A clinical psychologist, James R. Milam has been a national authority in the field of addiction for over thirty years. In addition to many scientific, professional, and public contributions, he has co-founded several model treatment programs, most notably the Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers in Kirkland, Washington.
 
Katherine Ketcham has been writing nonfiction books for forty years. Her work has been published in sixteen foreign languages and has sold nearly one million copies. Ketcham lives in Walla Walla, Washington.