Beautiful Boy: A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction By David Sheff

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#1 New York Times bestsellerNow a Major Motion Picture Starring Steve Carell * Timothe 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. Thats 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 Sheffs journey through his son Nics 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 callsis 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 Beautiful Boy: A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction

Sometimes the picture the author paints of his son seems a little whiter than white, both before and during his battle with addiction (in the periods when Nic is sober and sane) which, for me, detracted from the tale. Can't an average child from an average family suffer, and cause suffering, on the same scale? Sometimes there is the undercurrent that if Nic hadn't been stricken with the affliction of addiction the he would have cured cancer and brought peace to the Middle East. That said, the descriptions of the insidiousness of addiction and the monstrous effect it has on the addict and the how the poison from the fallout seeps into the family are intense, harrowing and moving. Beautiful Boy: A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction The book is very floppy which I didn’t expect. The colors look great and the story is beautiful. Beautiful Boy: A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction It is not a feel good story, but very touching realistic and sad. But also meaningful when you try to understand addicts or their families Beautiful Boy: A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction An incredibly sad, harrowing and depressing book to read, but also an absolutely essential read. This is a very honest and raw account of the manner in which lives are turned upside down, ruined to some extent, and the depths of despair that accompany this when a member of the family becomes a drug addict with no reasoning. I have some awareness of drugs, but not to this extent and it both scared and educated me. Thank you David for being so honest and truthful and for having the strength to look at yourself so bravely and share with us all. I have no doubt that the prayers were what was needed and I am so heartened that soul played a huge role in how the story unfolded and continues to unfold. There is hope. Beautiful Boy: A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction The last book as medically detailed and sad as this I read was The Radium Girls This story of a talented, golden child, athletic, clever, dearly loved but addicted, told from his father's perspective is compelling searching and moving in the extreme. I recently did an online university course called understanding drugs and addiction and I am glad I did as this helped me with the medical implications and details threaded through this book which are explained and explored in Great detail and depth as David Sheff seeks to understand what is happening to his much loved son, mentally physically and emotionally. Also the impact on his family immediate and scattered and his heartbreak as he seems to understand and wonder if it is his fault. Lots of questions, lots of disturbing statistics and scenes. It is multi layered and graphic and disturbing and not an easy book to read. No quick fixes, no answers, no miracles on this journey, but hope and love in a world that often reads as idyllic a place for children to be reared but pernicious drugs easily accessed hover as temptation in paradise. It's a disturbing and challenging read as The Radium Girls was I found. I am not sure if I exactly enjoyed reading it, I stopped and startedA few times but it was certainly moving and compelling. Beautiful Boy: A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction

The author is most certainly a talented writer, very eloquent – I had to reach for the thesaurus a few times. I am aware that a film has been made based on this book, although I have not seen it. However, as a biopic I did not find it particularly captivating. The son had enjoyed a ‘millionaire lifestyle’ courtesy of his long suffering family; i.e; surfing, private schooling, shrinks, hob knobbing with famous actors, endless private therapy, a flat in Hollywood etc. The fact that he relapsed again and again and went straight back onto hard drugs, sometimes the day after his expensive rehab had finished, well I just lost any sympathy and started to view him as just another spoilt little rich kid. Beautiful Boy: A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction Beautiful Boy unfurls a father’s journey to understanding that the greatest love he can offer his drug addicted son, and himself, is though letting go of all that he believes is essential to being a father. How do we live with our children’s terrible decisions? How to we love our kids and hate what they do to themselves and to us? How do you love someone unconditionally yet find that they don’t love you the same way? And what if, despite being the best parent you knew how to be, your missteps have contributed to the devastation of those you love the most, those for whom you were entrusted to care?Any parent will find an emotion/reaction/behavior to which they can relate in Beautiful Boy, even if your family is stable. This is a poignant story of a man who never gave up on his son, but had to learn how to love him differently in order to protect himself.I have not seen the movie. How ironic that at ten years old this book presaged the devastation addiction crisis has wrought in the US today. Beautiful Boy: A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction