We All Fall Down: Living with Addiction

This is an outstanding book about the struggles with addiction, life and mental illness. Author's vocabulary is rich and poignant. It could be a revelation for many an addict, offer insights and hope where there is not much left. I , as an addiction psychiatrist, highly recommend the book to struggling people who are looking for help and understanding. It should also offer a cogent insight into the dynamics of this gripping condition to the families as well as professionals dealing with these conditions.

Great book. Being an addict and alcoholic myself its good to here its still not working out there. 12 step program has changed my life completely. I do not like how he talks down on them. But a good book overall

I didn't realize that people fell back into addiction so easily, and were willing to give up so much so quickly. I was looking for more hope I guess, in that I know of a teenage who got into drugs, went into treatment, and came out a year and a half later; went back to some old friends, some old drugs, but also tried to find new friends and tried to find new ways to stay busy. I wasn't sure if I was readying more fiction than fact, or more fact than fiction.

Decent. Nothing compared to Sheff's first novel. Read it as a follow-up but don't get your hopes up.

For anyone in recovery its a true blue testament of honesty. However, I am a firm believer that 12 step programs can save your life.

Although I agree with the first two reviews in that Tweak was better, I do not agree with the notion that We All Fall Down was a "waste of time." Nic's writing is still as captivating, but the experiences he writes about aren't as harrowing this time around. If you LOVED Tweak, give this a read, but go into it knowing that it's not as disturbing... Reading is NEVER a waste of time!

What a disappointment. So much of _Tweak_ could be attributed to Nic Sheff's youth and immaturity . . . well, his immaturity is still there, but it isn't pretty and he is no longer a child. He is no longer even a YOUTH. This is a grown man acting like a 12 year old boy. Maybe 14. Nothing can excuse this behavior. To be making money from it is certainly the American way, but what _We All Fall Down_ did do was make me stop caring what happens to this man.

Wow! the reviews for this book are really all over the place.

As for me, I rated this one a solid 4 stars for a variety of reasons, starting with the writing style.

Say what you will about Nik, he can write. His style is always, always engaging and he has a naturally way of simply leading me into his life and his story, which, of course, makes me feel as though I am right there with him.

Now, for the contents itself. Firstly, it IS a memoir - which means that the story belongs to Nik and it is written according to his memory of his experiences. But let's be honest, he is an addict - trying to tell an honest story as he remembers it.

One of the issues with addiction is the sheer fact that addicts have a hard time with reality and love, love to live in denial and I think that all of his books have clearly demonstrated that.

Yes, it is a little bit of a deception to discover that Nik was writing about being in recovery when he was still using - but, on the other hand, his story is actually THE true story of an addict.

Reading these types of books is difficult, especially if you are an addict or know someone who is. I thought that Nik does a good job of showing us his road to recovery - albeit he went there kicking and screaming the whole way.

What I liked about this book is that it focuses very little on the logistics of the usage (I went to see my dealer and he gave me....) but more about his life when he is using and when he is not. More specifically, how it plays with his mind, his emotions and his views of ALL of his relationships.

It was also intersting to note that Nic never seems to come to a clear understanding (although he does touch on it a few times) about the role sex and love play in his addiction.

I am rooting for this author - unfortunately, the road to recovery is rarely linear.

I wrote this review for ReadersFavorite.com

"We All Fall Down" by Nic Sheff picks up where Sheff's New York Times bestselling memoir "Tweak" left off. "Tweak" leaves Sheff having completed treatment, writing his memoir, and living a rather tedious life of sobriety in Savannah with a friend and two cats. In "We All Fall Down," Sheff says that he walked out of treatment and was living with his girlfriend and a dog in Charleston, getting drunk and/or stoned every day while writing "Tweak." "Sober" for Sheff means no longer doing meth or heroin, and only doing cocaine when a dealer gives him a free sample. "We All Fall Down" chronicles Sheff's continued struggle with addiction and quest to publish "Tweak." Like "Tweak," "We All Fall Down" begins with a disclaimer: "This work is a memoir. It reflects the author's present recollections of his experience over a period of years. Certain names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed."

