Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
By:
David Sheff
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List Price: $14.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Description:
What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets. David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3 A.M. phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the rehabs. His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself, and the obsessive worry and stress took a tremendous toll. But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every avenue of treatment that might save his son and refused to give up on Nic.
Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help.
Description:
Amazon Best of the Month, February 2008: From as early as grade school, the world seemed to be on Nic Sheff's string. Bright and athletic, he excelled in any setting and appeared destined for greatness. Yet as childhood exuberance faded into teenage angst, the precocious boy found himself going down a much different path. Seduced by the illicit world of drugs and alcohol, he quickly found himself caught in the clutches of addiction. Beautiful Boy is Nic's story, but from the perspective of his father, David. Achingly honest, it chronicles the betrayal, pain, and terrifying question marks that haunt the loved ones of an addict. Many respond to addiction with a painful oath of silence, but David Sheff opens up personal wounds to reinforce that it is a disease, and must be treated as such. Most importantly, his journey provides those in similar situations with a commodity that they can never lose: hope --Dave Callanan
Publisher: Mariner Books
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
So Many Emotions - As the Mother of an son also addicted to Meth this book was like reading our own story. I cried through most of it but also found a strength I thought I never had. It helped me to see I was not alone which I have felt through most of our journey. My Son is everything to me but I had to learn to say no to him and with the insight from this book I am learning. My Son is in Prison and I have prayed many nights that I find the strength to be supportive yet strong. Thank you Mr Sheff and also to your Son Nick for his book to show me I am NOT alone and that there is light at the end to this nightmare that we live through daily. I only wish I could talk to you to understand more. Thank again and God Bless you for this.
Teresa
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Interesting Perspective on Addiction - I read this book because it was a book club selection. It is not the type of book I typically read becuase, wether it is right or wrong, I don't have much patience for many of the excuses for drug addiction. In fact, I almost sat out of this month's read, but then changed my mind in the spirit of stretching my reading selections. I'm glad I did.I don't know what prevents me from giving it a five star. It passes all my 5 star tests. (1) It is well (extremely well) written. (2) My mind returns to it after I've completed it. (3) Historical aspects are well documented. (4) I learned something. But, something prevents me from it. Maybe it is the bias I mentioned at the beginning.
When my youngest daughter was very young we were at a museum where the effects of smoking were demonstrated through an exposed pig's lung. It appeared to have a life-long impact on her. She still talks (at 17) about that lung. I remember thinking "I wonder what demonstration would have the same effect concerning drug use". I think drug addiction is one of the scariest ideas for any parent. As Sheff notes "First-time users are younger, teh drugs themselves are stronger, and there are many more types of drugs to abuse. Users can get their drug of choice whenever and wherever they want...In many regions of the country, overdoses have or will surpass automobile accidents as the leading cause of non-natural death." (pg 326)
David Sheff, father of Nic Sheff and acclaimed journalists, takes us on a journey that chronolicles the descent of Nic into a word of a meth addict. Sheff relates the tremendous pain, fear, and betrayal felt by those who love an addict. Even with inquisitive mind of a journalist and his extensive research skills, Sheff learns what most addict parents learn: there is no sure fire way to treat an addict, particularly a meth addict. We follow the Sheff family as they try vaious programs and Nic continues to relapse.
I particularly appreciated Sheff's objective reflection on the role of divorce and parents in general who are often in denial when the first signs of drug use emerge. I also learned a lot about the history of meth. I always viewed it as a fairly new drug; however, it has apparently been around since the late 1800's. The most tragic fallout of Nic's behavior is certainly his younger siblings. Reading this part broke my heart.
Excellent read and highly recommended.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Good read - Well written. A good book to share with the teenagers who think that their actions don't effect the family.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Wow... - It was a powerful story. A kid can get into all kinds of trouble growing up, and all a parent can really do is try to steer them in one direction or another. Help is great, but only when someone is capable of accepting it. At times it was heart wrenching, and at times it was hopeful. Overall it was a great read.
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Great book! - I bought this book on a whim not knowing anything about the author or the book. I'm glad I did because I could not put it down! It was a great book. It seemed to really give the reader an in-depth picture of what addicts' families experience--their worries, their struggles, etc. As I read the book, my heart went out to both the father, his addict son, and the other family members. I am a counselor, and I believe reading this book will help me to better understand and connect with families I work with who are battling addictions. Now I am buying his son's book ("Tweak") so I can read the other perspective. I suggest all parents of addicts and anyone who wants to know more about what it feels like to deal with an addict child read this book!
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