Joy Road: My Journey from Addiction to Recovery

Joy Road is a memoir by Julie Evans, a change-of-life baby who spent much of her Midwestern childhood nurturing her alcoholic mother and her chronically ill father. Both parents died while she was still a teen. She takes readers on a tumultuous ride from the 1970s to the 2000s as she struggles to find herself, developing addictions to sex, drugs, alcohol and nicotine. In the end it’s her experiences as a wildlife rehabilitator, and the wise counsel of a country pastor, that rescue her and usher her into a life of service. Julie’s compelling story is set in colorful locales, including Minneapolis, Phoenix, Key West, New Orleans, Seattle, San Francisco, New York City and, finally, upstate New York. Peopled with a memorable cast of characters, her saga is by turns shocking, humorous and inspiring. Today Julie lives on Joy Road in Woodstock, New York. She is a healed healer, writer and motivational speaker with a thriving massage practice.

About the Author

Julie Evans is a licensed massage therapist, ordained deacon and freelance writer. Her writing has appeared in Healthy You Magazine, Pulse, Healthy Hudson Valley, and on NPR’s The Roundtable. Most recently her piece “Sacred Touch,” was published in the anthology Into Sanity: Essays About Mental Health, Mental Illness, and Living In Between. (Talking Writing 2019). Julie holds advanced degrees in Holistic Health, Pastoral Counseling, Mentoring Theory and Narrative Therapy. A founding member of Health Care Is A Human Right, Julie lives in Woodstock, New York, with her husband, Tommy Porto, and their cat, Marietta.