8 Powerful Addiction Memoirs that Sober People Love

When something awful happens to us, our way to cope is to turn off and even turn against ourselves, as a method of resilience. The book discusses drug policies, substance use treatment, and the root causes of substance use. More than anything, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts provides a voice of kind generosity and understanding to anyone who is looking to learn more for themselves or a loved one. The revelations in this addiction memoir may not seem unique, but the fact that the seasoned journalist deployed his reporting skills to interrogate untrusted memories makes it a landmark in the genre.

In an era of opioid addiction, wellness obsession and internet oversharing, stories of substance abuse are back. Long before I was falling asleep with my iPhone in hand, I read Very LeFreak, a young adult novel about a technology addicted girl. Very can’t stay away from screens and it lands her in tech rehab. The meth epidemic was at its best alcoholic memoirs peak in the early aughts, and few places were more affected that rural communities. Journalist Reding tells the story of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), which is struggling with economic decline and an influx of the highly addictive drug. A compassionate portrayal of all those afflicted by a situation increasingly out of their control.

The top 100 celebrity memoirs of all time

The title comes from the abbreviation of the family business — a funeral home — but it also refers to the dual funhouse portrait of father and daughter, of the author’s own queerness. This book is more than four decades old, but I can’t think of another memoir quite like it that has been published since. True stories, ghost stories, “talk stories” — Maxine Hong Kingston whirs them all together to produce something wild and astonishing that still asserts itself with a ruthless precision. A pregnant, drug-addicted teenager check herself into rehab in hopes of giving her child a life different from her own. Some thought of her as a princess, others a general, but to me, Carrie Fisher was the darkly comedic recovering addict, mental health advocate.

As a wildly famous celebrity, he struggled with more than just alcohol. But it’s easy to resonate with his emotions surrounding addiction, no matter your vice. One valuable point from this book is that not everyone needs to reach a “rock bottom” before quitting alcohol.

“Drinking: A Love Story” by Caroline Knapp

In the span of a week, she watches her daughter fall horribly ill and be put into an induced coma. In the year following, she meditates on grief and the loss of her 40-year relationship. In Kitchen Confidential, Chef Anthony Bourdain spilled all the dirty secrets he learned in 25 years of working in the culinary trade, chock full of sex, drugs, and drama. Restaurant kitchens are gritty and gross, but they’re where the best chefs get their start. We asked addiction experts and people in recovery to share the titles they found most useful. “Wave” is a meticulous account of derangement — of being so undone by grief that life becomes not just impossible but terrifying.

Ann Dowsett Johnston masterfully weaves personal story, interviews, and sociological research together to create a compelling, informative, and even heartbreaking reality about drinking and womanhood. Written with courage and candor this book leaves you ready to push against a society suggesting alcohol is the solution to women’s problems. The most recently published entry on this list of 50 books, Kiese Laymon’s “Heavy” details the author’s childhood in Mississippi in the 1980s and his relationship https://ecosoberhouse.com/ with his alternately loving and abusive mother, who raised him on her own. It’s full of sharp, heart-rending thoughts about growing up black in the United States, and his fraught relationship with his body — Laymon’s weight has severely fluctuated over the years, a subject he plumbs with great sensitivity. This is a gorgeous, gutting book that’s fueled by candor yet freighted with ambivalence. Most people can have one or two cocktails at a work event, or a glass of wine with dinner.

Incredible Recovery and Sobriety Memoirs I Want Everyone to Read

If you’re looking for more of the most influential books of a certain genre, be sure to check out these lists of most influential horror novels, romance novels, fantasy books, historical fiction, and sci-fi books. Don’t come at me for not including your favorite memoir; this is a list of the most influential, not the best, and honestly, I had to cut so many of my own favorites from this list. Didion adapted the book to a Broadway play, and it toured the world in various forms for nearly a decade. Augusten Burroughs was 12 when his poet mother sent him to live with her psychiatrist. There, he nestled in with a motley crew of characters, including a pedophile who lived in the backyard shed, and grew up in squalor under the strangest of circumstances.

What comes as a shock is the book’s directness and deep feeling — its innocence. Son of David Sheff (Beautiful Boy), Nic Sheff describes the challenges of staying sober after several rounds of rehab and his non-linear but ultimately successful path to recovery. The strength of addiction’s grasp is illustrated through the lives of four main characters, each struggling with it in their own way. “The Harder They Fall reveals the intimate thoughts, feelings, regrets, and beliefs of celebrities in recovery. Among those profiled are comedian Richard Pryor; musicians Grace Slick, Dr. John, and Chuck Negron; actors Malcolm McDowell and Mariette Hartley; and athletes Dock Ellis and Gerry Cooney.