Best Books on Addiction to Break Down the Stigma

5 Aug

It’s Naomi here, writing about something very close to my heart, though please be forewarned it’s a heavy subject matter.

Substance misuse and mental illness are two conditions that have forever been present in my life; I have a number of loved ones who continue to battle these diseases everyday. For a long time, I have struggled with the representation of addicts in books and films, as so often they’d be cast as inherently bad, abusive and violent. Whilst this is true for some, this is not my experience, and such one dimensional depictions do nothing to destigmatize the shame surrounding drug and alcohol dependency.

I am not someone to be put off by trigger warnings. If anything, I seek to find narrative accounts that resemble my own situation as I find comfort in the idea of shared experiences and emotional responses. Thankfully, in recent years I have seen a shift in the language relating to addiction and I wanted to share a list of books with you which I believe do a great deal to encourage the necessary understanding and compassion for those with dependency, the impact on their family members, as well as illustrating the complexity of the disease. If you’d like to purchase any of the books listed here, we’ve got a bookshop.org link for you here.

The following books have too many trigger warnings to list so please don’t read on if you think you’ll be triggered…

1. Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding (Bloomsbury)

This is one of the best books on alcohol dependency that I've ever read. I have pressed it into the hands of all my housemates, family members and friends, and if there’s one book from this list I’d like you to read, it’s this one. It is at once hopeful and devastating, blackly comic and gut-wrenchingly sad.

It is the story of Sonya, an out of work actress and mother to Tommy. But at times, being Tommy's mother is too much for Sonya. Too much love, too much fear, too much longing for the cool wine she gulps from the bottle each night. Once there was the thrill of a London stage, fast cars, handsome men. But now there are blackouts and bare cupboards. And there is the risk of losing Tommy forever.

Your heart aches for Tommy but it also aches for Sonya, and it is here that Lisa Harding excels. Presenting addiction as a complex beast, and Sonya as so much more than her demons, the author ensures we feel empathy and concern for Sonya rather than seeing her as an unfit mother. Whilst her behaviour is erratic and neglectful, not for one second do you doubt Sonya’s love for her son.

2. Glorious Rock Bottom by Bryony Gordon (Headline)

I adore Bryony Gordon for her raw honesty and determination to broach taboo topics head on. In Glorious Rock Bottom Bryony opens up about her toxic twenty-year relationship with alcohol and drugs and explains exactly why hitting rock bottom saved her life. Bryony re-lives the darkest and most terrifying moments of her addiction, the painful self-reflection and shift towards self-acceptance, and the previously unimaginable discovery of friendship, hope and self-worth.

Addiction was removed from the Mental Health Act several years ago making it very difficult to access mental health support for people who are simultaneously suffering from substance dependency. Yet Glorious Rock Bottom argues for the connection between addiction and mental health issues, clearly illustrating how inextricable the two conditions are.

To celebrate the paperback publication of Glorious Rock Bottom, we partnered with our pal, @frankieroseillustration, to create a print inspired by the book with all profits going to the charity, Mental Health Mates.

Get your print here: https://www.frankieroseillustration.com/products/bryony-gordon-charity-print

3. Coming Undone by Terri White (Canongate)

This is the story of trauma - hidden beneath the guise of a successful and enviable life - and the subsequent unravelling. To everyone else, Terri White appeared to be living the dream - living in New York City, with a top job editing a major magazine. In reality, she was struggling with the trauma of an abusive childhood and rapidly skidding towards a mental health crisis that would land her in a psychiatric ward.

Whilst Terri doesn’t profess to being sober, her story shows how easily one can slip into substance misuse as a means of numbing pain, and that drug and alcohol dependency are more often than not symptomatic of a mental health disorder. I am in awe of Terri’s courage in sharing her memoir in such a candid and explicit way, avoiding the pressure to soften or speak in euphemism. This is a narrative of resilience that illustrates the healing power of writing and the importance of articulating our traumas in order to find some form of acceptance.

4. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Picador)

No doubt many of you will already have read the prize-winning debut, Shuggie Bain, a gripping and gritty portrait of addiction, the limits of love, and the mercilessness of poverty. No introduction necessary, the outstanding accolades and reader reviews speak for themselves.

Set in Glasgow in 1981, this is the story of Agnes Bain. Abandoned by her philandering husband, and trapped in a decimated mining town with her three children, Agnes has always expected more from life. As she descends deeper into drink, the children try their best to save her, yet one by one they must abandon her to save themselves. It is Shuggie who perseveres the longest, desperate to help his mother escape her hopeless life.

Unlike the previous suggestions, Shuggie Bain addresses the relationship between poverty and addiction, and the pervasive sense of despair brought about by Thatcherism. This is a tough read so take your time with it.

5. Saltwater by Jessica Andrews (Sceptre)

Addiction seems to exist on the periphery of this beautiful, intimate novel, until you realise how much it has shaped the protagonist, Lucy, or rather, the author. Jessica Andrews wrote an achingly honest feature on what it feels like to be the daughter of an alcoholic and when read alongside her novel, you realise how much truth there is in her lyrical words and luminous passages.

When Lucy wins a place at university, she thinks London with all its liveliness and opportunities will unlock her future. At least this is what Lucy expects, having grown up seemingly a world away in working-class Sunderland. Yet Lucy's transition to a new life is more overwhelming than she ever expected and she continues to feel like an outsider. When things come to a head at her graduation, Lucy seeks solace in her late grandfather's cottage in Ireland, wondering if she can piece together who she really is.

The true beauty of Saltwater is in its distinct, fragmented style and visceral language which draws on all the senses. This is a dazzling debut.

6. Coming Clean by Liz Fraser

Lex recently alerted me to this memoir, knowing full well it’d be of interest to me. Part diary, part travel journal and part love letter, Coming Clean is publishing in the Autumn and I can already tell it’s going to move me enormously.

When Liz Fraser's partner fell into a catastrophic vortex of depression and alcoholism, Liz found herself in a relentless hail-storm of lies, loneliness and fear, looking after their young child on her own, heart-broken, mentally shattered and with no idea what was happening or what to do. She kept the often shocking truth entirely to herself for a long time, trying in vain to help her partner find a path to sobriety, until she herself finally broke from the trauma and started to speak out - only to find she was one of hundreds experiencing similar things, also living in silence and fear.

As the author says: I hope that in sharing this story it might change the way addiction is talked about and understood from both sides, encourage open, trusting and supportive dialogue between addicts and those their addiction affects, and provide some solace and help for those who need it - as I did.