Truth really is stranger than fiction. Or maybe just sadder and more heartbreaking. Beautiful Boy is a tale that all parents hope to never call their own. Nic Sheff grows up in a fairly typical fashion, loved by two parents who end up getting divorced when he is young. He is happy, athletic, smart, friendly, curious, and a great big brother until drugs take over his life.
David Sheff, his father, shares the story of Nic's addiction to drugs and alcohol--mainly methamphetamine--from high school through his mid-20s.
The worst part about the book is that it doesn't end. There is no magical cure. Even after two to three year stints at a time of being clean, Nic always returns to drugs. Just when you think he finally has his life in order and has overcome his addiction, he relapses. No low seems low enough to stop him from going back. David candidly shares his thoughts, frustrations, and the blame he places on himself for his son's path, as well as the toll it has taken on his personal and professional life.
Nic, also a talented writer, has published the story of his addiction--Tweak. As someone who never exceeds recommended dosages, dislikes prescriptions, and would rather have terrible allergies than take a daily pill, I am interested to read from Nic's perspective. I just hope that someday I will find out that he is still clean and has been for years, but after reading disappointment after disappointment in Beautiful Boy, I know the odds of that are not good.
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