Addiction Memoirs 70 books

best addiction memoirs

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. And even though, at the time, Knapp’s credentials were way out of my league, I related to so much of her story. I come from a family of “functional” alcoholics, where feelings were never discussed and drinking was the way to solve (or more likely avoid or cause) problems.

best addiction memoirs

High Achiever: The Incredible True Story of One Addict’s Double Life

And all my efforts were doomed, because already drinking hadn’t made me feel good in years. In Quit Like a Woman, author Holly Whitaker examines the drinking culture, specifically surrounding alcohol and women, and gives women a step-by-step guide to quitting—or at least, changing their relationship with alcohol. However, beyond the book that focuses on some key ideas, including changing our beliefs and practicing abstinence, among others, Whitaker aims to change the narrative surrounding alcohol consumption. The co-founder and CEO of Whole 30 and bestselling author, Melissa Urban, helped millions of people transform their relationship with food. Now, in The Book of Boundaries, out November 2023, Urban, who has been in recovery for more than 20 years, shows how setting clear limits can help protect your time, energy, health, security, confidence, and freedom.

best addiction memoirs

Massachusetts Women’s Rehab: A Path to Healing

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. Whereas my progress was from religion to addiction, Mary Karr’s was the other way around. But though our world-views are in some ways https://ecosoberhouse.com/ profoundly different, few books have enriched me as a reader and a person more than hers. 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.

Mrs. D is Going Without by Lotta Dann

This might be the best book about drugs since [Baudelaire’s] Les Paradis Artificiels. After his descent into addiction, we follow Clune through detox, treatment, and finally into recovery as he returns to his childhood home, where the memory disease and his heroin-induced white out begin to fade. It is a rigorous investigation that offers clarity, hope, and even beauty to anyone who wants to understand the disease or its cure. This tenth anniversary edition includes a new preface by the author.

Quit lit books and addiction memoirs are powerful ways to connect with other people who have been exactly where you are. You can learn more about addiction and relate to authors through their stories, reminding yourself that you aren’t alone in your journey. 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. Jerry Stahl, a successful screenwriter, shares his harrowing journey through addiction in his memoir, “Permanent Midnight.” Stahl chronicles his descent into heroin addiction and the devastating impact it had on his career and health. His story takes readers through the depths of addiction and the challenges he faced along the way. It is through a significant crisis that he finds the inspiration to get clean and embarks on the path to recovery.

To vote on books not in the list or books you couldn’t find in the list, you can click on the tab add books to this list and then choose from your books, or simply search. 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. A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly best alcohol recovery books those voters ranked the book. If this book resonates with you, be sure to check out Grace’s podcast of the same name, This Naked Mind, where she and guests continue to dissect alcohol’s grasp on our lives and culture. We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview. Matt Rowland Hill was born in 1984 in Pontypridd, South Wales, and grew up in Wales and England.

best addiction memoirs

Through talking to opioid users, family members, dealers, doctors, judges, activists, emergency responders, and law enforcement, we get a much larger picture of the causes and effects. Blackout shows how you can grow into the person you want to be and leave alcohol in the past—no matter where you are now. With our team and your desire to heal, we can improve your quality of life and functional abilities, so you can get back to living your best life. On this site you’ll regularly find my posts about mental health, pop culture, and ways they intersect.

best addiction memoirs

— early into her sobriety, she realized that she was actually the lucky one. Thanks to an alcohol- and drug-free life, McKowen now feels all of her feelings, no longer has to balance multiple lies, and is fully present with her daughter. Shortly after accepting she had a problem with alcohol, she thought a lot about how some people are lucky enough to be able to drink normally without it controlling their life.

“The Sober Lush: A Hedonist’s Guide to Living a Decadent, Adventurous, Soulful Life–Alcohol Free”

  • Interestingly, Russell Brand was fourteen years sober at the time of writing Recovery.
  • A darkly comic, honest, and completely relatable inside look at high-functioning addiction in the world of corporate law-a sort of ‘Sex and the Psych Ward.’ It’s inspiring, informative, and impossible to put down.
  • Many of them, like Caroline Knapp, started in their early teens and began to use alcohol as “liquid armor,” a way to protect themselves against the difficult realities of life.
  • This powerful book narrates his ups and downs, setbacks, and unimaginable challenges in recovery.
  • And I was walking down the street — I had my press pass on — and they tried to grab some kid, and he was like, “I’m with her.

She has a  passion for raising awareness in the addiction treatment, recovery, and public health space. Many famous musicians struggled with various addictions, but many were also able to recover and went on to produce a lot of great music instead of falling victim to the stereotype. Their stories serve to provide strength and inspiration to others on a path of healing and health. Author Maia Szalavitz shows us, through her own history, how the current disease model of addiction is not accurate.

  • In addition to personal stories, many of these books delve deep into the personal and societal psychology of drinking and drug use.
  • When it comes to addiction and recovery, books can serve as powerful resources that offer guidance, inspiration, and hope.
  • Based on Fisher’s hugely successful one-woman show, Wishful Drinking is the story of growing up in Hollywood royalty, battling addiction, and dealing with manic depression.
  • For those asking why we’re seeing so much more compassion for the opioid epidemic than we did during the crack epidemic, Dr. Hart is your man.

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