Book ~ "Nice Recovery" (2010) - Susan Juby

From Goodreads ~ There are families, which, through a combination of genetics, culture, and inclination, produce a startling number of professional athletes, such as tennis players or hockey stars. Then there are families like the Baldwins, which produce a high percentage of actors. My family seems to specialize in people who enjoy drinking. And taking drugs. In such families, there is usually one person who stands out as particularly gifted in the field. When I was a teenager, that person was me. I was the star, the Alec Baldwin, if you will. I started drinking seriously when I was thirteen, smoking pot with a vengeance at fourteen, and getting into cocaine at sixteen. By the time I was twenty I was done. Nice Recovery is the story of how I slipped so far off course, how I got back on track, and, most importantly, what it's like to come of age as a sober young person.

I had this on my "wish list" at the Toronto Library for a while and downloaded the ebook last week. I forget where I found out about this book and probably put it on my wish list because the author is Canadian.

It's Juby's story of growing up in a small town in British Columbia and struggling to find her place in school among the jocks, popular kids, brainiacs, trouble kids, etc. She discovered while still in junior high school that alcohol and drugs helped her overcome her anxiety. The problem was that she was a nasty drunk prone to blackouts. After swearing each time to never do it again, she would be back at it once the hangover passed. Her grades started sliding. She got accepted into a fashion design school here in Toronto which had low standards ... and got asked to leave when her grades really slipped. She worked low end jobs to survive. Eventually at the age of 20 she realized she had to get her drinking under control and joined AA. She turned her life around and when to university and got a Masters degree.

It's a good book. Juby doesn't sugarcoat anything. Though the book is humorous at times, I could still feel the seriousness of her situation.

The last chapters are her interviews with young people in recovery, along with more information about AA and NA.

I liked her writing style and honesty and will be checking out her novels (directed at both adults and young adults).