Sheff is a gifted storyteller. His reality is raw, profane, and unencumbered by facts. Readers (or audio listeners) are dropped directly into the psyche of a veteran addict, a paradox of self-loathing and narcissism. The frightening allure of drugs permeates every word and could easily trigger relapse in recovering addicts or entice curious teenagers. And the sad truth is that most teens and addicts will never have as many opportunities for recovery as Nic Sheff has had. Those who follow his path are more likely to end up in prison or dead. I highly recommend this book for treatment providers and adults who are dealing with addicts, but have never experienced personally how insidious addiction can be. Sheff exposes a disturbing truth, not just through the lies he continues to tell himself, but about the lies we all tell ourselves.

An interesting story. I'm always interested in reading books about the addiction experience, and the road to recovery. Sometimes there's a good outcome, while other times the addict continues to struggle with issues outside of their addiction that keeps them trapped in an emotional downward spiral. I recently read a very good book that doesn't glamorize addiction. The author has been clean for decades and yet still struggles with mental health issues as a result of being molested as a child, and the abuse she suffered at the hands of her family members. It is quite a triggering read, but well worth it. The book is Little Girl Lost. I highly recommend giving that book a read!

This memoir is infinitely lamer than the author's first. He just plain ran out of material. The reader just feels horrible for his girlfriend-having to put up with the appalling behaviour, the lies. Yuck. Here's a tip for the author: being diagnosed bi-polar doesn't let you off the hook for past behaviour. The main issue with all these books is the author never once gives any sense he understands what a load he is. He never stops thinking like an addict. These books simply reward him for his bad behaviour. If he had been dropped like a bad habit earlier on,everyone else could have begun the process of getting on with life. Yikes. There's a lot to consider in these books even if the Sheffs themselves don't get it.

The book's title particularly galls. `We' didn't all fall down. The author did and he made sure everyone he knew came with him.

Early on, I was convinced that Nic Sheff's follow up to "Tweak" was probably the worst specimen of teen literature ever; by the time I finished, I began to wonder if it wasn't among the best. Do I recommend it? Yes, but get it from the library--don't buy it.

Sheff's writing style is raw at best, embarrassingly awful at worst. "Fall Down" reads like a 341-page sloppy copy, overflowing with f-bombs, s-bombs, contractions, sentence fragments, needless repetitions, paradoxical logic--just about every conceivable English infraction imaginable. For all his reading of the classics--Sheff claims to have read much literature during high school--his book often reads like "Catcher In The Rye" written via text messaging. Fans of lyrical prose, rich description, or even basic syntax, be warned: "I breathe out deep and long and slow," writes Nic in a tense moment. "F___. F____ing, f___." Why he (or his "editor") separates the participle form of the first f-word from the second with a comma is beyond me.

As I read more, though, it occurred to me that Nic's syntactical shortfalls are more accurate in describing the shortfall that his entire existence has become. "We All Fall Down" is refreshingly void of moralizing and follows no teen-lit story arc; Nic's narrative--his life as an addict-- is a series of drug-induced blackouts and mornings-after, of new beginnings ruined by old habits, that starts and stops in an uniquely hellish limbo.

His critique of the 12-Step code and mentality as a cult would be far more scathing if he weren't so blatantly in need of the sort of companionship and management they offer. Rebelling against the rehab he discovered in "Tweak," Sheff staggers off into the world, moving city to city, girlfriend to girlfriend, occasionally sober. Worse still, he becomes an overnight success as a teen author, which only compounds his insecurity (and fuels his relapses). It is sadly humorous to read of his visit to a high school, where he becomes the speaker at the sort of lunchtime anti-drug assembly that he himself hated and mocked, listening to the confession of a student knowing full well he himself still uses the drugs she confesses to using.

It gets worse. In a bit of daring on the publisher's part, Nic's long-suffering housemate exposes the wretched conundrum of Nic's "career" in a fit of rage--"you call yourself a writer, but you and I both know that's a joke. People are interested in you `cause they want to see how far down you're gonna fall. It's entertaining for them. And they're rooting for you to keep ruining your life--which you obviously are." Sue Ellen has called young Nic and his readers--myself included--out. Those of us who read "Tweak" and "Beautiful Boy" already know what's coming; however sunny Sheff's prospects may seem, dark clouds of pills, booze, needles and smoke are gathering only pages away. Hell, those of us who bought the book probably contributed to the Nic Sheff slush fund; it all starts to sound a little too "Hunger Games," if we think about it, which we should--how vested are we readers in Nic's "recovery?" How many of our dollars are funding his failures?

