Why else would I have been mesmerized by When a Man Loves a Woman or 28 Alcohol Use Disorder Days in my early 20s? These movies and books let me know I was not alone, that there were other people walking around who drank like I did. In “My Fair Junkie,” Amy Dresner tells a no-holds-barred story of her addiction to crystal meth and her subsequent road to recovery.
Woman of Substances: A Journey Into Drugs, Alcohol and Treatment
Ann’s book is such a unique and insightful combination of personal experience and scientific research. I loved her first two memoirs and was excited when this one came out. I like to think of my own memoir as a thank you to my daughter, who I believe came to help me get sober. I related so much to Karr’s story—like mine, her only child was five when =https://ecosoberhouse.com/ she and her husband split, thrusting her into a life of single parenting. In her early 20s, writer Jamison (The Empathy Exams) started drinking daily to ease her chronic shyness and deal with the stress of getting her master’s degree at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Shazia Omar on The Best Novels on Drug Addiction
It’s understandable to feel alone and like no one can relate to your addiction. Luckily, there’s a whole genre of books that prove you are not the only one who has battled addiction. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Self-help books are yet another device that can support your efforts. Granted, books certainly can’t replace treatment and professional guidance.
- After failed attempts at sobriety, she found a combination of treatments—attending meetings, sharing her story and the 12-step AA program—that worked for her.
- Her breakthrough arrives as much through exhaustion as some kind of epiphany.
- I found this book uncomfortable at times and very funny at other times.
- Ultimately, books about addiction serve as a bridge, connecting people in recovery with the wisdom, empathy, and insights of those who have walked the same path.
- So here are 10 best-selling and/or award-winning books on addiction and recovery.
- This is no joyful, linear skip towards sobriety and redemption.
Addiction and Recovery Memoirs Written from a Male Perspective
- The long awaited sequel to the beloved and bestselling ‘The Liars’ Club’ and ‘Cherry’ – a memoir about a self-professed ‘blackbelt sinner’s’ descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness, and her astonishing resurrection.
- Dry is a New York Times best-selling memoir, Augusten Burroughs exposes the frightening roots of addiction.
- I very much related to her always feeling “less than” in normal life, and only becoming confident and alive once she poured alcohol down her throat.
- As her marriage dissolved and she struggled to find a reason to stay clean, Karr turned to Catholicism as a light at the end of the tunnel.
- Learn which signs to look out for, and how to care for your well-being.
A 74-year old Native American found me at ten months in recovery. He showed me a path to follow, including opening a house of healing for other women. His teachings, spiritual principles, and a lot of work helped me achieve 32 years in recovery. I remember when I first saw this title, I wished I had thought of it myself. Though mine may have been, Girl Walks Into a Bar and Stays Way Too Long.
Nonfiction Books » Best Biographies » The Best Memoirs and Autobiographies
She’s an iconic, witty literary voice, an engrossing storyteller, and this book too is a great study in memoir. Having been in recovery for many years, and working here at Shatterproof, I often get asked to recommend books about addiction. So here’s a list of my all-time favorite reads about substance use disorders. 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. But Ditlevsen’s single conventional moment also, I think, underlines her originality.
I love her perspective on drinking as an act of counter-feminism—that in reality it actually dismantles our power, our pride, and our dignity as women, though we intended the opposite. Clegg had a thriving life as a literary agent when he walked away from his seemingly-fulfilling world for a two-month crack binge. Having just been released from rehab nine months earlier, his relapse cost him his home, money, career and almost his life. Capturing the drama, tension, paranoia and short-term bliss of drug addiction, best alcohol recovery books his book explores how the patterns of addiction can be traced to the past. This was the first book I read on this subject, and I instantly could relate to her feelings. She made a huge impact on me and is someone I will always be grateful to.
- You can learn more about addiction and relate to authors through their stories, reminding yourself that you aren’t alone in your journey.
- When I worked in beauty, Cat was a beauty editor at Lucky and xoJane.com, so I knew of her.
- For 25 years, I was in love with the way drinking made me feel (or better yet, not feel), so I knew I would like this book.
- She looks after her children, enjoys drinks with friends, and is a successful writer.
- We use to get rid of the pain, the shame, the anxiety/depression, whatever ails us.
Dry is a heartbreaking memoir of Augusten Burrough’s story of addiction, beginning with an intervention organized by his coworkers and boss and his first bout of sobriety. Whether you drink often, are newly sober, or anywhere in between, it can be deeply inspiring to hear a story from someone who’s experienced exactly what you’re going through. Next we have Mary Karr’s Lit, which is also the third book in a trilogy; it followed The Liars’ Club and Cherry. It’s a memoir of her addiction to alcohol, and her subsequent recovery, and her conversion to Catholicism. Hepola spends hungover mornings piecing together the missing hours of the nights before and frequently wakes up with unrecognizable men in unfamiliar places.
