Get Inside the Mind of an Addict with These Memoirs
Get Inside the Mind of an Addict with These Memoirs
About benzos, codependency, and alcoholism. Also, a giveaway!
Hi, friend.
When I was an angsty teen, I wanted to read every book I could find about mental illness and addiction. Not much has changed, except back then I didn’t know that non-fiction could be human and interesting; I assumed the genre only existed for the wall of encyclopedias at the library.
That’s where addiction memoirs come in. I never fully understood the disease until I got inside the addict’s mind through their own words. Reading fiction with an anti-drug mission just didn’t cut it. A few years ago, when I acknowledged my own problematic relationship with alcohol, I started reading addiction memoirs—especially ones about alcoholism and recovery—with an even more empathetic heart.
These books are heavy. They bring you into the darkest places of the psyche. They don’t all have a happy ending, and the narrators aren’t always the most likable. But they’re important stories.
The books
Blood Orange Night: My Journey to the Edge of Madness by Melissa Bond
Melissa Bond just wanted some relief from her post-pregnancy insomnia. Her doctor casually prescribed her a high dose of sleeping pills, which worked great for a few weeks. When she stopped sleeping again, they upped her dose, again and again, until her body became so addicted that quitting cold-turkey would kill her. She spent months tapering off the pills, visiting all kinds of doctors, and watching her marriage dissolve. Blood Orange Night is an absolutely stunning memoir about motherhood, insomnia, and addiction to benzodiazepines, told in fiery prose.
✨ Keep reading for a chance to win a copy of this book!
Good Morning, Destroyer of Men’s Souls: A Memoir of Women, Addiction, and Love by Nina Renata Aron
This is a memoir from the sidelines: Nina Renata Aron was in a relationship with an addict, on and off, for years. She considers their relationship to be one of codependence, where she enabled him to use but also was certain she was the person who could get him sober. Good Morning, Destroyer of Men’s Souls isn’t just a gut-wrenching memoir, though; it also gets into the science and psychology behind addiction and codependency.
My Alcoholic Escape from Reality by Kabi Nagata
I love Kabi Nagata. She’s been writing these manga diaries for years, and I eat them all up. This one, about her alcoholism and pancreatitis and recovery, is a gem, getting deeper into her mental and emotional state.
The giveaway
With many thanks to Gallery Books, I have TWO hardcover copies of Blood Orange Night to give away! Comment below or reply to this email for a chance to win! For a bonus entry, share this post on your social and let me know you did.
Must have a U.S. mailing address and be willing to share your address with me. The book will come from the publisher. Not affiliated with Substack, etc., etc. Contest closes Saturday, July 2, 2022.
If you’d like to sponsor a future edition of Crooked Reads, fill out this form and I’ll get in touch ASAP!
The links
Mint to Be: Wedding Books, from Planning Guides to Romance Novels (Book Riot)
Because wedding season, duh.
Guest Recommendation: Let’s Never Talk About This Again (Reading Under the Radar)
In which I flail about one of my favorite under-the-radar books that I can’t believe more people aren’t flailing about!
The Worst Covers of Classic Books (Book Riot)
During a terrible, no-good, very bad week, this post provided a lightness and joy to my fellow book lovers.
Serialized Substacks of Classic Literature You Need in Your Inbox (Book Riot)
Get ready to crush so many classics this summer (and over the next year).
The backlist
In case you missed ’em, or want to peep the archives:
Thanks for hanging out with me this week! I hope you’re reading something wonderful.
xoxo
Head’s up! I’m an affiliate with Bookshop.org and may earn a commission if you click through any book links and make a purchase.
I’ve seen Blood Orange Night everywhere and only heard incredible things! I also loved your post on the worst classic covers! It definitely made me giggle during some though times.