Nice Recovery
CBC Books | Posted: February 15, 2017 8:48 PM | Last Updated: March 19, 2019
Susan Juby
From the author of Alice, I Think comes a riveting memoir of addiction and recovery. Susan Juby started out as a bright and creative student with an innate ability to write incredible stories. At the age of 13 her life began to unravel, and like many teens, she turned to alcohol to get her through the awkward stages of trying to find her own unique identity and fit in with her peers at school. In this revealing memoir, she details the painful and sometimes funny experiences of trying to be clean and sober at a time when most young adults are just starting their drinking careers. Juby also looks into how the situation has changed for young people washing up on the shores of addiction today through a series of interviews with recovering addicts and alcoholics. Told with honesty and Juby's wry wit, Nice Recovery is a candid memoir from one of Canada's most beloved writers. (From Viking Canada)
From the book
I sometimes imagine my pre-drinking personality as a rich field just waiting for some mind-altering substance to come along so that my alcoholic self could sprout and flourish. But in my case it wasn't the first drink that took root. This was a bit disappointing, at least from a storytelling perspective, because when you enter recovery for alcoholism and/or drug addiction, everyone wants to know about your first drink. It's supposed to be spectacular and set the stage for the complete wreck you later became. In an ideal war story, the first drink should end with you falling down, throwing up, and, if at all possible, in prison for an armed robbery and attempted kidnapping committed during a blackout.
Unfortunately, I only dimly remember my first drink. This fits with the fact that I can't remember most of my childhood. When I tell my story, I usually just pick an early drinking experience that illustrates the fact that right from the beginning I had an unusual (by which I mean unusually enthusiastic and dramatic) reaction to alcohol. But when I really think about it, I recall two first drinks.
From Nice Recovery by Susan Juby ©2010. Published by Viking Canada.