Antonio Iozzo faced one of the most gripping addictions, which he shared in his memoir ‘Slaying the Dragon’, all to get back to his former self; in the process, he found understanding for people with mental illness and addiction.
South Africa (14 October 2024) – Antonio Iozzo spent five years ‘Slaying the Dragon’ of drug addiction. Like many people in his shoes, he was prescribed strong pain meds to help after a massive accident nearly left him paralysed and unknown to him; they were extremely addictive. Before long, he found himself in a battle for his life, trying to get back to the man he was before his beloved bike crashed into him and fractured his spine.
Antonio candidly shares his experience and how his life changed in an instant in his new business memoir. The read is easy but gripping and details his addiction before moving through his early life and career accomplishments. All his hard work becomes the fight he needs to overcome the life-altering opioid addiction.
Having been such a hard worker, Antonio never understood people who faced addiction or endured the battles of mental illness, but he found understanding in his own experience; which has since softened his opinions and helped him connect with people who face these struggles. He now sees that anyone can become an addict and battle mental health and depression.
One of the major underlying tones he sets, and while he never says it outright, he consistently talks about doing research when it comes to medical practices. Read up on meds, and ask your doctor questions. Find out whatever you can before saying yes to procedures or taking prescribed medication. Assess the risks and be informed!
He reiterated in the book how he often didn’t know why things were done or what operations were meant to be doing, but in advocating for himself, he was finally able to find his way out of the addictions he faced.
While Antonio has had a wonderfully successful career and family life, his personal struggles are what connected me most to his story. Finding hope in the darkest part of his life and drawing on every experience to fight it is inspiring. He continues to share that he knows his privilege is what helped him get through it and that many people do not have the means to fight an addiction of this nature. But one thing we all have is courage. You just need to dig down and grasp it – and then refuse to ever let it go.
Antonio’s memoir is the perfect read for those needing an inspiring read before taking on a big fight, whether in business or one’s personal life. The honesty in his retelling of his life makes one feel they are sitting around the braai, listening to the story in person.
Please note that we have not named the specific drugs as this type of content is often flagged online, but Antonio shares all the specifics in his book and what he did to overcome his struggles.
Back of the Book
In 2018, Antonio Iozzo, the CEO and visionary leader of IUM, Africa’s leading independently-owned Cell Captive UMA, has a near-death accident when he comes off his Ducati Panigale superbike at breakneck speed, racing around Cape Town’s notoriously dangerous Killarney Motor Raceway. Despite sustaining significant injuries, including a shattered T7 vertebra, 14 broken ribs, and punctured lungs, medical professionals are amazed that Antonio has not been left paralysed.
Antonio undergoes a series of operations in both South Africa and the United States. Throughout his ordeal, he’s prescribed a painkiller commonly used in the US, where it’s been linked to millions of overdose-related deaths. No one in the medical fraternity warns Antonio of its highly addictive nature, and so his five-year addiction nightmare unfolds.
While managing a R600 million building project, launching a cutting-edge 5,000m² health and wellness facility, and overseeing his billion-rand insurance enterprise, this highly driven businessman grapples with a dual existence. His once magnificent life, built from rags to riches, begins to unravel. He consumes copious amounts of pain meds to manage his debilitating back pain, alternating it with an even more addictive withdrawal drug.
As he expands his multibillion-rand business empire, Antonio finds it increasingly challenging to conceal his inner turmoil. He becomes fixated on the clock, obsessed with when he can take his next fix.
Finally, in a mammoth surge of determination and willpower, Antonio goes to battle with the dragon, resolved to wean himself off every last milligram of the drug.
If you would like to learn more about this book, visit its website here. It is also available at all major literary retailers and online.
Interested in more proudly South African books? You can find more of our book reviews here.
Sources: Book Supplied for Review
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