"We All Fall Down," like "Tweak" and "Beautiful Boy," are riveting, real-time presentations of one young man's unmanageable life, which seems doomed to become ever more unmanageable the more it is promoted. Weirdly, the series takes on the properties of the drugs that fortify its pages--it's easy to find, intoxicating to read, but ultimately unhealthy for the environment and others. Good luck, Nic. I'm sorry I bought 6 copies of "Tweak" for my classroom. F___ing, f___, indeed.

In a way, this could be considered the third book in a series, if you take into account Sheff's earlier book, Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines as well as his father's book about Nic's addiction Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction . Nic Sheff deserved points for honesty and his admission that he wasn't off drugs by the time Tweak came out. For those who have been drug addicts or dealt with any, this shouldn't be a surprise. Relapse is a definite possibility, perhaps even typical (I haven't done the research on the statistics so can't say for sure).

In any case, Sheff relapsed, although one could argue that smoking pot may have been a relatively minor bump in the road. But Sheff saw even pot as a huge step backwards. He may also have been self medicating because things got infinitely better once he got on bipolar medication. Just as so many of life's challenges are a process rather than a destination, Sheff's major contribution in writing this book may be in revealing that rehab is a process. It takes more than temporarily quitting drugs but can often entail therapy, soul searching, and facing one's demons before coming out the other side.

This would be an excellent choice to help inspire those who love someone with a serious drug problem - or for those trying to quit drugs. Rather than feeling like a "loser" for going through a relapse "We All Fall Down" could help counter those feelings and/or beliefs. Day by day, Sheff writes about dealing with his recovery and challenges and proves that there isn't necessarily one happy ending but a series of steps along the way. He has made it for a couple of years now - and here's hoping he'll continue to stay sober.

As much as I wished I could give this book 5 stars, I had to admit that it wasn't as vivid as "We All Fall Down". However, I'd strongly recommend it as part of a trilogy (Sheff's two books plus the one written by his father). Taken together, they give a fuller look at both an addict and father's look at the costs of drug addition on so many levels - individually, from a parent's perspective, emotionally, etc.

I just finished the second book... and I would just like to say kudos. I would encourage addicts and substance abuse professionals to read this book and learn from it, relate to it or gain a new perspective. I have spent the last few weeks engrossed in you and your family's story. Reading tweak at times it felt a bit bragy, but overall pretty brave and honest... and then I got to the end and I just thought, bs - dark jaded people don't just un-jade.

In spite of tweak's polly-positive ending, I got the hardback copy of the new book... a few pages in and I already felt so validated... I wanted to shout "I knew it!"... In short the book is awesome, and in my opinion far superior to the first. The book gives outsiders a brilliant look at treatment and recovery from an addict's perspective. Your writing has matured. Your insight was invaluable. I feel better for knowing your story and appreciate your willingness to share it.

We all fall down reminded me to treat people with respect for their inherent worth and dignity. It reminded me NOT to take credit for others successes any more than I take credit for their failures. It reminded me that we can guide and we can motivate and we can pray and we can hope and we can teach tools and offer support and advocate and empower, but in the end a person's right to self-determination will always prevail...and this time when I reached the end of your book I thought, "Right on, you nailed it!" It's a process. It's a journey. It's not a glossed over hopeful rehab ending... It's work. It's life. It's we all DO fall down, but we don't have to stay down there forever..."Cause it'll be alright"...

"It's gonna be all right baby. It's gonna be all right love. And if the mist ever lets the sun through, I'll just hope I did the right thing for me and you. Guess I'm ruled by my heart, built a life and I tore it all apart... So many dark and lonely nights, but I believe someday I'll see the light. It's gonna be all right baby." - Ween

I find myself agreeing with Nic in his latest book "We All Fall Down." Although, my problem is only deprerssion, I know what he means about "One size fits all treatment." I have been in the Psych. Unit of a hospital three times. Once for a suicide attempt. When Nic talks about, in his book about learning to say what "they" want to hear. He is so right !!! At 60 years old, I would be in a group with anorexics, elderly with dementia that have no idea, and everything else. When I was there after a suicide attempt, I didn't want to be around myself let alone anyone else. As he says in his book, I learned to say what they wanted to hear. And as he mentions, you can't really scocialize with anyone on a one to one basis. Or even be in the same room.

I really, really hope that Nic can find a program that can give him the kind of help and support he needs. Since I have read both of the previous books, I find that he is always on my mind and I worry that he is all right.

I loved these books- I started with beautiful boy, and It brought me to tears daily. With a sibling with drug addiction it spoke volumes to me and was mirror reflection of my dad- to then move on to Nic's sides it was eye opening in so many ways. I remember feeling relieved when my sibling was in jail or rehab- relief that we weren't going to hear he was dead. To read such a personal journey made me look at our own situation so differently. People need to open their eyes to addiction as a sickness. That everyone's cure comes from a different way, and only when they are ready. I'm thankful to have something to help me understand when so many times I felt clueless as to what was going thru my siblings mind as they over and over chose a substance over the family that was trying to keep them afloat.. Coming to an understanding that it was never really a choice.

I read this after reading his first book, Tweak. Overall, the writing and basic conveying of the story is just as impressive in this one, but the final subliminal message he leaves the reader with in We All Fall Down is very dangerous to other addicts. It’s clear he idolizes the psychiatrist he finally gets hooked up with, especially as her solution is giving him more drugs – the kind that’s legal, of course. He doesn’t have one kind word to say about the parade of counselors at the rehab centers he’s dealt with, but the doctor is looked up to as some sort of genius and savior – because she provides him with drugs.

She takes well-paid advantage of his vulnerability to easily convince him that his brain is broken and only her prescription pharmaceutical chemicals can fix it. He believes it’s just a matter of one day finding the “right medication” because he admits the ones she gives him only seem to help a little – which doesn’t seem to be too much at all, since he still thinks of suicide, gets super depressed and anxious, has intense cravings for street drugs, and hides out in bed for days at a time while on the prescription drugs. Yet he still keeps taking them because the doctor has convinced him that even taking the “wrong” ones that don’t work are better than taking none at all, which only fuels his addictive mindset.

The fact that he’s treated his brain like a yo-yo from an early age with various toxic chemical substances for several years is not even taken into consideration when he’s diagnosed with a “mental illness” of bipolar. He goes straight from street drugs to pharma drugs, not giving his brain any chance to stabilize itself by simply being left alone to heal. Nor is the fact addressed that, like most addicts, he starved himself for many years, and no doubt still severely malnourished and in desperate need of proper food, vitamins & minerals as brain fuel.

His revered doctor starts him out on not just one drug but a cocktail of three, which he listed by name. One has a side effect of causing suicidal thoughts; another causes damage to liver, kidneys and thyroid and is so dangerous it requires regular testing. The third one causes autoimmune and severe, life-threatening allergic reactions. None of them can be considered a cure or in any way conducive to good health.

It really is a shame he ended up going down this path. I’m hoping he comes out with a third book where he reveals he’s learned that taking pharma drugs is not the way to recover from addiction. It’s also no coincidence that many addicts like Sheff who just can’t seem to get the “Higher Power” concept continue to feel a gnawing hole inside that is their neglected spiritual needs.

There’s a reason why every pharma drug on the market has side effects – the chemicals are foreign objects to the body – whereas being clean and sober has not one single side effect. Allowing your brain and body to heal with clean living free of all chemicals is the only sane way to recovery. I really hope the best for Nic Sheff and that he discovers this truth before it’s too late.

This kid crushed his debut memoir 'Tweeked.' That strong effort resulted in follow up which was flat. It was pieced together by an addict who refused to conform to a recovery program. The plot lacked structure which is understandable due to Sheff's do it yourself attempts at sobriety. I've never used meth and realize bouncing back from rampant use is an imposing task. 'We All Fall Down' illustrates that dilemma clearly. Sheff is an admitted gifted conman. He managed somehow to secure a 2nd book deal (props to him) but his addiction limited the quality of his book. Yeah, I was pulling for him to embrace sobriety like he was able to do for some time in 'Tweeked.' But in the end this is not a reflection of Sheff's writing abilities.

