Drunk Tales

Some interesting shit is hitting the fan in the life of addiction memoirist James Frey, who wrote A Million Little Pieces, a book so graphic in its descriptions of the places addiction can take you that it defies superlatives. It was also an Oprah's book club pick. I found the article very interesting as 1. I have read the book and 2. I am an addict and have been to some pretty hairy places both inside and outside of myself.

Frey's book freaked me out a bit, as addiction memoirs tend to do. It reminded me why I can't ever drink again, or smoke a doobie, or make myself throw up. (In case you're wondering, yes, it's because it can kill you, but also because the killing can be slow, and terrible beyond your imagination, and you can take other people, sometimes lots of them, with you.)

I believed what Frey had to say at the time. Now, he's looking a little Jayson Blair to me. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Oh, and if you're looking for a good -- and true, at least to my knowledge, addiction memoir -- my favorite is Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp.