear light of recovery as he dedicates his life to changing the politics of addiction.
-
-
AGONIZING arrogance, entitlement, self promotion
- By karen McCann on 03-14-19
By: William Cope Moyers, and others
-
Not by Chance
- How Parents Boost Their Teen's Success in and After Treatment
- By: Tim Thayne
- Narrated by: Tim Thayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Your struggling teenager is going to a residential or wilderness treatment program. Their addictions, learning disabilities, or emotional/behavioral issues have brought you to a moment of decision. Heartsick, anxious, and exhausted, questions bounce endlessly around your mind. Will this work? Was this really necessary? Will she ever forgive me? Can we handle him at home when the time comes? Dr. Tim Thayne delivers the answers in his groundbreaking book Not by Chance.
-
-
An amazing, heartfelt and non judgmental guide that is helping me parent from confidence not fear.
- By shig on 05-21-20
By: Tim Thayne
-
Starvation Heights
- Dangerous Women: True Crime Stories
- By: Gregg Olsen
- Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1911 two British heiresses, Claire and Dora Williamson, read a brochure about a revolutionary fasting treatment that promised a lifetime of good health. The sanatorium in the village of Olalla, west of Seattle, was surrounded by a beautiful forest, sparkling waters and fresh air. The sisters agreed it sounded perfect and exactly the restorative holiday they needed. But within a month of arriving, under the supervision of Doctor Linda Burfield Hazzard, Claire and Dora began to realise the frightening truth – they were not patients but prisoners at the isolated sanitorium.
-
-
Excellent true crime story!
- By Colleen T. Mizeres on 01-26-23
By: Gregg Olsen
-
If You Love Me
- A Mother's Journey Through Her Daughter's Opioid Addiction
- By: Maureen Cavanagh
- Narrated by: Maureen Cavanagh
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Maureen and her ex-husband Mike see their daughter Katie’s needle track marks for the first time, it is a complete shock. But, slowly, the drug use explains everything - Katie’s constant exhaustion, erratic moods, and all those spoons that have gone missing from the house. Once Mike and Maureen get Katie into detox, Maureen goes to sleep that night hoping that in 48 hours she’ll have her daughter back. It’s not that simple. Like the millions of parents and relatives all over the country, Maureen learns that recovery is neither straightforward nor brief.
-
-
I cried, I laughed, beautiful book
- By Lynney on 08-27-19
By: Maureen Cavanagh
-
Notes on a Silencing
- A Memoir
- By: Lacy Crawford
- Narrated by: Lacy Crawford
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Notes on a Silencing hit bookstores in the summer of 2020, even amidst a global pandemic, it sent shockwaves through the country. Not only did this intimate investigative memoir usher in a media storm of coverage, but it also prompted the elite St. Paul's School to issue a formal apology to the author, Lacy Crawford, for its handling of her report of sexual assault by two fellow students nearly 30 years ago.
-
-
Everything about this book is magnificent
- By swimmergal on 08-15-20
By: Lacy Crawford
-
Stash
- My Life in Hiding
- By: Laura Cathcart Robbins
- Narrated by: Laura Cathcart Robbins
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of hiding her addiction from everyone—stockpiling pills in her Louboutins and elaborately scheduling her withdrawals between PTA meetings, baby showers, and tennis matches—Laura Cathcart Robbins is running out of places to hide. She has learned the hard way that even her high-profile marriage and Hollywood lifestyle can’t protect her from the pain she’s keeping bottled up inside. Facing divorce, the possibility of a custody battle, and the insistent voice of internalized racism that nags at her as a Black woman in a white world, Laura wonders just how much more she can take.
-
-
Best Mom/wife alcoholism memoir I’ve read
- By Allison M. Billet on 04-06-23
-
American Daughter
- A Memoir
- By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, Elissa Wald
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marno
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sharp and surprising true story of a woman who finally sets out to understand her past, and the mother she had one day hoped to forget. Full of unexpected twists and unbelievable revelations, American Daughter is an immersive memoir that will have you on the edge of your seat to the very last minute.
-
-
Amazing memoir
- By talltower4 on 09-02-21
By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, and others
-
A Piece of Cake
- A Memoir
- By: Cupcake Brown
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 21 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are shelves of memoirs about overcoming the death of a parent, childhood abuse, rape, drug addiction, miscarriage, alcoholism, hustling, gangbanging, near-death injuries, drug dealing, prostitution, or homelessness. Cupcake Brown survived all these things before she'd even turned 20.
-
-
Religious
- By Nancy on 02-16-13
By: Cupcake Brown
-
I'm Glad My Mom Died
- By: Jennette McCurdy
- Narrated by: Jennette McCurdy
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction." She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income. In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail.
-
-
Unexpectedly poor narration
- By Glitchzig on 08-10-22
By: Jennette McCurdy
-
High Achiever
- The Incredible True Story of One Addict's Double Life
- By: Tiffany Jenkins
- Narrated by: Tiffany Jenkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With heart-racing urgency and unflinching honesty, Jenkins takes you inside the grips of addiction and the desperate decisions it breeds. She is a born storyteller who lived an incredible story, from blackmail by an ex-boyfriend to a soul-shattering deal with a drug dealer, and her telling brims with suspense and unexpected wit. But the true surprise is her path to recovery. Tiffany breaks through the stigma and silence to offer hope and inspiration to anyone battling the disease - whether it’s a loved one or themselves.
