Tammy Elder

Tammy Elder wants to help heal her hometown as it struggles in the grip of a drug epidemic, so she wrote a book from her perspective as an addiction counselor.

Elder, who lives in Butler, received an email on Wednesday from Dorrance Publishing that her seven-chapter book, “Together, We Can Make A Difference,” was accepted for publication.

“I'm so excited,” she said. “I'm jumping around and doing little dances.”

She said the editing process will now begin, but she was not given a date when the final version might be printed and released.

Elder, who graduated from Butler High School in 1988 as Tammy Einsporn, now holds a master's degree in psychology with a specialty in addictive behavior.

She has worked in the psychology field since 2006 and as an addiction specialist for five years. She practiced in Allegheny County for more than three years before a facility opened up in Butler where she wanted to work.

“My goal was always to get back into Butler because I so desperately wanted to help my hometown,” she said.

Having counseled scores of individuals who have found themselves in the throes of addiction, Elder said there is one message she would give the community regarding drug addiction.

“Addicts don't want to be addicts,” she said. “It's not their intent.” She said she doesn't counsel patients based on the type of drug they're on or how long they've been addicted.

“It's not the drug I focus on, it's the story of their life,” she said. “Everyone has their own unique story.”

She said many addicts she sees never had a stable, supportive upbringing, so they turned to drugs as a teen or adult.

“If your parents were in and out of jail and did drugs, you're more likely to do them yourself,” Elder said. She said only coming together as a community, without all the vitriolic comments about addicts on social media, will end the drug crisis in Butler.

“My fondest memory was when we needed something in this community, we were all willing to help and do whatever it takes,” Elder said. “People are lazy now. Get up and find out what the real facts are.”

It took Elder about a month to get her thoughts down in a cohesive manner before sending them to Dorrance for publishing.

She hopes the book will open the eyes of those who condemn — but refuse to understand — addiction.

“I'm not an advocate for addicts or society, but I'm an advocate for both,” she said.

Elder intentionally avoided including lists of statistics in her book, as she wants it to be interesting and readable to the average person.

However, she included brief descriptions of each developmental stage a human goes through after they're born to help readers understand that babies need love and care from the moment they arrive in the world to have a better chance at avoiding a life of addiction as an adult.

She tells the stories of her patients, whom she keeps anonymous, and praises the 911 dispatchers and first responders who work to keep addicts alive and able to take another chance at sobriety.

“We need to thank these people,” Elder said. “We need to appreciate what they've done.”

She also stresses in the book that the friends and family of an addict can support them without enabling their addiction.

“I hope people take away knowledge and understanding,” Elder said, “but most of all how to support an addict.”

The new author doesn't hope to gain wealth or notoriety, but hopes that her book helps the town where she grew up.

“I just want to inspire and motivate people to understand and come together as a community,” she said.