So, I finished the book "Tweak" which is the book written by the son of the previous book that I read and told you all about - "Beautiful Boy". I had recommended Beautiful Boy as a good book for people dealing with loved ones going through substance abuse issues. I am a bit hesitant to recommend Tweak though if you have someone close to you going through these issues. Not because it isn't a good book - it is. I could barely put it down. I think I read it in about four days. But, it is a rough read.
This book is written from the perspective of the addict. Nic Sheff is very detailed in his descriptions about what his life was like as he was living on the streets addicted to crystal meth and heroin. For me, it was really interesting. It allowed me to see the situation from a different point of view and understand that really, addiction is the symptom of the disease more than the disease itself. Nic really takes you through his journey of pain, depression, OCD, self-loathing and mental instability. He is brutally honest and gives a heart wrenching depiction of what his life was like. The internal struggles that he talks about are almost beyond comprehension and you can certainly see how drugs would be the easy out for him.
Wayne couldn't make it through the first 10 pages. Like I said, it is just really, really difficult to read this type of blunt rendition when all you can see in your mind is your own kid going through all of this and worrying about the internal stuggles that they are piled on top of that.
So, if any of you were contemplating reading Beautiful Boy because I had brought it to your attention I wanted to caution you on the book Tweak. This book could be a really difficult read for some of you. Beautiful Boy is more like - "Well, Nic has been gone for 2 weeks and we have no idea where he is, who he is with or what he is doing" whereas Tweak goes into very detailed descriptions about what he is doing, who he is with and how he is getting by. It's not a pretty picture.
Personally, I thought it was a well-written book and I liked reading it because it gave me a perspective into the world of addiction that I have never known about before. It took me a while just to even understand what they were talking about because I didn't know the "lingo". I didn't even know what the word "tweak" meant until I read the book. I can definitely see how writing this book would be extreemly cathartic for Nic and an important part of his own recovery. But, just be warned if this is a book that you thought you might be interested in.
This book is written from the perspective of the addict. Nic Sheff is very detailed in his descriptions about what his life was like as he was living on the streets addicted to crystal meth and heroin. For me, it was really interesting. It allowed me to see the situation from a different point of view and understand that really, addiction is the symptom of the disease more than the disease itself. Nic really takes you through his journey of pain, depression, OCD, self-loathing and mental instability. He is brutally honest and gives a heart wrenching depiction of what his life was like. The internal struggles that he talks about are almost beyond comprehension and you can certainly see how drugs would be the easy out for him.
Wayne couldn't make it through the first 10 pages. Like I said, it is just really, really difficult to read this type of blunt rendition when all you can see in your mind is your own kid going through all of this and worrying about the internal stuggles that they are piled on top of that.
So, if any of you were contemplating reading Beautiful Boy because I had brought it to your attention I wanted to caution you on the book Tweak. This book could be a really difficult read for some of you. Beautiful Boy is more like - "Well, Nic has been gone for 2 weeks and we have no idea where he is, who he is with or what he is doing" whereas Tweak goes into very detailed descriptions about what he is doing, who he is with and how he is getting by. It's not a pretty picture.
Personally, I thought it was a well-written book and I liked reading it because it gave me a perspective into the world of addiction that I have never known about before. It took me a while just to even understand what they were talking about because I didn't know the "lingo". I didn't even know what the word "tweak" meant until I read the book. I can definitely see how writing this book would be extreemly cathartic for Nic and an important part of his own recovery. But, just be warned if this is a book that you thought you might be interested in.
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1 comment:
So now I am curious. What does "tweak" mean in this context?
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