A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction - Beautiful Boy

The book struck me very hard in the beginning and I was under attack with emotions while reading. I have not experienced anything like this nor know anybody to close to me that has felt this type of experience or pain. But I was able to take in the dedication, love and HOPE that David Sheff displayed to his son Nicholas. I read this book within 6 days, i was so involved in it. The disclosure of thoughts, emotions, stories and actions is what makes this story real and attractive. My 2 year old son is named Nicholas and at times I would finish a chapter and just for some reason picture these actions in my life and I would tell myself, this is how I would handle the situation... just like David - by any means necessary I would never give up. He didn't and from what I understand still hasn't.

All of us have had problems with children during the growing up phases. But this real life accounting of a father's love and concern for his child only goes to point out how addictive drugs can be at anytime in your life. It is something that never leaves. The reader is left with the feeling that, as a father, you have done all you can do with love, treatment and compassion. The rest is up to the child or young adult in this case. As it is said in Alanon and other groups, you are powerless over the addict and have to admit that and move on. I have not read the child's point of view yet. Something every parent should read before it is too late.

This book portrayed one's addiction and how it effects everyone the addict comes in contact with-therefore leaving him with problems of his own. It has a great depiction of the thoughts and constant worry that goes through a family members head and how an addicts behavior is translated. I would recommend it to addicts in recovery mostly, as they have difficulty with empathy and this could help.

At times I was exasperated with the authors obsession and addiction to the addiction, I was still compelled to stay with the narrator and read on. The insight of the author was interesting but it's his talent for writing that makes the book readable and worth reading. Although it's the same story on each page it is still compelling anyway due to the writing style and subject.
The book was suggested by my professor, graduate studies nurse practitioner psychiatry and family mental health, and it has served as an excellent vehicle for transporting the student directly into the life of an addict. Instructive and useful example.

This book is incredible. David Sheff really opens up a window into the lives of him and his family. Living with an addict is an emotional roller coaster. Sheff captures this perfectly. As I also have an addict in my family, this book has been incredibly powerful for me. I am reminded that I am not the only one in my situation and that help is available. But living with an addict is an individual, unique, and often lonely experience for everyone. Sheff's book provides company through which that loneliness can be shared with others in a similar situation.

This was an amazingly written book with an honest and compassionate look at what an addict's family goes through. Having been a drug and alcohol therapist on a dual diagnosis unit for years, this book was right on the money. I NEVER read this type of book because I live it in my profession, but something about this reminded me of my own beautiful boy and I finished it in two days. Thank you to the author for this book.

When you can identify with a parents struggle and journey through a meth addiction in your child, you realize you share the same fears, the same struggles and the same questions. We love our children, and we weep for them, and when they are doing well, you are always waiting for the next relapse. You want to believe they will make it, but in your heart you fear they won't.

Beautifully written! David Sheff's writing is painful, educational and incredibly revealing. I loved the book so much, I have recommended it all of my friends. The research on meth's addictive powers alone is truly noteworthy. Sheff gives so much valuable info about the country's meth epidemic, this could very well be used for educational purposes.

I have purchased Nic's book "Tweak" and I look forward to reading the flip side of this very scary story.

Highly recommended!

The author writes simply about their family's struggles with his son's addiction. I hope nic can stay clean and they can all continue to heal...I have never been through this sort of thing, but any parent can sympathize with what these parents are going through. I am grateful that I have never had this sort of struggle. Thanks to the author for sharing this story with us.

At times I was exasperated with the authors obsession and addiction to the addiction, I was still compelled to stay with the narrator and read on. The insight of the author was interesting but it's his talent for writing that makes the book readable and worth reading. Although it's the same story on each page it is still compelling anyway due to the writing style and subject.
The book was suggested by my professor, graduate studies nurse practitioner psychiatry and family mental health, and it has served as an excellent vehicle for transporting the student directly into the life of an addict. Instructive and useful example.

This book is incredible. David Sheff really opens up a window into the lives of him and his family. Living with an addict is an emotional roller coaster. Sheff captures this perfectly. As I also have an addict in my family, this book has been incredibly powerful for me. I am reminded that I am not the only one in my situation and that help is available. But living with an addict is an individual, unique, and often lonely experience for everyone. Sheff's book provides company through which that loneliness can be shared with others in a similar situation.

This was an amazingly written book with an honest and compassionate look at what an addict's family goes through. Having been a drug and alcohol therapist on a dual diagnosis unit for years, this book was right on the money. I NEVER read this type of book because I live it in my profession, but something about this reminded me of my own beautiful boy and I finished it in two days. Thank you to the author for this book.

