David Sheff's story is a first: a teenager's addiction from the parent's point of view; a real time chronicle of a son's shocking descent into substance abuse and his gradual emergence into hope.
Before meth, Sheff's son Nic was an accomplished athlete, top student and award winning journalist. After meth, he was a trembling wreck who stole money from his eight year old brother and lived on the streets. With haunting candour, Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial the 3am phone calls; the attempts at rehab; and finally the way past addiction.
Crystal meth is acknowledged to be the world's most addictive and dangerous drug, wreaking permanent brain damage faster than any other available narcotic.
But Nic's story is not just about meth. His story, and his father's, is that of any family struggling to support an addict.
It took me a while to get through this book, not sure that, that had anything to do with the book or its content, I think it was more that I have had a very busy six weeks and have found myself too exhausted to read more than a couple of pages before falling a sleep. It was however a book you could pick back up exactly where you left off.
I hadn't realised this was a true story when I picked up the book I thought it would be a Jodi Picoult style novel, as it has also been made into a film. The book is written in five parts starting with when Nic was born, to the first signs that he was using drugs, his multiple admissions for rehab and right up to what you are lead to believe was his final relapse and subsequent time back in rehab. David Sheff describes the emotional impact his son's addition has had on him and the rest of the family and told very much from this perspective. The final chapter is written as an epilogue detailing how the family are now and where Nic is in his recovery. Nic Sheff has also written a companion memoir telling the story from his perspective called Tweak - Growing up on Crystal Meth which I believe is a brutally honest account of his life as an addict. I'm not sure that I would go on to read this one, not because I think it wouldn't be worth a read but having lost a nephew sixteen years ago to this awful disease, as that is what it becomes, and I'm not sure I would want to fully take on board the life he must have led. I know my sister and her family never recovered from his death and my own children have grown up knowing of what happened to my nephew and have thankfully kept them away from that path. Having looked through the reviews it would appear most people went on to read Nics story having seen the film which again is very much focused on the struggles from his father and the rest of the family rather than Nics.
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I can imagine this being a very emotional read. All we can do as parents is express the danger of drugs to our children and trust that we've steered them away from this path, but ultimately, it's down to them. Luckily, both mine have stayed well away from drugs but I sympathise with anyone who is having to deal with addiction in their family.
ReplyDeleteYou can only hope you have educated them enough that they won't go near. Mine knew the struggles my sister went through with her son and how distraught she would get and I'm hoping that has been enough to make them stay clear.
DeleteMx
Thanks for the review Mitzi, an emotional read I think. As a teen in a church youth group we got to see The Cross & the Switchblade. I went on to read the book by David Wilkerson, followed with Run Baby Run by Nicky Cruz a gang member's story. Both were very good - obviously about gangs and drugs - 'the cross' - a preacher David Wilkerson, who was very young, reached out to the gangs and loved them. They are amazing stories but having recently watched the film again with my kids, the portrayal was lame. I think we've become accustomed to seeing more horrific crime & violence incidents on tv making the 1970's film with gangs and switchblades less shockable. Cx
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of The Cross & the Switchblade but sounds like it would of been a good book to read. There are quite a few films that I always thought were really good films until you watch them again now and see how out dated they really are. I always like To Sir With Love with Sidney Poitier, it never seems to have become outdated because you know its from that era and in black & white but still put a message out there to respect one another. One of my son's had this for his GCSE's and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book with him and watching the film.
DeleteMx