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    Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
    Unavailable
    Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
    Unavailable
    Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
    Ebook451 pages7 hours

    Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction

    By David Sheff

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    #1 New York Times bestseller
     
    With a new afterword

    Now a Major Motion Picture
    Starring Steve Carell * Timothée Chalamet * Maura Tierney * and Amy Ryan

     “A brilliant, harrowing, heartbreaking, fascinating story, full of beautiful moments and hard-won wisdom. This book will save a lot of lives and heal a lot of hearts.” — Anne Lamott

    “‘When one of us tells the truth, he makes it easier for all of us to open our hearts to our own pain and that of others.’ That’s ultimately what Beautiful Boy is about: truth and healing.” — Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia
     
    What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted David Sheff’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic 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 warning signs: the denial, the three a.m. phone calls—is it Nic? the police? the hospital? His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself. But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every treatment that might save his son. And he refused to give up on Nic.
     
    “Filled with compelling anecdotes and important insights . . . An eye-opening memoir.” — Washington Post

    Editor's Note

    Deeply personal…

    David Sheff’s memoir puts a face onto addiction by taking readers on a journey through his son Nic’s struggle with meth. Through personal and honest storytelling, the book will leave the reader with a deeper understanding of the crisis that is sweeping the country and empathy for those who are suffering. The movie adaptation stars Steve Carrell and Timothée Chalamet.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMariner Books
    Release dateJan 6, 2009
    ISBN9780547347929
    Unavailable
    Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
    Author

    David Sheff

    David Sheff is the author of multiple books including the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Beautiful Boy, which was recently turned into a movie starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Outside, Rolling Stone, Wired, Fortune, and elsewhere.

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    Reviews for Beautiful Boy

    4/5

    606 ratings46 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I had no real expectations prior to reading this book, and I am of 2 minds about it.

      As a story of the anguish, helplessness and heartache a parent would go thru watching their child fall under the control of drugs, this was a very effective story. I could feel the father's pain, even as I questioned his decisions.

      As a memoir I found the descriptions of Nic's childhood overly long and repetitive. I did not need to hear about every hike and surfing experience. That felt like padding in an effort to expand this story from an article to a book.

      The chapters recounting the father's own drug use were of no interest, and aside from the huge mistake he made sharing his stories of drug use with his son, they were not relevant to this story. The constant references to popular music made me wonder if the best way to keep your child off drugs is to ban Nirvana! (LOL)

      In spite of all that, I could totally empathize with the father's pain and self-doubt. I read the book all the while asking myself, "what would I have done?". I also wondered what I would have done if I was wife #2 - stay or go? A very painful, thought-provoking, and scary book! Worth reading, but have something light and fluffy to read next!!!
    • 4/5
      I read Tweak and loved the idea of seeing an addiction from the father's POV. The portrayal feels raw. I feel the overwhelming anxiety, frustration, amd sadness David and the others feel. The fear of what will happen to Nic. You also see what you can't fully grasp from Nic, since his novel is his point of view, which is the utter lack of control in his life and the justifications he makes. David also excellently exposes the reader to facts and real accounts thereby expressing the validity of the problem and why we aren't seeing better results in treatment
    • 5/5
      A father watches his son's painful descent into addiction and feels powerless and unable to help his son find the way back to the light, in spite of his broken heart.
    • 4/5
      Touching and scary.
    • 4/5
      Heart-wrenching, courageous, beautiful book about a father and son; living with addiction; struggling with regret; the dangers of hope; the blessings of insecurity; the uncomfortable and sometimes unspeakable feelings of hurt and anger that arises with people who love one another...in short, I greatly admired the courage of the writer that shone through these pages.
    • 3/5
      Really liked a lot of this book and the narrator was excellent... but... it just got really hard to listen to the author have the same reactions over and over to his son's meth habit. He did drugs himself as a kid and yet can't understand how his son could possibly become a meth addict, and he searches for an answer over and over, and it just gets all so repetitive. Plus the minutiae of taking kids here and there and driving to this place and that place... definitely could have used a bit extra editing. Still, you really feel for the parents when their son/stepson steals and/or gets lost in addiction for the umpteenth time... and yet you want to reach in occasionally and yell at them!Oh, and the author mentions Joan Didion's "Year of Magical Thinking". I've seen the audiobook but never heard it - guess I'll have to pick it up. I think if you have read/heard that book you'll understand some parts more than those of us who haven't.
    • 4/5
      A fantastic journey of a father's love and experience with his son's meth addiction. The best part is when his younger brother and sister are discussing what happens to him when he goes back to using. Their definition brought me to tears. Usually, I'd just describe the scene or comments, but all the lead up to that one scene both before and after have to be read to fully experience.
    • 5/5
      Heartbreaking memoir by the father of a meth addict. The son also wrote a memoir, "Tweak," which is also a five-star rated book.
    • 5/5
      Having went through the heartbreaking and still battling the monster of my younger brother facing drug addiction this booked has helped give me a little more strength and encouragement. Great read for anyone facing drug addiction in the family and an insight for people who have been lucky enough to dodge the monster of drug addiction! Highly recommended!
    • 5/5
      Recommend this book to both addict and those who are caught in the stormy life of an addict! This was a hard yet informative book!
    • 2/5
      I think, Nic would have been disdainful of being here in this themed terminal if he were in shape to be disdainful of anything.