-
-
I Get it, You Were an Addict
- By Jim Thompson on 10-16-19
By: Tiffany Jenkins
-
The Parallel Process
- Growing Alongside Your Adolescent or Young Adult Child in Treatment
- By: Krissy Pozatek
- Narrated by: Sara K. Sheckells
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For many parents of troubled teenagers, a therapeutic program that takes the child from the home for a period of time offers some respite from the daily tumult of acting out, lies, and tension that has left the family under siege. However, just as the teenager is embarking on a journey of self-discovery, skill-development, and emotional maturation, so parents too need to use this time to recognize that their own patterns may have contributed to their family's downward spiral. This is The Parallel Process.
-
-
Good for parents that have not done much personal
- By Jvieve on 05-17-18
By: Krissy Pozatek
-
Wounds of the Father
- A True Story of Child Abuse, Betrayal, and Redemption
- By: Elizabeth Garrison
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the best-selling tradition of Smashed and The Glass Castle, this raw, eye-opening memoir tells the powerful story of Elizabeth Garrison's fractured childhood, descent into teenage drug addiction, and struggle to overcome nearly insurmountable odds. Elizabeth invites the listener behind the closed doors of a picture-perfect Christian family to reveal a dark, hidden world of child abuse, domestic violence, and chilling family secrets all performed in the name of God under the tyrannical rule of her father.
-
-
A Reader's Comments
- By Kindle Customer on 06-08-19
-
Educated
- A Memoir
- By: Tara Westover
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University.
-
-
The Other Side of Idaho's Mountains
- By Darwin8u on 03-28-18
By: Tara Westover
-
Guts
- The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster
- By: Kristen Johnston
- Narrated by: Kristen Johnston
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The two-time Emmy Award-winning actress has written her first book, a surprisingly raw and triumphant memoir that is outrageous, moving, sweet, tragic, and heartbreakingly honest. Guts is a true triumph - a memoir that manages to be as frank and revealing as Augusten Burroughs, yet as hilarious and witty as David Sedaris.
-
-
Whiskey and cigarettes have never sounded so good.
- By John Campbell on 05-14-12
By: Kristen Johnston
-
I'm Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering
- By: Janelle Hanchett
- Narrated by: Janelle Hanchett
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the creator of the blog Renegade Mothering, Janelle Hanchett's forthright, darkly funny, and ultimately empowering memoir chronicling her tumultuous journey from young motherhood to abysmal addiction and a recovery she never imagined possible. Pregnant at 21 by a man she'd known three months, Janelle Hanchett embraced motherhood with the determined optimism of the recklessly self-confident. After giving birth, she found herself bored, directionless, and seeking relief in wine, which she justified as sophisticated and going well with chicken.
-
-
There are REAL people in the world....amazing
- By Amazon Customer on 06-27-18
By: Janelle Hanchett
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Lost Years
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 02-05-20
Definition of honesty
Just read it, that is the only way you will understand how magnificent the story is.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Janet K. Brown
- 04-18-19
Awesome to listen to
Listened to this book on audible. Really liked the fact that there were two different voices,
one for the mother, one for the daughter. This is a must listen to or read. This is the best audible book I have ever listened to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Caleb Towles
- 08-14-18
Harsh and true, but offers hope
There’s a lot of harsh reality in this book. It is mind opening about how the mind of someone lost in addiction works. It’s harsh and not everyone makes it out. The book offers honesty and hope and I appreciate the authors not romanticizing the situation.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mary Ellen
- 03-09-20
Heartwarming, honest, graphic, and real
Couldn't put this done until finished. There is hope for those afflicted with addiction. Incredible!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- V. Orner
- 09-21-22
Excellent Story of Overcoming Addition
This story is raw and compelling, beautifully told from two perspectives. It is told with honesty and the power of words here is unforgettable. The narration from Ms Huber and Ms Postel is flawless. I will not forget this story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dianna
- 04-18-18
Amazing
As a recovering alcoholic and addict myself, words cannot describe how deeply this book has touched me. What an amazing story of despair, recovery, and redemption.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M S
- 01-19-22
Read for Inspiration
This book is a great for telling people who suffer addiction that they are not limited to an AA room for the rest of their life (Wandzilak). This is not going to tell you what to do or how to live your life, but it is a good start to hear that you are not alone and there are others like you out there. What I mean is, parents or care takers of addicts should not feel alone, there are parents or caretakers of addicts that have something in common with you. I really appreciate the book for giving Kristina's mom a voice and a platform. I am so unbelievably proud of Kristina for what she has endured and what she has to live with every day and overcome. I highly respect Kristina and what she does. If you are a parent or caretaker of an addict this is a good read for you. Remember, you are more than just an addict and you are more than just a parent to an addict.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 08-25-22
spot on!
as a recovering addict,, this really hit home. this POV shows how easy it is to slip into this lifestyle and truly can happen to anyone. wonderful book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dr. Z
- 09-24-18
Thank you for your vulnerability!
Thank you for sharing your journey through addiction. Some reviews say this is just about an over privileged spoiled girl. While her family may have had money, it does not make her story any less important. In fact, it highlights that addiction crosses all socioeconomic classes. This is an important story that was told and needed to be told.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rebecca Therese Garcia
- 07-27-23
Outstanding
Best book I’ve read in a long time - tells about the horrors of addiction and the joy of recovery.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!