On September 11, 2001, Jared Thompson took an oath as a U.S. Army combat medic. "First, Do No Harm" was an oath to preserve life, even when the world was falling apart. He never imagined how deeply that promise would shape the next twenty years of his life.

Growing up in a family marked by addiction and loss, Jared believed that knowledge, love, and unwavering presence could break the pattern. And for a long time, it seemed to be working. He built a life rooted in service, recovery, and hope.

Then he met Dustin.

What began as an unexpected spark became a transformative love: tender, complicated, and life-changing. Dustin was brilliant and creative. He was also a UX designer with his own dreams and struggles. Together, they navigated the fragile space between healing and heartbreak, fighting for recovery while discovering what it means to truly show up for someone you love. But addiction is never a straight line, and navigating the opioid crisis means confronting impossible choices-the kind where every option causes harm, and the line between helping and enabling blurs until you can't see it anymore.

First, Do No Harm: Breaking the Cycles of Love and Destruction is a deeply personal memoir about queer love in its most human form: hopeful, messy, loyal, and brave. Through intimate scenes and raw emotional honesty, Jared takes readers from the parade ground at Fort Sam Houston where the towers fell, through quiet victories and shattering losses, to moments where the oath he swore and the person he loves collide in ways he never imagined.

This is not a story about crime or villains. It is a story about equal partners facing an unequal fight. It's about connection, courage, and what happens when trying to save someone tests everything you believe. It is about breaking generational cycles, surviving the unthinkable, and discovering the strength to keep going when every part of your life is shattered, and finding your voice again on the other side.

"A powerful, unflinching exploration of love and loss that refuses to look away." - Early Reader Review

For anyone who has ever supported a partner or family member through addiction, for anyone who has lived between hope and fear, for anyone navigating the impossible space between enabling and abandoning...this memoir will stay with you long after the final page.

Perfect for readers of: Beautiful Boy, Educated, In the Dream House, and The Body Keeps the Score.