      This is the most telling sentence of the entire book. The author attempts to engage the reader with his experience of going through the traumatic experience of a drug addicted son. Yet, what comes through clearly is that of a narcissistic son who consistently exposes the pathetic life of his elitist, egotistical father. A question that begs to be answered: how much money did he throw at his “beautiful boy”s so-called recovery? Furthermore, the author’s continual use of the words “illness” and “disease” as an excuse for addiction merely amplifies his need to protect his superiority over the common, everyday drug user. His son appears to be the common, everyday narcissist that views those around him, including his family, as objects to be used and discarded at whim.
    • 4/5
      BEAUTIFUL BOY is heart wrenching story by the father of a son who is hopelessly addicted to meth. The son was in rehab many times but it didn't seem to work. By the end of the book the son had been clean for two years and then relapsed. I would like to know his story beyond the book. I felt sadder for the father than I did for the addicted son. I felt the father's pain and helplessness. Unfortunately he cared so much he couldn't break lose.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
       " Beautiful Boy" is about a father who is struggling with his sons addiction to drugs. It is based on a true story. The boy with the drug addiction was named nick. He had 2 little siblings, 1 boy and 1 girl.Nicks job was to look after them and become a great role model but, all went wrong This book was very hard to read because it was so sad and personal that at one point I just couldn't take it anymore.I gave this book a 3 star rating because it was confusing in parts because the author kept switching perspectives of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone that could use help with a drug addiction or to help someone with one because this story will touch their hearts and maybe make a difference in their lives.
    • 4/5
      This nonfiction book tells the story of a meth addict from his father’s point-of-view. The father was a journalist long before his son became a tweaker, so he already had the writing skills and was able to put his raw emotions into words. It’s a heartbreaking and honest look at how someone can quickly become lost to the world of addiction. His son, Nic, was smart and kind, but on drugs that person just disappeared. One thing I think it’s important to note is that I’m not a parent. I think that any parent who reads this will have a much harder time with the material. Imagining your own child in this situation is absolutely terrifying and I don’t think I can truly grasp that without kids of my own. One of the aspects that was the hardest to read about was the effect Nic’s drug use had on his younger siblings. At one point his kid brother (I think he was about 8 years old at the time) realizes Nic has stolen everything out of his piggy bank. The little boy is so hurt and confused by the action. There are parts of the book that feel a repetitive, but I think that’s the nature of the disease. Addiction is cyclical, rehab, relapse, rehab, relapse, etc. and it’s hard to avoid the book taking on that same pattern. But even with that it was a compulsive read, one that I couldn’t put down. He can’t help but feel their pain. You hope that this time the rehab has worked, but you can’t help but fear a relapse is just around the corner. I’m curious about the book “Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines” by Nic Sheff. It’s written by the son, the addict that the book revolves around. I think it would be fascinating to see the whole situation from his point of view after reading this. BOTTOM LINE: The book is wonderfully written, but it will break your heart. Addiction is such a destructive disease and Sheff paints an intimate picture of what they went through. AUDIOBOOK NOTE: This one was narrated by Anthony Heald and it was excellent. I think I might have been frustrated by the repetition more if I hadn’t listened to it, but the audio was so well done that it worked for me. “People with cancer or emphysema or heart disease don’t lie or steal. Someone dying of those diseases would do anything in their power to live, but here’s the rub of addiction. By its nature people afflicted are unable to do what from the outside appears to be a simple solution, don’t drink, don’t do drugs. In exchange for that one small sacrifice you will be given a gift that other terminally ill people would give anything for, life. But, a symptom of this disease is using.”  
    • 4/5
      This was a hard book to listen to. Who can explain why human nature is the way it is? Why we destroy ourselves and make ourselves miserable and can't stop? And how can one adequately describe the pain and sorrow and helplessness that one feels standing beside a loved one, unable to change or alter or even influence. Mr. Shef leaves the book with a sense of peace - of having reached a place of moving outside the crisis, of setting in place boundaries that work, of focusing on life. This memoir also sheds light on the true horror that is drug addiction with all the destruction that it creates.
