*More, Now, Again* by Elizabeth Wurtzel. She was thrust into the cultural spotlight after the 1994 publication of her first memoir, *Prozac Nation*, and this story covers her descent into addiction while trying to write her second book, *Bitch*. She’s considered a voice of Gen X.
go_west_til_you_cant on
*Demon Copperhead* is a must-read if you haven’t already.
*A Million Little Pieces* by James Frey might fit the bill too.
If alcoholism counts, *Shuggie Bain* is brutal and beautiful.
iodinevapor on
Permanent Midnight by Jerry Stahl.
ghostlukeskywalker04 on
Tweak by Nic Sheff
mumzaH on
Demon Copperhead was fantastic
MacandPudding on
Fictional scifi but also very personal:
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick
Corla_J on
Zoo station: The story of Christiane F.
rjackson33 on
Many Lives of Mama Love
rhack05 on
A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown
Gonerill on
Tweak and we all fall down by Nic sheff
From the ashes by Jesse thistle
Portrait of an addict as a young man by Billy clegg
The recovery by Leslie Jameson
legallynotblonde23 on
Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari is a fascinating book on this
tomatoesrfun on
I would say the Trainspotting series by Irving Welsh is a well-known one that is absolutely excellent. The first book in order of the series is Skag Boys which is when they get addicted to drugs.
Bad-River on
Naked Lunch by William Burroughs. The OG.
fruitcupkoo on
someone who isn’t me by geoff rickly
a piece of cake by cupcake brown
last exit to brooklyn and requiem for a dream
naked lunch
Indotex on
“Playing Through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever” by Dan Good
It’s got a lot of descriptions about baseball games in it but it’s also a good look at addiction through the life of Ken Caminiti, who played in the MLB in the ‘80s & ‘90s and struggled with alcohol and drug addiction.
As the title suggests, he was the first MLB player to openly admit to using steroids prompting that whole scandal that eventually led to Congressional hearings. >!He died from a drug overdose in 2004.!<
irandom500 on
If you don’t mind the poetry format, Crank and it’s sequel Glass by Ellen Hopkins
BooBoo_Cat on
From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way by Jesse Thistle
Few_Artichoke9751 on
how to murder your life, a memoir by cat marnell
down the drain, a memoir by julia fox
masson34 on
The World According to Bob (it’s a series and I think this is the second book in series)
roxy031 on
You’ve gotten a lot of good recommendations. A couple more – High Achiever and its sequel, A Clean Mess, both by Tiffany Jenkins.
Ericabee1234 on
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
4252020-asdf on
Filth is a 1998 novel by Scottish author Irvine Welsh about the corrupt and depraved Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson. The story follows Robertson as he investigates a racially charged murder while dealing with his own cocaine addiction, a missing wife and child, and a host of other personal and physical ailments. The novel is known for its dark humor, disturbing content, and a shocking twist ending
rollin20s on
Infinite Jest
Worth_Evidence4244 on
If you’re open to a short story collection, I’d recommend Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson. Johnson himself battled a drug addiction. It’s fictional but based on true events, and semi-autobiographical.
A non-fiction rec is In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Mate.
25 Comments
*More, Now, Again* by Elizabeth Wurtzel. She was thrust into the cultural spotlight after the 1994 publication of her first memoir, *Prozac Nation*, and this story covers her descent into addiction while trying to write her second book, *Bitch*. She’s considered a voice of Gen X.
*Demon Copperhead* is a must-read if you haven’t already.
*A Million Little Pieces* by James Frey might fit the bill too.
If alcoholism counts, *Shuggie Bain* is brutal and beautiful.
Permanent Midnight by Jerry Stahl.
Tweak by Nic Sheff
Demon Copperhead was fantastic
Fictional scifi but also very personal:
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick
Zoo station: The story of Christiane F.
Many Lives of Mama Love
A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown
Tweak and we all fall down by Nic sheff
From the ashes by Jesse thistle
Portrait of an addict as a young man by Billy clegg
The recovery by Leslie Jameson
Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari is a fascinating book on this
I would say the Trainspotting series by Irving Welsh is a well-known one that is absolutely excellent. The first book in order of the series is Skag Boys which is when they get addicted to drugs.
Naked Lunch by William Burroughs. The OG.
someone who isn’t me by geoff rickly
a piece of cake by cupcake brown
last exit to brooklyn and requiem for a dream
naked lunch
“Playing Through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever” by Dan Good
It’s got a lot of descriptions about baseball games in it but it’s also a good look at addiction through the life of Ken Caminiti, who played in the MLB in the ‘80s & ‘90s and struggled with alcohol and drug addiction.
As the title suggests, he was the first MLB player to openly admit to using steroids prompting that whole scandal that eventually led to Congressional hearings. >!He died from a drug overdose in 2004.!<
If you don’t mind the poetry format, Crank and it’s sequel Glass by Ellen Hopkins
From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way by Jesse Thistle
how to murder your life, a memoir by cat marnell
down the drain, a memoir by julia fox
The World According to Bob (it’s a series and I think this is the second book in series)
You’ve gotten a lot of good recommendations. A couple more – High Achiever and its sequel, A Clean Mess, both by Tiffany Jenkins.
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Filth is a 1998 novel by Scottish author Irvine Welsh about the corrupt and depraved Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson. The story follows Robertson as he investigates a racially charged murder while dealing with his own cocaine addiction, a missing wife and child, and a host of other personal and physical ailments. The novel is known for its dark humor, disturbing content, and a shocking twist ending
Infinite Jest
If you’re open to a short story collection, I’d recommend Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson. Johnson himself battled a drug addiction. It’s fictional but based on true events, and semi-autobiographical.
A non-fiction rec is In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Mate.
Novel With Cocaine by M Ageyev