The Esteemed and late New York Times columnist David Carr turned his journalistic eye on his own life in this memoir, investigating his own past as a cocaine addict and sifting through muddied memories to discover the truth. The story follows Carr’s unbelievable arc through addiction, recovery, cancer, and life as a single parent to come to an understanding of what those dark years meant. In his follow-up to his first memoir, Tweak, which dealt with his journey into meth addiction, Sheff details his struggle to stay clean. In and out of rehab, he falls into relapse, engaging in toxic relationships and other self-destructive behaviors that threaten to undo the hard-won progress he’s made. At the age of 15, Cat Marnell began to unknowingly “murder her life” when she became hooked on the ADHD medication prescribed to her by her psychiatrist father.

Addiction Memoirs

From painfully honest stories to science-based tips, there’s a title on this list that’s sure to inspire and motivate you or someone in your life. In the literature world, you can find books about addiction and recovery in a genre known as “quit lit.” Quit lit is full of authors sharing their personal experiences and resources to help others who are where they’ve been. If I have any faith now, it’s in literature’s ability to help us redeem even life’s darkest realities by bringing them into the light.

• The story follows Carr’s unbelievable arc through addiction, recovery, cancer, and life as a single parent to come to an understanding of what those dark years meant.
• Packed with booze-free date ideas, scripts for awkward conversations, and thought-provoking prompts, this handbook empowers you to have alcohol-free adventures.
• All these books might have been published as memoir in a less stigmatising age.
• She eventually realizes a life of forgotten times and missing memories is no life at all, and she sets out to find her identity outside of drinking.

Blood Orange Night: My Journey to the Edge of Madness by Melissa Bond

In “Guts” by Kristen Johnston, the author shares her remarkable story of addiction and recovery with raw honesty, humor, and authenticity. This book deeply resonates with readers, as Johnston fearlessly opens up about her battle with addiction and the challenges she faced along the way. Through her candid and gripping storytelling, Johnston offers a unique perspective on addiction and provides hope for those seeking recovery.

Why Are Prescription Drugs So Commonly Abused?

Don Birnam in The Lost Weekend (1944) is really its creator, Charles R. Jackson. One hint that the author and protagonist of A Fan’s Notes (1968) are really the same person is that they are both called Frederick Exley. All these books might have been published as memoir in a less stigmatising age.

To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes. “It’s almost like motherhood, in that you know it’s going to be a huge experience, but you don’t know how big until you get there,” she says of the three-year undertaking. “I wrote to Adam,” Skye says, of letting him know he’d be in the book.

• When it comes to addiction and recovery, books can serve as powerful resources that offer guidance, inspiration, and hope.
• The Italian cardiologist and fellow of the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine proposes five books on Medicinal Marijuana and explains why we should be reading them.
• It can be read alone, but why would you want to miss out on reading all three in order?

Below are seven different addiction memoirs that have been inspirational to readers. A person of extraordinary intellect, Heather King is a lawyer and writer/commentator for NPR – as well as a recovering alcoholic who spent years descending from functional alcoholism to barely functioning at all. From graduating cum laude from law school despite her excessive drinking to languishing in dive bars, King presents a clear-eyed look at her past and what brought her out of the haze of addiction.

Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Scheff

James went to my college, Denison University, and is friends with many of my friends, so I loved reading the parts that took place (“fictionally”) in Granville, Ohio. This is one of the first books I read about addiction ever, before I realized I had a problem. Meanwhile successful writing always surprises and challenges us, perhaps by defying the conventions of the form to which it belongs or simply by heroin addiction refreshing them in some way.

What is your favorite book on addiction and recovery? Let us know in the comments below what this list is missing!

Paulson recounts how the work environment contributed to her addiction to alcohol. We discuss how her relationship with alcohol has evolved since that time and the unexpected joys she discovered on her journey to sobriety. Maybe you’ve been leaning on alcohol too much to try to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe you enjoyed a successful Dry January, so you’re questioning alcohol’s role in your life. Maybe you’re a pretty moderate drinker, but you feel like booze just isn’t your friend anymore.