14 Best Addiction Books: Science, Stories & Memoirs


This book reads like a conversation, and teaches us to get curious. Gilbert helps us understand the noisy voice in our head, which can often be our greatest critic. She offers generous vulnerability in her lessons and encourages you to find your gift within. A life of recovery is an awakened life of purpose, service, and meaning. After finishing A Happier Hour, the bar was set high for future reads (no pun intended). Weller has a relatable story for any high-achiever who finds themselves with boozy, foggy evenings that turn into hangovers the next morning.

best addiction memoirs

“We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life”

This is one of the first books I read about addiction ever, before I realized I had a problem. 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. Sarah’s writing is sharp and relatable; a more recent, modern voice in the recovery space. So many of us look at “blacking out” as https://rw06mentas.com/is-alcoholism-genetic-hereditary-links-and-factors/645 benign, or normal—an indicator of a “successful” night of drinking.

#3 – When AA Doesn’t Work For You: Rational Steps to Quitting Alcohol by Albert Ellis

Like many addictions, Garza’s will get worse before she seeks help and finally comes to terms with her obsessions. Cathy Park Hong defines “minor feelings” as those that crop up when you’re faced with lies about your own racial identity and lived reality. best books on alcoholism That dissonance is at the core of her 2020 book of essays, which documents her own upbringing as the daughter of Korean immigrants and her musings on the current state of race in America.

Help keep the lights on

  • This lighthearted and judgment-free guide offers advice on better dates, sex, and partnerships without relying on alcohol.
  • Ditlevsen’s trilogy, by contrast, plunges us into the perspective of a succession of her former selves.

It was first published in Danish in the 1970s, but has only recently been translated into English by Tiina Nunnally and Michael Favela Goldman. A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.

She also closely examines both the internal and external factors that drove her to seek help in ending her destructive cycle of binge drinking. In high school, Tiffany Jenkins was a popular student and the captain of the school’s cheerleading squad. But opioid addiction soon takes over her life, transforming her into a person she barely recognizes. At her lowest point, Jenkins finds herself being arrested by officers who are also her friends. Her four months in jail serve as the starting point to her eventual recovery.

  • She also poignantly expresses the feeling of emptiness and longing that so many addicts seek to fill through the consumption of their drug of choice.
  • These nine life mottos are the blueprint for McCowen’s own sober support group.
  • And the portrait of heroin addiction it depicts is a painful reality for many people.
  • Yet Jollett fights back to reclaim his life, breaking free from the struggles of his childhood to enroll in Stanford University and eventually find his voice as an artist and a performer.

Healing Neen: One Woman’s Path to Salvation from Trauma and Addiction by Tonier Cain

This list of Best Memoirs for Nonfiction November is a must-read list. This may be a triggering read though for people who are being treated for anxiety. As she navigates the complexities of her circumstances, she turns to benzodiazepines for relief, leading her down a shocking path of benzo addiction and a harrowing struggle to break free. Melissa Bond is a journalist and mother grappling with insomnia and the challenges of raising two children, one with Down’s Syndrome. With insightful reflections on millennial culture, Levy’s journey is inspiring for this demographic in particular, who want to change their relationship with alcohol. These nine life mottos are the blueprint for McCowen’s own sober support group.

Sober Celebrities: 4 Hollywood Stars Who Overcame Addiction

best addiction memoirs

True tales from the White House never get old—especially when told by someone as remarkable as Michelle Obama. Her memoir, Becoming, is a candid reflection of her journey to the White House, from a little girl on the South Side of Chicago to an accomplished lawyer, mother, and First Lady. Follow Charlie’s tumultuous journey as a personal assistant to the enigmatic and unpredictable megastar, Kathi Kannon. As she studies reward-seeking behavior in mice and neural circuits related to depression and addiction, she grapples with her own losses. This story’s tension is so thick that the reader is instantly sucked into a profoundly unsettling place. From hiding her drug abuse to facing the prospect of losing her children, she must confront her demons head-on.

Warning Signs of a Drug Relapse: Spot Them Early

For these reasons, in many addiction memoirs the end is the weakest part. Mikel Jollett, front man for the band The Airborne Toxic Event, has endured more than most of us can imagine. As a child, he and his family were members of the Church of Synanon, an abusive cult that separated children from their parents. After years of isolation, his mother finally decides to escape with Mikel and his brother. Poverty and unaddressed mental health issues consume the family, and drug and alcohol abuse soon take hold. Yet Jollett fights back to reclaim his life, breaking free from the struggles of his childhood to enroll in Stanford University and eventually find his voice as an artist and a performer.

best addiction memoirs

Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life by Melody Moezzi

Whether you’re struggling with substance abuse, compulsive behaviors, or negative thought patterns, this book offers a roadmap to liberation and self-discovery. Cheever aims to identify key principles and emotional complexities of addiction, laying bare the self-damaging behaviors and haunting demons that consumed her life. From the initial allure of alcohol to its devastating consequences, she paints a vivid portrait with personal stories of the relentless grip of addiction and the profound impact it had on her relationships, career, and sense of self. At the heart of the book is the inspiring true success stories of individuals struggling with substance use, their struggles laid bare with unflinching honesty. Through vivid storytelling, Dr. Lawlis brings readers into the lives of these individuals, from their darkest moments of despair to their moments of triumph, redemption, and both physical and spiritual sobriety.

Hollywood Park, a New York Times bestseller, is Jollett’s raw and profound memoir. Reading great addiction memoirs about recovery can give you hope and remind you that you’re not alone. This feeling of isolation can lead to depression, or make hard times even harder. On the other hand, feeling connected to someone or feeling like someone understands what you’ve gone through can make you feel like everything is going to be okay—no matter how bad alcoholism your situation. Through reading this book I came to better understand myself, my body’s physical reactions, and my mental health.


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