Jan 31, 2015 | By Tim Stoddart

10 Books about Addiction, Alcoholism and Recovery

Addiction & Recovery News Pop Culture Recovery

10 best books about addiction

**Disclaimer – before everyone freaks out, keep in mind that these books are just the opinion of the author. We intentionally kept The Book Book and the NA Simple Text off the list to broaden the scope.

The journey through addiction to recovery is a deeply personal experience, with no two people going though the same process to reach sobriety. Recovery is a tumultuous process, and recovering individuals often benefit from learning about the experiences others have undergone in their quest to live substance-free. There are countless books that have been written about addiction and recovery. The following list recounts 10 of the most notable books on this subject.

#1 – Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

Running with Scissors is true-life memoir that recounts Burroughs’ troubled childhood. His mother suffered from mental illness and addiction, creating a situation in which Burroughs was raised in a tumultuous and unpredictable manner. This book is unique in the fact that it chronicles his childhood trauma, as well as how it directly related to his first forays into drug and alcohol use. Although his childhood experience was remarkably different from the norm, it still illustrates the vulnerability that emotional abuse creates in relation to the formation of addiction.

#2 – Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas

Smashed was a ground breaking novel, shocking people with the brazenly delivered truths experienced by young women all over the country. Zailckas’ story is similar to the millions of youths who engage in binge drinking at dangerously young age. Throughout the course of the book, Zailckas reveals the underlying emotional pain and lack of confidence that she tried to express through excessive drinking. She also closely examines both the internal and external factors that drove her to seek help in ending her destructive cycle of binge drinking.

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

This self-help book encourages the reader to examine the maladaptive thoughts and irrational beliefs that often fuel the behavior of an alcoholic. Instead of focusing on the belief that an addict is powerless over their own behavior, this book offers exercises in positive thinking, self-care and visualization. The goal of this book is to aid in the development of healthy coping mechanisms. This publication is an excellent companion to counseling or group therapy. Find When AA Does Work For You on Amazon.

#4 – The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll

A memoir penned in the 1970’s, this book documents the the adolescent years of musician Jim Carroll. His writing is startling in its earnest simplicity, drawing a vivid picture of his descent into heroin use and addiction. His inner tumult seems to reflect the paranoia and uproar of the 60’s era, creating an intense portrayal of his formative years. The Basketball Diaries exemplifies the euphemistic fall from grace that an addiction can cause, as well as the devastation that relapses can wreak upon an addict’s life.

#5 – Living Sober by Anonymous

Published by Alcoholics Anonymous, this work does not offer advice on how to get sober; instead, it offers information on how to maintain sobriety on a day-to-day basis. Countless people in recovery have found the simple advice to be a comfort when faced with cravings, helping them to avoid a potentially disastrous relapse. One of the most important messages that resounds throughout this work is that sobriety is more than just not drinking, it is a daily practice of commitment to healthy and engaged living. Living Sober is a recommended read for anyone using the 12 step method.

#6 – Addicts in the Family: Stories of Loss, Hope and Recovery by Beverly Conyers

Addiction is not a disease that is experienced singularly by the affected individual. In Addicts in the Family, Conyers examines the heart-wrenching experiences of those who love an addict and have to experience the ravages of this affliction from the sidelines. With compassion and an erudite viewpoint, this book offers advice and hope for those who struggle with a loved one’s addiction. The author reveals startling details of her own struggle with her daughter’s addiction, reassuring the reader that she truly empathizes and understands the complexities of loving an addict. She educates the reader on how to best stop engaging in enabling behavior, in order to truly begin helping a loved one find the road to recovery.

#7 – A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Frey recounts his journey through rehab, as both an alcoholic and a crack cocaine addict. Although this book was first released as a memoir, Frey later admitted that many of the instances described within A Million Little Pieces never happened. Regardless, his representation of the lack of control that addicts experience on their journey to rock-bottom struck a chord with millions of readers. He details his rehab experience in a 12-step oriented facility, and offers an honest viewpoint of both the pros and cons surrounding this therapeutic model. Despite the controversy surrounding Frey’s semi-fictional memoir, this book remains one of the most notable books on addiction and recovery in recent times.

#8 – Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel

Wurtzel’s book clearly illustrates the link between mental health issues and addiction. As a young woman, Wurtzel struggled with severe depression marked by manic highs and extreme lows. She turned to alcohol and drugs in an attempt to self-medicate and treat her emotional pain. 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. Prozac Nation is an important piece of work, notable for its distinctive youthful voice and confessional nature. It also chronicles the true pain that stems from depression and anxiety, the causes that lead many people to engage in substance abuse.

#9 – Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery by Bill Clegg

Clegg candidly recounts his stumbling journey to recovery: full of fails, relapses, confusion, self-realizations and moments of redemption. Taking place after a stint in rehab, the author delves with honesty into the torment that a recovering addict often must face in the early phases of sobriety. This book is an excellent reference for those hoping to understand the emotional toll of addiction and recovery. Clegg writes with a gripping immediacy that draws the reader directly into the maelstrom of his emotional struggle with addiction. Ninety Days is a relatable for anyone who has gone through similar experiences.

#10 – Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines by Nick Sheff

In Tweak, Sheff paints a disturbingly honest portrait of addiction. Methamphetamine is a highly destructive drug, and he does not mince words when conveying the ruination that it brought to his life. His raw and graphic accounts of youthful experimentation with drugs and alcohol segues quickly into an out of control addiction. Sheff’s ability to convey the pain and loneliness that both causes and fuels addiction inspires simultaneous sympathy and fury within the reader. His descriptions perfectly capture the out of control life of a youth growing up with addiction, yet his story ultimately yields hope for the future.

If you have any more books to add to the list, please leave them in the comments section. 🙂

41 responses to “10 Books about Addiction, Alcoholism and Recovery”

  • Danielle Studavent

    9 years ago

    Reply

    Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales: A Story Of Addiction
    By Marni Mann

  • Shannon Lowe

    9 years ago

    Reply

    “A Peice of Cake” by Cupcake Brown. Fantastic story!

  • Helen Leger

    8 years ago

    Reply

    addict in the family a must read for anyone who is dealing with an active addict

  • Cathy

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Heroin’s puppet: the rehab journals of Amelia Caruso
    Amy {and her addiction}
    By Melissa Weiksnar

  • Marilyn Boehm

    8 years ago

    Reply

    “Starting at Goodbye”– a brand new memoir about alcoholism, recovery & an enduring love that lasted for decades between two alkies. You will laugh & cry. You won’t be able to tear yourself away from this honest, personal & offbeat story. It took me 10 years to write it. Take a look on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

  • Christina Ash

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Broken is an honest book about how alcohol and crack can take anybody down no matter what background or lifestyle. It is vivid and real. It also starts the conversation about removing the stigma of being in recovery.

  • Troy

    8 years ago

    Reply

    The Bible wasn’t mentioned as to why it was left off the list.
    Search and you shall find a parallel to any affliction from which you suffer.
    To those agnostics and atheists who still seek a formula for a broken life…..
    It is in there.

  • Denise Konkol

    8 years ago

    Reply

    I’ve just finished reading “Walking Out the Other Side.” Fantastic. Alan S Charles’ persistence is what struck me. A story of never giving up despite falling repeatedly which is often left out of others’ stories. Generally it’s rock bottom, then recovery. His was more of a rollercoaster. You can fall, but you only fail at recovery when you stop getting back up. I’ve visited his page walkingouttheotherside.com/ and he’s also a motivational speaker.

  • Nancy Carr

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Last Call, A Memoir. Released last year on Kindle. It’s a fabulous ride through the disease and into recovery !!!

  • Russ Keely

    8 years ago

    Reply

    “A New Pair of Glasses” by Chuck C.
    May not be hip, slick, or cool, but it’s taught me more about “…in all of our affairs” than anything I’ve read or heard in the rooms (or on the innerwebs, too).

  • Sue Riley

    8 years ago

    Reply

    From Blues to Blood by Donald Just Darcy. Barnes and Noble website. Great read. Love his interpretation of the 12 steps.