In a world where drug addiction is on the rampage and hardly ever talked about head-on, We All Fall Down is desperately needed. I hope it will be an inspirational read for young and old alike. I'm passing my copy on!

Reading these other reviews, I am quite frankly shocked. As an addiction research professional I found this book to be a breakthrough in understanding the mind of a young person struggling with recovery and mental illness and in understanding the flaws and strengths of contemporary treatment methods. I absolutely did not find the author to be asking for any kind of sympathy. If anything, he seemed to be taking responsibility for his behavior and his disease in a way that is shockingly refreshing--especially in this day and age. Beyond all that, however, on a literary note, the writing in this book is fresh and exciting and strikingly beautiful. One can see the author's influences in his voice, but he manages to elevate it to a whole new level. It is like reading a humbler, contemporary Henry Miller or Charles Bukowski. It is a work of true genius--on many different levels. Never have I read an account of such subtle complexity when it comes to bi polar disorder, substance abuse, and depression. Not only that, but the book strays from the usual drug memoir formula--which Nic Sheff employed in his first book--and, for that, as a reader I was extremely grateful.
All and all the book is a must read. Five stars.

I loved these books- I started with beautiful boy, and It brought me to tears daily. With a sibling with drug addiction it spoke volumes to me and was mirror reflection of my dad- to then move on to Nic's sides it was eye opening in so many ways. I remember feeling relieved when my sibling was in jail or rehab- relief that we weren't going to hear he was dead. To read such a personal journey made me look at our own situation so differently. People need to open their eyes to addiction as a sickness. That everyone's cure comes from a different way, and only when they are ready. I'm thankful to have something to help me understand when so many times I felt clueless as to what was going thru my siblings mind as they over and over chose a substance over the family that was trying to keep them afloat.. Coming to an understanding that it was never really a choice.

I read this after reading his first book, Tweak. Overall, the writing and basic conveying of the story is just as impressive in this one, but the final subliminal message he leaves the reader with in We All Fall Down is very dangerous to other addicts. It’s clear he idolizes the psychiatrist he finally gets hooked up with, especially as her solution is giving him more drugs – the kind that’s legal, of course. He doesn’t have one kind word to say about the parade of counselors at the rehab centers he’s dealt with, but the doctor is looked up to as some sort of genius and savior – because she provides him with drugs.

She takes well-paid advantage of his vulnerability to easily convince him that his brain is broken and only her prescription pharmaceutical chemicals can fix it. He believes it’s just a matter of one day finding the “right medication” because he admits the ones she gives him only seem to help a little – which doesn’t seem to be too much at all, since he still thinks of suicide, gets super depressed and anxious, has intense cravings for street drugs, and hides out in bed for days at a time while on the prescription drugs. Yet he still keeps taking them because the doctor has convinced him that even taking the “wrong” ones that don’t work are better than taking none at all, which only fuels his addictive mindset.

The fact that he’s treated his brain like a yo-yo from an early age with various toxic chemical substances for several years is not even taken into consideration when he’s diagnosed with a “mental illness” of bipolar. He goes straight from street drugs to pharma drugs, not giving his brain any chance to stabilize itself by simply being left alone to heal. Nor is the fact addressed that, like most addicts, he starved himself for many years, and no doubt still severely malnourished and in desperate need of proper food, vitamins & minerals as brain fuel.

His revered doctor starts him out on not just one drug but a cocktail of three, which he listed by name. One has a side effect of causing suicidal thoughts; another causes damage to liver, kidneys and thyroid and is so dangerous it requires regular testing. The third one causes autoimmune and severe, life-threatening allergic reactions. None of them can be considered a cure or in any way conducive to good health.

It really is a shame he ended up going down this path. I’m hoping he comes out with a third book where he reveals he’s learned that taking pharma drugs is not the way to recover from addiction. It’s also no coincidence that many addicts like Sheff who just can’t seem to get the “Higher Power” concept continue to feel a gnawing hole inside that is their neglected spiritual needs.

