Story novels about alcoholism?
 

Does anyone know of any good story novels with characters dealing with either addiction or alcoholism fiction or non-fiction?? Other than the basic literature we all know of in AA.. I am just curious.

I really liked "Dry" by Augusten Burroughs (and I love his "Magical Thinking," though it's more about life than about his drinking/drugging). I also have enjoyed "Drinking: A Love Story" by Caroline Knapp; "The Night of the Gun" is good; and I am currently reading "Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man" by Bill Clegg, and it's pretty good. I've read lots of memoirs about drinking and using, but these are the only ones I would recommend as most of the others are either poorly written and executed, or pompous, or boring. Hope this helps!

Those were all really good ones, viavai!

Also, More, Now, Again: A Memoir of Addiction by Elizabeth Wurtzel

Wake Up, Sir by Jonathan Ames

Susan Cheever's Note Found in a Bottle

That's all I can think of right now.

Thanks a lot guys for the quick replies.. I didn't really start reading until I first joined the military to pass some of the down time while deployed and lately I've wanted to get back into a good novel but it seems that the only thing I think would spark my interest is good stories about characters with problems with drinking/using. Thanks again, and I will definitelly be picking up a few of those suggestions.

Under the Volcano, by Malcolm Lowry (novel)
Symptoms of Withdrawal, by Christopher Lawford (memoir)
Broken, by William C. Moyers (memoir)
Moments of Clarity, by Christopher Lawford (collection of personal stories)

Drunkard is a good one.
Drunkard: A Hard-Drinking Life : Neil Steinberg

Has anyone heard of A Million Little Pieces? I can't remember who it is written by but I had a friend of mine when I first started in recovery tell me about it.

"Rummies" by Peter Benchley. It's a fiction about a detective who's in rehab solving a murder. I thought it was amusing and it seemed the author knew a bit about alcoholism and recovery.

Love,

Lenina

Smashed

Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges was really good. Not sure if it's a book though.

A Million Little Pieces was a best seller. Story is that it became a best seller because Oprah talked it up. Then, someone researched the story and found the author's autobiography was half-truths.

Anyway, i never read that.
The one i liked best was "Drinking: A Love Story". I listened to it on audiobook, read by the author.
I also read this one by ex presidential candidate George McGovern. it's truly sad. His daughter got so drunk that she passed out in the snow and died. But that occured after at least ten+ years of therapy, rehab houses and all kinds of help. The daughter, Terry, once got out of rehab after being there 6 months. She seemed sincere to stop drinking. but within a day or two, she stopped at a bar on the street and got extremely drunk within an hour. She seemed truly helpless to alcohol.
Reading about the tragedy this drug brings is good therapy.

Terry : My Daughter's Life-and-Death Struggle with Alcoholism

My friend also told me that it was full of half truths.. I told her I really didn't mind that because I can almost always find something to relate about with stories from and or about other addicts/alcoholics.

Thanks for the suggestion on Drinking: A Love Story. I believe I have heard about that book from somewhere but I can't be sure, I'm going to have to look in to it.

and thanks again to everyone else aswell these are some good replies. :You_Rock_

Crazy Heart is a GREAT movie, I started watching that for the second time last night before bed.. I love it, such a good story, I am going to have to finish it tonight.

Lit : a memoir by Marry Karr (2009)

Many of the recommended books are available at the public library.

The Los Angeles Diaries by James Brown (not the singer)

Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis

A Million Little Pieces was a really great read even though the memoir might have been somewhat bogus. James Frey is not a bad writer.

Also Permanent Midnight by Jerry Stahl is good.

Yeah I'm sure you're right..

I'm kind of wierd and picky in a way that I need to buy things to be my own and brand new so I can break them in myself lol...

I'm probably going to run to Barnes and Noble in a bit and pick up a few of the suggested books. :)

Pay attention to the scene in Houston when he is at the aquarium, outside by a fountain and in the shops.

All of it is Albuquerque, where I currently live. It was hilarious seeing that at the thearter here!

I happen to love Anne Lamott. Her essays, rather than her fiction (Grace: Eventually, Traveling Mercies). She speaks more about how she handles life sober...so it's more about recovery. She's quirky, irreverent, honest and spiritual.