  • AMad

    8 years ago

    Reply

    “Lit” is an amazing alcoholism memoir. For nonfiction fans, I’m reading a book called “Methland” which is about how Iowa became the meth capital of America. “A glass castle” is a great read for alanons and Children of Alcoholics
    Thanks so much for the list and comments!!

  • alison taylor

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Blackout: Remembering the Things I drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola.

    • Jen A.

      5 years ago

      Reply

      This is on my list to read. It sounds a lot like what my life has been for the last few years. I’m recently sober and looking to stay that way!

  • Robyn Joy

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Great list! Thank you!
    I am super enamored with Recovery 2.0 by Tommy Rosen – it’s a really great holistic view of recovery and Tommy is just such a loving and kind super star. I also enjoyed Rebel Buddha by Dzogchen Ponlop, and Dry by Augusten Burroughs (have the others on my list). Early on I listened to The Easy Way to Control Alcohol by Allen Carr and it seemed to work with subliminal messaging because wow, I was DONE drinking before I finished it. I’m not sure how it does in print though
    In queue:
    Guts by Kristen Johnson
    Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
    Lit: A Memoir by Mary Karr
    and a bunch of Mishka Shubaly and Augusten Burroughs books

  • Charles

    7 years ago

    Reply

    I stumbled across one called “Teenage Degenerate” on amazon a few months and I personally think it is one of the best books on crystal meth that I have read. I would suggest it to anyone looking for a book on meth addiction.

  • Linda Dahl Vogl

    7 years ago

    Reply

    “Loving Our Addicted Daughters Back to Life,” by Linda Dahl, is the first book for a general audience that seriously addresses what often-neglected research shows are the gender-specific needs of women alcoholics and addicts of other drugs to achieve successful recovery. “Essential reading” – Publishers Weekly.

    Linda Dahl, in longterm recovery, has also written three novels that follow a woman’s progressive addiction and early recovery: “Gringa in a Strange Land” and “Cleans Up Nicely.” In “The Bad Dream Notebook,” fall 2017, the protagonist’s teenage daughter becomes addicted to heroin. Both of them are crushed before finding gritty resilience in letting go – and unlooked-for creativity.

  • Dena

    7 years ago

    Reply

    ‘Heroin, hurricane katrina, and the howling within’ by eliza player. .. it’s about… well what the title says! I have read this book a few times I very much enjoy it, it’s like I’m right there.. and I’m always absolutely amazed at how the hell she didn’t die.. this is a great story and I hope others enjoy it as much as I have

  • Anuj

    7 years ago

    Reply

    Which book among these really helped readers in getting addiction rooted out from there life.There are these many books but which one is most effective worked for 99% of the people and is any very effective book for pornography addiction as my addiction is pornography????

  • Lee Eide

    7 years ago

    Reply

    I’m hopefully not allowing my own ego to overly influence my opinion but I strongly believe my book, “Overcome Any Personal Obstacle, Including Alcoholism, by Understanding Your Ego” is a fantastic source of insights about how an overly strong ego can derail an addict’s or alcoholic’s best intentions to become/stay clean and sober. I also have a “Bad” blog series in which I blogged about every single “Breaking Bad” episode and showed how Walter White’s gigantic ego-fueled pride illustrated the principles in my book.

  • Ron Marlette

    6 years ago

    Reply

    Another great book is “Learning to Live Again” by Gorski
    Ron

  • rriley

    5 years ago

    Reply

    “A million little pieces” author was determined to be a fraud.

  • lynda hacker araoz

    5 years ago

    Reply

    The Weight of a Feather: A Mother’s Journey through the Opiate Addiction Crisis by Lynda Hacker Araoz. Just released a couple of months ago!

  • valerie

    5 years ago

    Reply

    Russell Brand’s book about the 12 Steps; “Recovery” is terrific!

  • Bill Ludwig

    5 years ago

    Reply

    Steps and Stories by Sandy Beach. Each chapter is half AA history and the other half is on one of the Steps. Sandy helped my recovery and growth. I know his style has helped many others.

  • Lynda Hacker

    4 years ago

    Reply

    “The Weight of a Feather: A Mother’s Journey through the Opiate Addiction Crisis”

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