The best books about addiction from a former party girl

Anna David Author Of Party Girl
By Anna David

Who am I?

I’m sober for over 21 years after struggling with addiction and alcoholism and I thought my life would end—I would never have fun again—if I got sober. I found the opposite to be true and have devoted a large part of my career and life to helping those who are struggling with addiction. I want them to see the hilarious moments in recovery and how much it’s the beginning, and not the end, of life. Books that can do this do more than any one person talking about recovery since they can really start a domino effect and a movement. My company has published nearly a dozen recovery memoirs and I look forward to publishing more.

I wrote...

Party Girl

By Anna David

Book cover of Party Girl

What is my book about?

A roman a clef about a wild and crazy party girl who gets a job writing a column about her wild and crazy party life right after going to rehab and getting sober. Funny and real, it’s the book credited with starting the “Quit Lit” movement. Now in development as a major motion picture, the New York Post declared when it was first released in 2007 that it “invented a new sub-genre: chick lit with a message.” 

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The Books I Picked & Why

Rachel's Holiday

By Marian Keyes

Book cover of Rachel's Holiday

Why this book?

This book blew my mind when I first read it because I had no idea there could be such a thing as a hilarious novel about addiction. I will never forget this line she has in it about how recovery groups will be comprised of “middle-aged men in sweaters.” It was also the first time I realized that people in recovery outside of the US were just as hilarious as those here. The story is a fun sort of Bridget Jones romp if Bridget loved cocaine and men in leather pants but it’s the voice—self-deprecating, self-aware, and funny AF—that’s always stuck with me.

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Girl Walks Out of a Bar: A Memoir

By Lisa F. Smith

Book cover of Girl Walks Out of a Bar: A Memoir

Why this book?

This gave me a story that I had no personal experience with—walking around as a successful person during the day (in her case, a lawyer) while managing a secret life of addiction. It’s great storytelling combined with insightful commentary on addiction and I believe was responsible for opening many people to the idea of being high-functioning while also struggling with addiction.

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Permanent Midnight: A Memoir

By Jerry Stahl

Book cover of Permanent Midnight: A Memoir

Why this book?

This is the Holy Grail of addiction memoirs, as far as I’m concerned. It came out years before memoirs about addiction became a “thing” and remains the darkest and funniest addiction memoir in existence. I read it years before I was able to face my own issues with addiction and it did the perfect job of entertaining me so that I didn’t even consciously realize it was teaching me lessons that would save my life.

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Money: A Suicide Note

By Martin Amis, Bert Krak

Book cover of Money: A Suicide Note

Why this book?

While technically not a book about addiction, Money is actually 100% a book about addiction. It’s also my favorite book ever written—one I re-read often. There’s simply no living writer with a skill for language like Martin Amis. I mean lines like “Unless I specifically inform you otherwise, I am always smoking a cigarette”? Genius. Saying his apartment smells like “batch” (for bachelor)? Referring to his teeth problems as a pain on his Upper East Side, while walking around Manhattan? I could go on forever about how much I love this novel; what other novelist would include a character named Martin Amis who annoys the protagonist—and also, a bit, the reader? The lead character—John Self—bottoms out not just on addiction but also on life and the fact that the humor keeps you laughing throughout combined with the utter darkness of the story makes it one of the best books in existence.

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Soberful: Uncover a Sustainable, Fulfilling Life Free of Alcohol

By Veronica Valli

Book cover of Soberful: Uncover a Sustainable, Fulfilling Life Free of Alcohol

Why this book?

Veronica is one of the original voices out there talking about addiction and recovery—and it shows in this book. While the book shares personal experience, it also calls on her years as a psychotherapist and recovery coach. And yet, unlike most addiction and recovery books out there, it references many of the other leaders in the recovery movement—everyone from Gabor Mate to movies that touch on recovery.

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