Navigating the Pain of Addiction: A Father's Story of His Son's Struggle with Substance Abuse

Ardie🫶: Came a bit damaged, but overall okay

Australia on Oct 17, 2023

KMate: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Quite an interesting read from the father’s perspective; you could feel his anguish and how his beloved son’s addiction affected the entire family.

United States on Oct 15, 2023

Maddy: You wrote addiction so well and how it impacted you and your family. My brother struggles with addiction too. He is my beautiful boy.

United States on Sep 23, 2023

Mrs. Ward: I read this book for a psychology course. It’s well written and impactful, but watch out as it will hurt your soul.

United States on Sep 18, 2023

Irena: Very well written.

Canada on Aug 30, 2023

JessJess: The book came with cardboard stick to the back and a portion of the pages. After 30 minutes of pealing it off there is still residue (like from the back of a sticker)

United Kingdom on Aug 16, 2023

Megan: a really great book about addiction and a father-son relationship & the lengths a father will go to help his son. I was rooting for nick the whole time and felt every frustration and anxiety his father had. Superbly written. Nick’s dad clearly has done his research on addiction and included not only his personal experience with his son but also some facts and statistics about drug addiction, relapsing etc. Will treasure this book!

United Kingdom on Apr 23, 2023

Fla: Storia molto toccante.Libro arrivato puntuale ed in perfette condizioni unica pecca che è in inglese

Italy on Apr 17, 2023

Sci Fi Fan: Reading this I’m reminded of the story of the slow boiling frog. If you put a pan of water on the stove, get it hot, and then try to out a frog unit, the frog naturally jumps out. If you put them in a cold pan a slowly raise the temperature, the frog keeps adjusting it’s body temperature until it boils to death.

Each step along the way David is the slow boiling frog. He rationalizes each action, does research, and adjusts his thinking. But Nic was on a path to serious addition at age 11.

With 20/20 hindsight, most child therapists will now tell you to live in the same city, preferably within a few miles, if you are going to have joint custody. Reading Nic’s book, it’s clear the bedrock of his mental psych was damaged by the impermanence of the custody agreement.

So: LESSON 1: If you are divorcing with children, it’s not about you, it’s about your child’s well being. Better to have one stable home than shared access to two parents in two different worlds.

David’s next rationalization was how he related to Nic as a buddy not a parent. He should not have tried to be ‘cool’. Kids don’t need cool parents. They need reliable parents. Nic...

United States on May 14, 2022

Louise: "Fortunately I have a son, my beautiful boy. Unfortunately he is a drug addict.
Fortunately he is in recovery. Unfortunately he relapses.
Fortunately he is in recovery again. Unfortunately he relapses.
Fortunately he is in recovery again. Unfortunately he relapses.
Fortunately he is not dead.”
In Beautiful Boy, David Sheff recounts his son’s struggles with addiction. Nic’s drug of choice is Methamphetamine, well known for being one, if not the hardest drug to stay in recovery for. Sheff talks about his difficulty coping with his son’s addiction, rehab stays, and subsequent relapses.
Sheff’s story is heartbreaking, and gut wrenching. He is very real about his emotions. From his shame of having an addict for a son to the happiness he feels from thinking about Nic before his addiction changed him. He speaks often about how he wants to feel hope that each trip to rehab will be the one that keeps him clean, but how it would be easier for him if he just gave up and save himself from the heart ache.
I appreciate that Sheff does not hide his emotions, nor does he hide his own drug use when he was younger. While some may leave out this fact he is frank about...

United States on Jul 11, 2019