Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff

33 reviews

littleseal's review against another edition

This was a hard fucking read. I had to put it down several times for a variety of reasons: the explicit discussion about drug abuse (I actually hyperventilated during one scene), the anger I felt towards the addiction, and life getting in the way.

I applaud anyone who can work with people with drug addiction. It's a hard thing to deal with, and why I stay pretty far away from it as a therapist. I wanted to scream when Nic was with 'Zelda'. 'Lauren' seemed like a walk in the park compared to the issues 'Zelda' brought out in Nic.

If you have a weak stomach, proceed with caution. However, I do feel that this book gave me pretty great insight into the world of addiction. Will I work with clients who abuse drugs? Probably not. But I can still appreciate the writing.

Side note, it was hilarious that James Frey book was mentioned since that was also a addiction book that turned out to be fake. I haven't seen anything about this one being fake, so going to hope it isn't.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jenntucci2's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

2.5

I admire how raw and honest Nic is; however, the writing is simplistic and immature. There are some times when over shares intimate details which are intended to be raunchy but are just overly graphic instead. Could have left those details out of the book entirely.

He writes like a child. simple sentences; nothing complex. Very repetitive, feelings and thoughts are partially investigated. This book is a dragged on and is unedited use of 300+ pages which could have been shortened into a more impactful piece. 

The celebrity name dropping is also ridiculous. It’s obvious we’re supposed to think Nic is cool with all these connections; but it’s just cringe.

I do, however, appreciate Nic’s honesty. He explores these feelings of needing to be accepted by others and the justification of his self-destruction when he cannot achieve these goals of being better than everyone else. I really appreciated this exploration as it applies to everyone. The emphasis on mental health was also enjoyed, thought it could have been explored more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

jams_is_rad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

A must read if you want to understand addiction and its power from the perspective of someone who's life has been ripped apart by addiction 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Alcohol

andrea_lachance's review

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

2.0

Not for me

someone recommended this book so that I could understand them better. I was optimistic about Tweak because it has been on my radar and I've heard good things about it, so I got the push I needed to finally listen to it.

I...didn't enjoy this book. I think Nic Sheff does a great job capturing his authentic mindset, how his addiction impacted the way he thought and acted. It's like listening to his journal with his messy thoughts. That part I can appreciate. But overall, I didn't find it a pleasant listening experience (which I understand is "the point"). Nic was extremely privileged to have a safety net; an affluent family, white privilege that prevented him from getting arrested several times, and connections that got him jobs.

I thought the book would end around the halfway point, but then Nic relapsed and there were 6 more hours of the book left.

I'm not going to dunk on Nic Sheff as a person. This is his personal experience with drugs and addiction. what I will dunk on is the quality, pacing, and impact of the book on me - personally - as someone who has been directly impacted by living with an addict.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Death, Fatphobia, Transphobia, and Vomit

tetedump's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

bellalang's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

tamarakraljevic's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

addyson_raelynn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I could not set this book down. I started it on a whim one night and finished it two days later. I read Beautiful Boy a couple years ago and absolutely loved it, and I feel the same about this book. My dad was an addict off and on from high school to his 30’s (I think?). He’s been clean and sober for many years now and I’m so proud of him, but since knowing and seeing his history, I have alway been curious and leaned toward reading books and consuming media about addiction. Tweak is hard to read. I think if you or someone you know has struggled with addiction, you can’t help but think about them when you’re reading stuff like this. But even still, this is genuinely one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. It’s so deeply honest. Nic is a phenomenal writer and artist. I admire him for telling his story without holding back. 
This is a long winded review, but this book is worth your time, if you’ve thought about picking it up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit

taylorgraves555's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Vomit, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

thatchickengirl23's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content