Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man: A Memoir

I loved it! It was a quick read, but great. I could not put the book down. Stayed up most of the night. Could not believe the issues this man had. I would suggest it to anyone.

There is something about the writing that is magnetic - I could not put it down. I have never been a fan of drug addiction stories, because before this book I could never understand how someone could become so self-destructive. Now I do understand it. The writer makes you feel the addiction, even though he never tries to explain it. It's just his day-to-day life to get the next hit. Simple, effective use of language that keeps you completely absorbed. Fascinating.

Clegg, Bill. "Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man: A Memoir", Little, Brown and Company, 2010. Quite a Story Amos Lassen Bill Clegg was a rising name in the publishing industry but he messed up his life during a bender. Clegg was a literary agent with William Morris Endeavor who went on a two-month crack binge in which he threw it all away. He smoked away his partnership in the agency, his $70,000 bank account, 40 pounds of his weight and his relationship with his boyfriend. Here is a look at the mind of the addict and how his life seesawed between paranoia and socialibility. He lived for the high until it all came crashing down and his self indulgence was over. Clegg balances his story between stories of his decline into addiction with his discovery that he was gay and, humiliated by his father's taunts and his mother's distance. As his addiction grew more intense, he ran after the high, endlessly starting over after binges of drinking and smoking crack. He ran away from every intervention attempt by his family or his lover and began having anonymous sex with many fellow users. When he looked so bad that a hotel would not allow him to register, he realized he had fallen. Clegg had a life that we could all be jealous of He was handsome and he was co-owner of a literary agency with a roster of important and well-known clients. He had a life-partner, Noah, who loved him totally and unconditionally, and together they built a good life. However, Bill had a secret and that was his growing addiction to drugs (specifically, crack cocaine), which took over his life and destroyed his happiness within it. This is a book about his descent through periods of time that were total wastes as he was in a fog because of alcohol and drugs. He managed to expand his tolerance for risk and being found out by others as well as his paranoia that people that he knew were plotting against him and that federal agents were tracking every move that he made. We learn how he found it necessary to give up on the things that had been the most important in his life before as he descended into his drug addicted world. This is not an easy book to read especially for a gay man who has watched others destroy their lives in similar ways. It disturbs as Clegg justifies his actions - as a way to reward himself after a tough work week and other issues in his life. When he finally realizes how self-destructive his actions have become, he actually attempts to go even further, considering suicide as his best alternative. Clegg did eventually have a successful rehab and was able to put his life back together, he doesn't tell us much about that. This is a very powerful read especially if you are like me and care about other people. There was a great deal of hype about this book and frankly I had no desire to read yet another addiction memoir but because Clegg is gay, I figured that I might gain some insight as to how our community reacted to this man's downfall. I have to admit tha

This book is all too real and anyone who's been there will recognize the terror of addiction. The substance comes at you by accident at first and then graps on with an iron grip. The sad and real story of Bill Clegg is too realistic to be comfortable and could serve as warning to those whose lives may be accidentally touched by an addictive substance. Read this book with the real fear it deserves.