When you can identify with a parents struggle and journey through a meth addiction in your child, you realize you share the same fears, the same struggles and the same questions. We love our children, and we weep for them, and when they are doing well, you are always waiting for the next relapse. You want to believe they will make it, but in your heart you fear they won't.

Beautifully written! David Sheff's writing is painful, educational and incredibly revealing. I loved the book so much, I have recommended it all of my friends. The research on meth's addictive powers alone is truly noteworthy. Sheff gives so much valuable info about the country's meth epidemic, this could very well be used for educational purposes.

I have purchased Nic's book "Tweak" and I look forward to reading the flip side of this very scary story.

Highly recommended!

The author writes simply about their family's struggles with his son's addiction. I hope nic can stay clean and they can all continue to heal...I have never been through this sort of thing, but any parent can sympathize with what these parents are going through. I am grateful that I have never had this sort of struggle. Thanks to the author for sharing this story with us.

Anyone that has a child, family member or friend that is or was an addict needs to read this book . This book brought to light the true fact that none of us want to admit “we are not in control and can’t fix it for them” great read from the perspective of someone that has lived through it as a parent

This book accurately depicts the ups and downs of dealing with an addict; it will help you know that you are not alone in your feelings and reactions; it can give you realistic hope for the addict; it will help you define when and how to help and when to step back for your own emotional well-being. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves an addict.

This was almost like reading a horror story in some parts. It is a very important and well-written book on a very timely topic. I can't wait to see the new film coming out in October with Timothee Chalamet and Steve Carell!!

This was a truthfull, compelling, heartbreaking story of a father's attempts to save his beautiful, promising son from the clutches of drug addiction starting at adolescence. It was told with candor and emotion. You felt the father's pain, frustration and helplessness. Interspersed with the narrative were opinions from addiction specialists which were informative.

This book is a catharsis for the families of chemically dependent loved ones. The author's journey exhausts every emotion experienced in the fierce battle to exist while the addiction is raging. One feels as if the author becomes a sort of soul mate and mouthpiece for the words that often feel so inadequate when describing the spin towards hell. The reader feels the often frantic attempts of the author at gaining some semblance of a normal life while dealing with his son's addiction. I felt as if the intimacy of one so willing to bare their heart and reveal the brutal honesty of the journey was therapeutic for me. I did not feel so alone after reading the book.

This is a great story which provides insite into a father's impact with an addicted son. It also provided some additional insite into the impact on the rest of the family. Sad to read because you realize what a struggle addiction is for everyone.

I had to read this for a chemical dependency/ substance abuse elective, and it completely changed my perspective on what addiction can do to a family. Great read. I heard that his son, Nik, who the book is about, has written his own book called Tweek. I look forward to reading that one of these days as well.

I absolutely loved this book! I cried, I laughed, I sympathized and I totally understood all of the emotions the author was feeling. I too have a child who is a recovering (finally!) meth addict and always felt so alone. I read this book at a very low time in my life and realized I was doing everything I could for my child and that with a little help from above I could survive this rollercoaster.

This is the first book I have read that accurately describes the terror felt when you love an addict. It is a constant roller coaster that you feel forced to ride. The addict can manipulate you into taking care of him/her so they can get what they want. You are in a debilitating state of not knowing what to do. You routinely second guess all your actions and responses to everything they do.

Everyone that loves an addict should read this book. Highlight and book mark the passages that provide insight to your particular situation. Study the lessons you learn from them and keep them handy to refer to when you are at the end of your rope.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I found this book to be terribly disturbing in several ways. The sickening waste of the gifted Nic's promising future is so sad to read about. The terrible cost to the family of his intractable addiction is horrific. The idiocy that leads someone to try drugs in the first place is hard to understand. Is there anyone left who doesn't know the dangers? It's hard for me to grasp why someone would go through the rigors of rehab and yet go back to drugs after a period of years of normal living, while knowing what lies ahead. I am ever so thankful that my kids never got into something like this. I've hugged them a lot since I read this book. The enduring love of Nic's father and other family members is touching and inspiring. All in all, a very worthwhile and readable book.

Amazing depiction from a fathers point of view.. As a recovering addict myself, while reading this, i felt as though this could've been my mom or dad writing it. We have been through many of the very same scenarios, involving my stint with drugs. Would definitely recommend. Good read!

