Blogs and Stories
Confessions of a Pill Head
Over the next two weeks my houseguest tumbled deeper and deeper into a behavioral disorder that involved hysterical crying bouts, confusion about what time and day it was, and passing out for hours at a time. I finally kicked him out, weaned myself off the last of the pills he'd bought, and got to work on the edits from the first draft of Pill Head. Since our original publication date had already been moved forward, my editor asked me to incorporate some details from my rehab stay into the book. The ending is now very different from what I had originally planned. It's been just over a year since I got out of rehab, and I'm clean and able to talk about my experiences with painkiller abuse without wanting to use again.
I should have paid attention to the advice I got from those editors who rejected me so long ago and applied it to Pill Head—I was too close to my own story while writing it. Maybe if I'd let some time go by I would've been able to stay clean and write. On the other hand, I think it gives Pill Head a sense of immediacy that hasn't been seen in many drug-abuse books before. In a way this book is more for people who are still using themselves, and hopefully they will be able to relate without feeling preached to.
I'm thinking of trying to re-pitch my first book. I know I can look at the events it details with a different perspective now—mainly that I'm horrified by my behavior during that period of my life. I'm pretty sure enough time has passed to write it without having another breakdown, and I'm convinced it will be better for it.
Plus: Check out Book Beast, for more news on hot titles and authors and excerpts from the latest books.
Joshua Lyon is the author of Pill Head: The Secret Life of a Painkiller Addict (Hyperion). He has worked at Interview, Conde Nast Traveler, V Life, and Jane. Additional writing has appeared in Nylon, New York, and Vice.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Why America Must Learn to Bow
Martin Jacques is the cofounder of the UK think tank Demos, writes a regular column for The Guardian, and is a visiting research fellow at the London School of Economics Asia Research Centre. His new book, When China Rules the World, is available now.
Going Rogue: The Index
Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
Josh - I relate to the romanticizing of the pill...our best friend and companion. I've been clean for four years and STILL look in peoples medicine cabinets when I'm out there. Your book, or rather your story will get even more interesting as you get further away from the addiction, believe me
I have never taken a pain pill in my entire life,but,this week-end I was with a large group of friends.Two said they take Pecocet every day.One was on Morphine.Another said thy take Vicoden every day.These are some of my middle age friends????Wow!I may add every one of them also had a glass of beer or wine.I am worried about eveyone of them.
It's fascinating how pills capture my imagination more than any other drug ever has. I'm an addict who always hated smoking or snorting anything, and I never used needles.
But the dazzle of pills induced magical thinking of the worst kind.
I'm far away from my addiction now- over 2 years- but am aware how alluring the idea of 'just take something for it' still is. It is quite small, this desire, but I suspect it will always be there, however small.
Clean time is a gift that gives not only a better life, but also much needed perspective.
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.
Please log in to leave comments.