    • 4/5
      I'd kind of stopped reading the kind of books about families and individuals in crisis, but I needed to borrow an audiobook and decided to give this one a go, since the choice in downloadable audiobooks from the library isn't massive. I'm glad I did. The text is wonderfully eloquent, though a bit long and repetitive in places, and also wonderfully thoughtful. And the narration is outstanding. I loved listening to the narration as much as I enjoyed the beauty of the text.
    • 5/5
      Drug addiction is a living hell. Not just for the addict, but for the family that rides a terrifying roller-coaster marked by relapses and rehab – over and over. I’ve lived this hell. My older brother was hard-core drug addict. It began in the late 1960s when I was 10 years old. It ended one afternoon in 1976 when I came home from high school. I saw the crowd in our kitchen. I knew exactly what it meant. Then, for almost 25 years, I hated myself for the feeling that overpowered me that winter afternoon. It was relief. Pure relief. The seven-year-long nightmare was over. It took me more than two decades following Billy’s overdose to come to grips with my feelings. In Sheff’s stunning memoir, he grapples with many colliding emotions. How can you love someone so much, yet hate him – or at least hate what he does? How can a little kid possibly understand that his big brother – so kind and giving on some days – is also a pathological liar? A thief? Possibly even a menace? How does a family avoid utter destruction when every ring of the phone and every jiggle of the doorknob trigger feelings of profound dread? When do you finally give up? Or don’t you? “Beautiful Boy” was one of the most painful books I’ve ever read – and one of the most meaningful. No, it doesn’t provide many answers. But for those damaged souls who have “been there,” the Sheff family saga will strike a chord with every turn of the page. It’s pretty clear to me now that for most addicts, long-term, inpatient rehabilitation is the only possible hope. My brother spent no more than a couple weeks at a time in rehab, and usually less than that. I often wonder if things might have been different if Billy’s problems had manifested themselves in the 1980s or 90s. We seem to know a lot more about addictions now than we did in the 60s and early 70s. One of the book’s most important themes focuses on how unbridled love can actually turn caring people into destructive enablers. I’m among those who believe that addicts must face the harsh reality that there are no more safety nets. Addicts must feel alone, broke, desolate and desperate if there’s any hope of permanent recovery. They must understand that the family bank is closed, the kitchen is shuttered and the only option left is long-term rehab. The book also raises the jolting prospect that some people who are close to drug addicts become “addicted to the addiction,” allowing the problem to govern every facet of their lives. From the time I was 10 until I turned 17, Billy’s drug addiction overshadowed so much of our lives. I only now realize how isolated I felt. Very few of my friends knew what was going on; it was too shameful to admit. In those days, “normal families” didn’t include druggies. My little brother – 10 years my junior – was too young to understand what was happening. My sister – who is seven years older – was away at college for most of the traumatic era. Sheff’s brilliant book touches on feelings of isolation that grip younger siblings, and the importance of getting them counseling. It’s understandable why some reviewers have grumbled that the book tends to be repetitive in spots, even suggesting that the author should have delivered a “shorter read.” But that’s the horror of addiction. It’s the never-ending pattern of relapse/promises/rehab, relapse/promises/rehab, etc. If Sheff had streamlined this maddening cycle in order to deliver a readable or more “accessible” tome, it would have been less genuine. “Beautiful Boy” looks at addiction through the eyes of a father. One day, I will also read Nic’s book. But I need to wait. One journey a year down this particular memory lane is more than enough. I commend David and Nic for sharing this harrowing tale. It shows courage. I want to say “thanks,” but this word seems empty. Perhaps another word is more fitting: “everything.”
    • 3/5
      An interesting book and written in a straight forward way. Sheff does a good job letting you into the part of his life that he is writing about, and I think it would be a helpful aid for someone who is going through the same situation, whether it be from the point of view of a mother/father of an addict or an addict themselves. I read Tweak right after I finished Beautiful Boy, and I would highly recommend reading both back to back to back, it was interesting to see what details were changed depending on who was telling the story, and fitting together the puzzle pieces of the gaps that are always in memories that come from only one persons point of view.