I loved this book because it shared the personal progression of a parent's challenges and individual growth through dealing with addiction, how passionately we love our children and desperately want to help them, discovering that we need to give them the message that we are always here and that, though it is incredibly frightening, we trust that they will learn to handle their own problems. This book told the story of what so many of us deal with on a regular basis. It is wonderful that such a fine writer has shared his journey, bringing to the public eye the reality of addiction and the wide world that suffers from it in such silent secrecy.

Having gone through something similar to what this man did, (not quite as extreme) I can say that this book was very true to form and extremely sad. It is in a strange way, comforting to know that I was/am not alone in so many of the same feelings, fears and anxiety that this man has and probably still is dealing with. I applaud him in his courage to write this book and pour out his heart-wrenching feelings for all to read. This is a very good book. Be prepared to cry, laugh and FEEL this book for quite a while after you finish it. I understand his son has written a couple books himself about his addiction, which is also very courageous. I'm not sure I have the courage to read them.

Compelling, heartbreaking, beautifully written by a gifted writer...it is hard to read about the devastating effects of drug addiction on a family in real life. After reading this, it seems like a dangerous & damaging euphemism to call drug use "recreational". Nothing in this journey looks like fun or recreation to me.

A great story as the author shares the personal struggles of his family, with a drug addicted son. It just reiterates the fact that any family, rich poor, average can be affected . Author shares a very detailed personal story.

Watching a family fall apart first hand is difficult but often one lacks the words to describe the affect on the family. Mr. Sheff poignant, heartbreaking and hopeful book provides, at the very least, insight. Mr. Sheff often goes on tangents but always makes it back to wear he started. Well done sir, and prayers to your family.

I read the book because of a commonality with the author in having an addicted son. I was hoping for some insight and got much more. The parallels in experiences and witnessed behaviors was heartrendingly spot on. I was hoping for some answers but as the author found, the answers lie with the addict themselves. It did help to see so many of the same thoughts, attempts at reason and shared experiences with some added advice in reference to Nar-Anon, Al-Anon and therapy.

As an alcohol and drug counselor I found this book to be a great account of the struggles of addiction and the many love ones who hold onto every shred of hope, even at the expense of their own sanity. What a great book, I will be recommending it to my clients families for sure!

My husband and I have lived through a similar situation with our son. I found it comforting to share this father's fears, anxieties, and "addiction to the addiction". It was interesting to read the different paths taken by the author, all in the effort to "save" his son. One compelling outcome for the author and my family was that the al-anon principles of taking care of oneself is of utmost importance. I was initially not sure I wanted to revisit the pain of those years, but am glad that I did. People who never experience addiction in a child cannot understand how gut wrenching it can be. So, I would recommend this book to those with an addicted family member as well as those with no knowledge of addiction.

This was such an engaging story. I could personally identify with the author's struggle but at the same time, could empathize with the son's addiction. As a parent, we want the best for our children--for them to be most of all happy . . . and healthy . . . and to have rewarding, fulfilling relationships in their lives. We also want to believe in them, protect them, shelter them from harm and do whatever it takes to help them create successful lives. Particularly when anyone experiences an especially negative period, as a friend or a parent, we want to do what we can to make it all better . . . to make the bad stuff go away. I can SO relate to this father's intentions . . . and to the realization that he could not cure or truly help his son. That is a startling realization for a parent . . . to realize that what you thought was assistance, turns out to be enabling. As with his son's book, TWEAK, I would read and cry . . . read and cry a little more. Truly heart rending . . . difficult to get through, but compelling at the same time. I highly recommend this book.

This book was excellent and related directly to my plight with a drug addicted son that died from an accidental overdose. I can feel this father's pain and happy that he did not lose his son to his war on addiction. The book was compassionate, realistic, and heartfelt. Unfortunately, addiction to hard drugs is on the rise and many people will face the disease of a close relative and the roller coaster ride that accompanies the pain.

David Sheff has spoken to the heart of those living with addiction. If you have an addicted loved one, read this book. If you are close to someone who is the parent of an addicted loved one you should read this book. It gives parents of addicts comfort in knowing they are not alone and it provides insights for others to understand how difficult it is living with an addict.

I ordered this to read and understand another parents journey through their child's addiction to meth. As a parent to a son who is addicted and currently in rehab I cried through the entire first chapter and chapters thereafter. David Sheff gives you a compelling heart wrenching look into his own addiction to his son Nic's addictions. I could relate to so much he wrote. The one thing that truly saddened me was David's disbelief in God as God is the only one that has allowed me to survive my child's addiction to meth. It appears however toward the end that David started to question and have a belief that there really may be a God and started to pray for Nic. This book also educated me on addiction, especially to meth. My next read is Nic's "Tweak". I'm sure there will be many more tears shed.