# What are some good biographies of drugged out or emotionally troubled people **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937 "2012-11-23T21:20:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/41 "2012-11-28T09:57:23Z")
“Up and Down with the Rolling Stones: The Inside Story” by Tony Sanchez was pretty f’d up. The story of how he moved from snorting coke to mainlining heroin was terrifyingly lucid. ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/42 "2012-11-29T18:18:04Z")
[Life After Death - Damien Echols](http://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Death-Damien-Echols/dp/0399160205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354212826&sr=1-1&keywords=damien+echols) - One of the West Memphis Three, from the HBO “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills” Documentaries. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/43 "2012-11-29T18:43:25Z")
[Running with Scissors](http://www.amazon.com/Running-Scissors-Memoir-Augusten-Burroughs/dp/031242227X/ref=la_B001I9NA2M_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354214224&sr=1-2) by Augusten Burroughs. Not so much with the chemicals, but definitely emotionally troubled. [The Tender Bar](http://www.amazon.com/Tender-Bar-J-R-Moehringer/dp/0786888768/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354214371&sr=1-1&keywords=tender+bar) by J.R. Moehringer ia the story of a kid growing up in a bar, becoming an alcoholic and recovery. It’s been declared a sham as a memoir, but [A Million Little Pieces](http://www.amazon.com/Million-Little-Pieces-James-Frey/dp/0307276902/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354214494&sr=1-1&keywords=1000+tiny+pieces) was a pretty good read. ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/44 "2012-11-29T18:54:40Z")
I found McKenzie Phillips’ autobiography \*High on Arrival \*hard to put down: [http://www.amazon.com/High-On-Arrival-Mackenzie-Phillips/dp/B004AYCX2K/ref=cm\_cr\_pr\_product\_top](http://www.amazon.com/High-On-Arrival-Mackenzie-Phillips/dp/B004AYCX2K/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) Likewise Susanna Sonnenberg’s _Her Last Death_: > **[Her Last Death: A Memoir: Sonnenberg, Susanna: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Her-Last-Death-Susanna-Sonnenberg/dp/B002PJ4I5W)** > > Her Last Death: A Memoir \[Sonnenberg, Susanna\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Her Last Death: A Memoir ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/45 "2012-11-29T20:04:56Z")
Pete Townshend’s autobiography, “Who I Am.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/46 "2012-11-29T21:18:19Z")
> [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](#): > > I found McKenzie Phillips’ autobiography \*High on Arrival \*hard to put down: > > [http://www.amazon.com/High-On-Arrival-Mackenzie-Phillips/dp/B004AYCX2K/ref=cm\_cr\_pr\_product\_top](http://www.amazon.com/High-On-Arrival-Mackenzie-Phillips/dp/B004AYCX2K/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) Her father John’s autobio Papa John was a good read. Eric Clapton’s Clapton, The Autobiography was a fascinating read from a man who has led a very strange life. ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/47 "2012-12-07T23:55:37Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > . . . > > Eric Clapton’s Clapton, The Autobiography was a fascinating read from a man who has led a very strange life. Yes, _Clapton_ is very interesting. With it, I’d recommend Patty Boyd’s _Wonderful Tonight_. [http://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-Tonight-George-Harrison-Clapton/dp/0307407837/ref=la\_B001H6L9BA\_1\_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354924362&sr=1-1](http://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-Tonight-George-Harrison-Clapton/dp/0307407837/ref=la_B001H6L9BA_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354924362&sr=1-1) ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/48 "2012-12-08T01:21:02Z")
> [@Ichbin\_Dubist](#): > > I haven’t read it in eons, but _Speed_ by William S. Burroughs Jr. is an autobiography of a very drugged out and emotionally troubled young man. How troubled? Well, he was probably born addicted to amphetamines; his father is one of the world’s most famous junkies. I came in here to list “Junky” by William S. Burroughs (Sr.) It’s a semi-autobiography, so parts of it are fictional, but more than enough of the reality is present to get a good look at the junky lifestyle of the 40’s and 50’s. > **[Junkie (novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkie_(novel))** > > Junkie: Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict, or Junky, is a 1953 novel by American Beat generation writer William S. Burroughs. The book follows "William Lee" as he struggles with his addiction to morphine and heroin. Burroughs based the story on his own experiences with drugs, and he published it under the pen name William Lee. Some critics view the character William Lee as simply Burroughs himself; in this reading, Junkie is a largely-autobiographical memoir. Others view Lee as a fictio... ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937/49 "2012-12-17T00:46:52Z")
The Artie Lange biography was pretty good. So was Darrel Hammonds ‘god if you’re not up there I’m fucked’. I wonder if something about fucked up show biz people is something I can relate to. I like watching intervention on TV. Only some of these books are available at the library, so I am trying to look into them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-good-biographies-of-drugged-out-or-emotionally-troubled-people/641937.md?page=2)