There’s a reason why every pharma drug on the market has side effects – the chemicals are foreign objects to the body – whereas being clean and sober has not one single side effect. Allowing your brain and body to heal with clean living free of all chemicals is the only sane way to recovery. I really hope the best for Nic Sheff and that he discovers this truth before it’s too late.

This kid crushed his debut memoir 'Tweeked.' That strong effort resulted in follow up which was flat. It was pieced together by an addict who refused to conform to a recovery program. The plot lacked structure which is understandable due to Sheff's do it yourself attempts at sobriety. I've never used meth and realize bouncing back from rampant use is an imposing task. 'We All Fall Down' illustrates that dilemma clearly. Sheff is an admitted gifted conman. He managed somehow to secure a 2nd book deal (props to him) but his addiction limited the quality of his book. Yeah, I was pulling for him to embrace sobriety like he was able to do for some time in 'Tweeked.' But in the end this is not a reflection of Sheff's writing abilities.

In a world where drug addiction is on the rampage and hardly ever talked about head-on, We All Fall Down is desperately needed. I hope it will be an inspirational read for young and old alike. I'm passing my copy on!

Reading these other reviews, I am quite frankly shocked. As an addiction research professional I found this book to be a breakthrough in understanding the mind of a young person struggling with recovery and mental illness and in understanding the flaws and strengths of contemporary treatment methods. I absolutely did not find the author to be asking for any kind of sympathy. If anything, he seemed to be taking responsibility for his behavior and his disease in a way that is shockingly refreshing--especially in this day and age. Beyond all that, however, on a literary note, the writing in this book is fresh and exciting and strikingly beautiful. One can see the author's influences in his voice, but he manages to elevate it to a whole new level. It is like reading a humbler, contemporary Henry Miller or Charles Bukowski. It is a work of true genius--on many different levels. Never have I read an account of such subtle complexity when it comes to bi polar disorder, substance abuse, and depression. Not only that, but the book strays from the usual drug memoir formula--which Nic Sheff employed in his first book--and, for that, as a reader I was extremely grateful.
All and all the book is a must read. Five stars.

As someone who has struggled with drugs, and who has a father who has, this book was wonderful to read, consoling and inspiring. I cried a lot, but ended up feeling hopeful. I've relapsed a bunch of times, but I've been sober for 9 months, and feel hopeful for Nic and others who suffer with addiction.

I had to respond to the negative reviews this has received so far.

We All Fall Down -- follow-up to the runaway bestseller Tweak -- reenters the narrative of Nic Sheff's battle with addiction as he attempts to navigate his way through relapse and recovery with all the candor and stark self-assessment that made Tweak such a startling read.

In an age of ubiquitous celebrity rehab, Sheff is open about his struggles to find a place within 12-Step Programs and AA meetings, working against people who insist that their way to sobriety is the only way, to finally find a sense of peace that he has forged for himself. I found it very refreshing that someone had the guts to stand up and say "These programs aren't working for me." It doesn't make him a bad person, a whiner or a failure, but rather proves the point that people are not one-size-fits-all, and not every program will work for every person.

By the end of the book (which, I will admit, does lack a firm plot structure, but so does life), Nic has fought to find his own way to sobriety, which I think is extremely admirable.

Like his first memoir, this will serve as a source of inspiration to people struggling with addiction, as well as those trying to support them.

I agree with the first review. This book is terrible. He whines, is self righteous, better than, too good for 12 steps, rules, normalcy and frankly, sobriety or recovery. He has received a lot of attention being the 'addict with crazy stories who cant seem to quite get it together'...Rehab after rehab after rehab....Nick Sheff has had more opportunity than any one addict would hope to receive and it is a shame that he has thrown it away. Its time to grow up, get on with it, and be an example of health to your many hundreds of fans. I wish Nic well, and hope you finds what he is looking for but I will not buy another book written by Nic nor will I recommend this book to anyone, especially anyone who is addicted or loves an addict. Its a dangerous story and at this point, could kill people who are looking for the perfect excuse not to recover.