    • 5/5
      The faith and courage that Mr. Scheff and his extended family exhibit is remarkable and inspirational. They draw on a huge reserve of strength to again and again face the addiction, recovery and relapses of Nic. The book is eye-opening and absolutely terrifying. At the same time it is also poignant and hopeful.
    • 3/5
      I always like to read stories about people's lives. This one was very interesting and was very candid about what must be excruciating for a parent. I did think it could have been shorter, however. Many of the same themes seemed to be repeated and I would have either liked more content or a shorter read.
    • 3/5
      This book was interesting to me because I had read Nic Sheff's book. Seeing the story from a parent's angle was interesting.
    • 5/5
      I have an older cousin who was addicted to methamphetamine for about a decade but made it through the recovery process a few years ago. That's not why I read this book (a decision which was based on impulse and a vague memory of reading good reviews), but it definitely made this book somewhat revelatory for me. David Sheff details the life of his son, Nic, who in his teenage years went from a precocious and charismatic kid to a full-blown meth addict by age 18. Methamphetamine is apparently the worst drug to become addicted to and the hardest to recover from and Nic goes through several bouts of rehab and relapse over the course of several years. Beautiful Boy isn't Nic's story though (which is told in his own book, Tweak, which I haven't read); it's the story of what his family, particularly his father, step-mother, and younger siblings, go through as they witness his self-destructive behavior and experience the feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness that family and friends of addicts must deal with. I nearly cried at least a half dozen times while reading this--several times in public places, actually--and it's been quite a while since a book elicited that kind of response from me. It has also made me better appreciate the kind of willpower it took for my cousin to get clean again, especially since she had almost no support from her family (her mother is, or at least was, also a meth addict), and has inspired me to write to her to express my admiration. We've never been close, since she's about ten years older than me, but, after reading what Nic Sheff and his family went through, I think that she, and anyone else who manages to beat a potentially life-destroying addiction, deserves some applause.
    • 5/5
      Written by David Sheff this book is the perspective of a father as he deals with his son’s plunge into the world of drug addiction dealing with Meth and what it entails for the entire family.Nic was an intelligent boy. Beyond intelligent, he was gifted. He did all of the things that you would want and hope that your son would do. It was unfortunate as David and his wife couldn’t make their marriage work and at a young age for Nic they divorced. To make matters worse the divorce was volatile and while they lived in the Bay Area of San Francisco David’s ex wife upon finalizing the divorce ended up moving to LA. Nic stays with David during the school year but spends a lot of the holidays and summer down in LA with his mom. I having recently gone through a divorce that was anything but cordial and having three children closely associated with a lot of what this family went through.Nic held his own in the beginning but like all children was approached with the temptation of doing drugs and drinking (further instigated during a trip to France) and like a lot of kids failed in his choices. He started out with pot moved on to experiment in other areas ending up with Meth as his drug of choice. Nic went to a private school, was on the swim team, had excellent grades and was what we would all hope our children might be during those early years. As he struggled with his adolescence and dealing with the pressures of middle and high school he like so many of us felt uncomfortable without the aid of some help.As Nic began his struggle with drugs and sank deeper and deeper into his own personal hell David along with his new wife and two new children soon discovered that drug addiction is not a personal struggle but one that a family must face together. I am sure that I would feel the same way as David did struggling with self doubt and constantly self guessing one’s decision while looking for somebody to blame for this abysmal fall. Who really understands why anyone becomes addicted. So many kids make the choice to try drugs and are able to deal with them in an isolated case while so many can’t ever get beyond that downward spiral lacking the ability to say no once the bridge has been crossed.This is a story of a family’s struggle to help one of its own deal with all of the baggage that comes with addiction as well as all the family struggles that come with normal life. You feel the pain of Nic and of David and of their entire family as Nic makes it through one rehab only to fall back again then into another rehab re-living the cycle over and over and over again. You feel the hell that David faces as he becomes obsessed with Nic and what he can or cannot do to help his son.I read several books and enjoy a wide variety of different genres and can only say for those of you with kids, or with kids who have a drug problem or are parents or just about anyone this is a fantastic book. Nic has now written a book from his perspective of life on drugs entitled “Tweak” and I will be reading that one very soon as well. I couldn’t give a book a higher recommendation. Pick it up when you have a few hours as it will be difficult to put down but be prepared as it is a gut wrenching story of a family and their battle against a force that is not easily fought.
