Recovery
Books About Addiction For Your Recovery Reading List
Written By
Table of Contents
Key Points
- Books about addiction can teach, inspire, empower, and provide comfort.
- Reading books about substance use can be therapeutic for recovering addicts as well as their friends and loved ones.
- Powerful books about addiction span various genres, including memoir, nonfiction, self-help, and educational works, as well as workbooks.
- Memoirs and self-help books can provide emotional support, psychoeducation, and help prevent relapse.
- Reading books about addiction isn’t a substitute for evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation services for substance use disorder.
There are thousands of book titles available on the subject of addiction and recovery. Reading books about addiction can be helpful if you or a loved one is battling substance use disorder. These books may offer helpful insight into the condition and encouragement for recovery. They can also be a source of comfort and a reminder that you’re not alone on your path to sobriety.
The list below includes raw personal stories from the perspectives of those who have lived with addiction and their family members, exploring the ripple effect addiction can have and the deep wounds it can leave in its path. You’ll also find science-based theories on the causes and solutions for substance use disorders, including new research that explains why people use and offers hope and insight for how we can change their stories.
Recovering individuals who struggle with addiction will also find information about their conditions, a review of evidence-based treatments, proven coping strategies for relapse prevention, and heartfelt encouragement.
From memoirs to self-help workbooks, these are the ten best books on addiction available today.
Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
A New York Times Bestseller in the 1990s, this memoir about alcohol addiction is still as relevant today as it was 35 years ago. In Drinking: A Love Story, Knapp describes her early experiences with alcohol and how they eventually led to full-blown alcohol use disorder. With bravery and honesty, she shares some of her darkest moments in her love affair with alcohol. Most importantly, though, the author reveals what she learned along the way and how she achieved sobriety.
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola
In Blackout, author Sarah Hepola describes how her blackouts from alcohol abuse led to her addiction recovery. Taking the reader with her through memories (and memory lapses) of late-night bar hopping and early-morning revelations, Hepola reveals how she almost lost her spirit, but came out a survivor of her own substance abuse. This story offers hope for those living with addiction and their loved ones, proving that sobriety is always possible.
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
This beautiful memoir is about a beautiful boy, Nic Sheff, with an ugly drug addiction. It’s become the must-read for loved ones of individuals battling addictive behaviors. In A Beautiful Boy, author David Sheff describes the true story of his son’s crystal meth addiction and how it nearly ruined him. By sharing his pain publicly, Sheff offers lessons learned and relentless hope to readers experiencing their own living nightmares.
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Mate
Part-case study, part-memoir, and part-persuasive prose, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Mate provides close-up experiences and encourages a compassionate approach to addiction and treatment interventions. Mate uses his 20-plus years of experience as a trauma expert and medical doctor to explain the complex underpinnings of addiction. This book is crucial for family members of those battling substance misuse.
Codependents’ Guide to the Twelve Steps by Melody Beattie
Codependency is a common issue with addiction. In the Codependents’ Guide to the Twelve Steps, renowned author Melody Beattie offers a guide to recovery through the lens of codependency. Each chapter of the book focuses on one of the steps of the traditional AA Twelve Step program, but offers specific ways to apply these steps for a codependent.
Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction by Maia Szalavitz
Unbroken Brain by Maia Szalavitz offers a new perspective on addiction, presenting it as a learning disorder rather than a personality problem or brain issue. Combining her own personal stories with over a quarter of a century of research, Svalavitz makes a compelling argument for changing our outdated ways of looking at substance abuse. This book is recommended for those in recovery, their loved ones, and anyone who wants to better understand the mechanisms of drug addiction.
My Fair Junkie: A Memoir of Getting Dirty and Staying Clean by Amy Dresner
With dark humor and bold honesty, author Amy Dresner describes her personal battle with the trifecta of addiction: alcohol, drug, and sex addiction. My Fair Junkie describes her “dirty” past in great detail and the rock-bottom she hit in a psych ward. Best of all, Dresner details her journey to achieving sobriety and maintaining it.
High Achiever by Tiffany Jenkins
High Achiever reads like a high-speed thriller, but it’s a true story drawn from author Tiffany Jenkins’ past. This national best-seller explains how Jenkins went from captain of the high-school cheerleading squad to a convicted felon in the span of a few short years. The unbelievable events that unfolded after that are surpassed only by her triumphant recovery. This book offers hope and comfort to anyone facing addiction, as well as to their loved ones.
The Addiction Recovery Workbook by Paula A. Freedman
There are numerous self-help books and workbooks on the market about addiction, but this is one of the best. Author Paula A. Friedman takes you through the roots of your addiction, helping you learn your triggers and develop self-compassion. The Addiction Recovery Workbook is chock-full of coping strategies to use in high-stress or high-risk scenarios so that you know how to respond whenever your sobriety is threatened. You’ll also learn relapse prevention strategies and tips on how to embrace the sober life.
Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari
Chasing the Scream offers a different perspective on addiction, positing it as the opposite of connection. Author Johann Hari mixes personal stories from his childhood with stories told to him along his journey to understand substance abuse and the War on Drugs in America. A New York Times bestseller, this book sparked a global debate about addiction.
Books About Addiction: Knowledge Is Power
Reading books about addiction can serve multiple purposes. Perhaps the most important of these is providing knowledge about substance use and recovery. The more we know about addiction and how to overcome it, the better we can help ourselves and our loved ones succeed in their recovery efforts. Knowledge also leads to compassion and understanding, which could empower families to strengthen their bonds during a loved one’s recovery rather than allow it to divide them.
Addiction Recovery Support Is Available
Books about addiction and recovery can be helpful, but substance use disorder is a serious mental health condition that requires evidence-based treatment. In most cases, inspiration and encouragement are insufficient to disentangle someone from the clutches of addiction. They often require professional support and sometimes medical treatment.
Many of the books about addiction in this list offer resources for individuals experiencing alcohol and substance misuse.
If you or a loved one needs support, contact a substance use or rehabilitation counselor for guidance. Everyone deserves quality mental health and substance use treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Books About Addiction
Is reading about addiction helpful?
Yes. Studies show that learning about substance use disorder can be therapeutic and may facilitate the recovery process.[1] For loved ones and family members of recovering addicts, reading books about addiction can help them better understand addiction and substance misuse, and it could also be a source of emotional support during a difficult time.
What does hitting rock bottom mean in terms of addiction and substance abuse?
Hitting rock bottom isn’t a medical or technical term in the substance use treatment community. Instead, it’s a colloquial phrase sometimes used by members of the general public to describe the point in an addict’s drug or alcohol use where they suffer enough to realize that they need to make a change.
Rock bottom could mean different things to different people. For example, losing a job, being estranged from a spouse or family member, or going to jail might represent rock bottom, depending on the individual. Many of the books about addiction listed above describe the author’s personal rock bottom and how it represented a turning point in their journey to recovery.
What are the 3 R’s in addiction and recovery?
The three R’s stand for Recognize, Rehabilitate, and Rebuild. Reading books about addiction could play a role during each of these three steps.
There is a Better Way to Live. It's Time to Get the Help You Deserve.
Take the first step in getting your life back. Speak with our admissions team today.Sources
[1] Magill, M., Martino, S., & Wampold, B. (2021, July). The principles and practices of psychoeducation with alcohol or other drug use disorders: A review and brief guide. Journal of substance abuse treatment. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8197778/#S14
