Tough Topics

In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett's life. His father is a mystery -- Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents -- two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along. Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and tracking down his father.

This book offers a compassionate, unbiased, and non-judgmental guide to evaluating and overcoming addiction.

This book provides facts about drugs and drug addiction, so you can make educated decisions for yourself on drug usage.

Provides basic consumer health information about the abuse of illegal drugs and misuse of prescription and over-the-counter medications, with facts about addiction, treatment, and recovery. Includes index, glossary of related terms and directory of resources.

Strives to break through the myths and explain what addiction really is, what causes it, and how to get the best available treatments.

APPARENTLY THERE WERE COMPLAINTS is both a deeply personal story about Gless's complicated family and her struggles with alcoholism and fear of romantic commitment and a juicy, hilarious tell-all about Hollywood and Sharon's encounters with some of the industry's biggest stars. Gless puts it all out on the page in the same way she has lived--never with moderation.

For years, Holly Whitaker wore her workaholic-party-girl persona as a badge of honor, while privately feeling increasingly miserable. She believed that if she could just eat cleaner, save more money, and be more perfect, her life would finally snap into place. Yet all of her attempts to fix herself just added up to more chaos and the chaos added up to more pain and so she added more wine. When she finally had enough and started looking around for help, she was shocked to find that the only systems in place to support her quitting drinking were archaic, patriarchal, and ineffective for the unique needs of women. The Alcoholics Anonymous model focused on strict anonymity, making the ego the enemy, and surrendering power, voice, and agency to a male concept of God. But Holly instinctively knew that what she needed was a deeper understanding of her own identity, the courage to take control of her own life, and to be embraced by a supportive and vocal community. What's more, she could not ignore the ways that alcohol companies were targeting women, just as the tobacco industry had successfully done generations before. Holly became resolute--not only did she have to find her way out of her own addiction, she felt a calling to create something bigger, so that women anywhere on the drinking continuum might find their way as well.

Comedian and movie star Russell Brand mines his own wild story and shares the advice and wisdom he has gained through his fourteen years of recovery. Brand speaks to those suffering along the full spectrum of addiction--from drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar addictions to addictions to work, stress, bad relationships, digital media, and fame. Brand understands that addiction can take many shapes and sizes and how the process of staying clean, sane, and unhooked is a daily activity. He believes that the question is not 'Why are you addicted?' but 'What pain is your addiction masking? Why are you running--into the wrong job, the wrong life, the wrong person's arms?

A mother's journey through her daughter's opioid addiction.

Matthew Perry vividly details his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

A guide to the twelve steps.