    • 5/5
      Harrowing story of a father's desperate attempts to help his son recover from his meth addiction. I also read the son's book Tweak and have a more complete understanding of the family's dynamics and history. Compelling and heartbreaking.
    • 4/5
      For whatever reason, I had avoided this book for a long time, I think because of the inescapable press surrounding it. Whenever a book shows up at Starbuck's, I give pause. Anyway, it was very good. Sheff really puts himself out there, both in good ways and bad, to show how difficult it is to be a parent of a teenage boy (especially amidst divorce, re-marriage, relocations, new families, etc.) let alone one who becomes addicted to one of the most dangerous substances out there these days, meth. Having just read "Methland," some of the research seemed a bit conflicted, but it is his journey to understand both his son and the drug. I was rivited and I truly do think this book will be a great help to many people, if nothing else, to trust yourself as a parent and filter the huge amount of information each person is bombarded with. There are no easy answers here, or answers at all really, but the only thing I re-learned is all we really have is this moment. I would highly recommend this to any parent, especially those with boys; or for anyone who is interested in the meth epidemic currently crippling our nation and robbing it of so many wonderful humans.
    • 2/5
      An honest and, frankly, terrifying account of methamphetamine addiction through a father’s eyes. One really interesting thing Sheff’s account brought up is the question of whether it is best for a parent to admit his past transgressions to his children with the hope that they will learn from them. In the past, I’ve believed that parents should be honest about where they’ve been and what they’ve done. Sheff offers a stunning counterpoint. Nic used his father’s drug use as a justification for his own. Would he have been better off thinking his father had never touched the stuff? I have read about drugs before, but never from this perspective. Sheff is sympathetic and loving all the while he is hopeless and in pain. He made mistakes, but hopefully others can identify with him and learn from his family’s ordeal. This is one of those few books that sits atop the New York Times Best Seller list that I think really deserves to be there. I look forward to reading Nic’s book to see his version of the story.
    • 4/5
      Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction is one of the most Gripping, fascinating, and frightening. A father strugling with this son who is addicted to Meth, and slipping away right before his eyes. Fantastic read, once you read this it is a good idea to read his son's book 'Tweak' and see the other side. Both father and son have a talent at sharing there lives through the written word, pulling you so you can fell what they feel. A great read!
    • 4/5
      I usually don't impulse buy anything but trashy novels, but after hearing David Sheff and son, Nic, speak at a mental health provider conference about their experiences with Nic's crystal meth addiction I was so moved that I bought both the father and son's version of the story (Beautiful Boy and Tweak, respectively) on the spot and then immediately read them back-to-back. I could quibble with the presentation of a few sections of Beautiful Boy but, all in all, it was a great read.
    • 4/5
      Beautiful Boy is an amazing (and sad) journey that David Sheff describes about his son Nic and his addiction with Methamphetamines. This book provides a personal parent's point of view of the rollercoaster life that his family and his son endured during his son's drug addiction. This book was so easy to read and understand coming from a family who has endured drug additions. I didn't want the story to end when I finished the book. I wondered what happened to him and his son. Have they been able to get through these past years? Is Nic still struggling with addition and recovery? I look forward to reading Nic's book, "Tweak" to see the other side of the story.
    • 5/5
      I have given this book to several people as a gift. I thought it was an incredibly powerful story about a father struggling with his son's substance addictions. This book has inspired several people in my life to attend their first ALANON meeting to gain support for addiction in their own families.