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My Social Documentary Photography Project Bookstore:

Against Doctor’s Orders 

“Gritty documentary photography that exposes the dark shadows of drug addiction. A harsh wake up call with no solutions in sight. Please share this work with your young teenager. Let them get a good, hard look at heroin addiction in the raw.
You’ll greatly increase their chances of never sticking a needle into their arm. In my opinion, this is one of the most hard-hitting and reality-based documentary photo projects on heroin addiction that has ever been produced. The photography is exceptional, the writing outstanding, and the message is critical.” – Norm Elftmann III

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It is my greatest hope that this work would serve as a positive influence on someone’s decision to never experiment with heroin. If it helps one person make the right choice, it will have been well worth it.

What makes the difference? Why is it that some people can experiment with heroin and simply walk away never to touch junk again, while other people who experiment with dope become hopelessly hooked, often to the point of their own death? Some claim the difference lies in the character of the individual person, their individual moral fiber and personal strength of will. Others look to the person’s family upbringing, social environment, and economic status.

While there may be some truth to these points of view, they most certainly are not the only, nor primary contributing factors to drug addiction. In my judgment, the biological and genetic factors outweigh all others. If a person has the wrong genetic makeup with a strong predisposition towards chemical dependency, it can often seemingly become impossible for that person to break the grip of addiction, no matter their moral compass nor strength of will. When it comes to heroin addiction, it’s merely a game of biological Russian roulette. If you do not struggle with addiction to drugs, if they have never really captured your attention, count yourself lucky.

For almost two years I documented Chicago heroin addicts. I spent between three to five days each week following them through every aspect of their day-to-day lives. I came to know several of them on a real deep and personal level, and even came to know family members of many of the addicts. It was a psychologically and emotionally taxing documentary project.

I would like to offer my condolences to all the people throughout the world who suffer from addiction to heroin, and to the families and friends who vicariously become victims of the addiction themselves.

Just how far will a heroin addict go in order to satisfy their relentless craving for junk? As all too many families across the world know, the answer is staggering painfully. Will Shaggy sacrifice his own leg upon the altar of addiction, or will he overcome the relentless pull of heroin? Join me on a gritty and raw journey deep into the world of heroin addiction. Through dark and grainy black-and-white photography, along with blunt writing, I pull back the veil that covers this often unseen world. After spending two years photographing heroin users in Chicago, I now offer readers an uncensored and unique view into the dark and deadly world of heroin addiction. 

“Your work is greatly compelling. The story, the truth behind it speaks volumes. Now if only more people would open their minds and eyes to see the addiction before it gets out of hand, instead of being blind and not believing it could be your child…” –Kara Hemlinger

Against Doctor’s Orders is over 300 pages long, with a 12,000-word main body text, and 180 powerfully gripping black and white documentary photos. 

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REVIEWS:

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
Excellent book. I read it in one sitting and will come back to it more than once I’m sure. Great photos and very good writing. Ugly stories need told. The beauty of this story lies in the harsh truths that are elegantly exposed within. Fascinating and captivating

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024
It is easy to “take pictures” of the animals at the zoo from outside of the glass or beyond the bars of an enclosure, but Chuck Jines gets in the cage with his subjects. He literally navigates through their defecation and stench of rotting flesh while carefully observing the details and rituals of their habits.