Dry

A Memoir

By: Augusten Burroughs

Narrated by: Augusten Burroughs

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

You may not know it, but you've met Augusten Burroughs. You've seen him on the street, in bars, on the subway, at restaurants: a twentysomething guy, nice suit, works in advertising. Regular. Ordinary. But when the ordinary person had two drinks, Augusten was circling the drain by having twelve; when the ordinary person went home at midnight, Augusten never went home at all. Loud, distracting ties, automated wake-up calls and cologne on the tongue could only hide so much for so long. At the request (well, it wasn't really a request) of his employers, Augusten lands in rehab, where his dreams of group therapy with Robert Downey Jr. are immediately dashed by grim reality of fluorescent lighting and paper hospital slippers. But when Augusten is forced to examine himself, something actually starts to click and that's when he finds himself in the worst trouble of all. Because when his thirty days are up, he has to return to his same drunken Manhattan life - and live it sober. What follows is a memoir that's as moving as it is funny, as heartbreaking as it is true. Dry is the story of love, loss, and Starbucks as a Higher Power.

©2003 Augusten Burroughs; ©2003 by Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"Mr. Burroughs remains ebulliently glib when it's useful, as befits his advertising skills....[He] remains adept at mixing comedy and calamity." (The New York Times)
"Like the alcohol he so enjoys, Burroughs' story of getting dry will go straight into your bloodstream and leave you buzzing, exhilarated, and wiped out...this memoir operates on a high level of involvement and suspense." (Kirkus Reviews)
"[A] wrenching, edifying journey...with the added benefit of being really entertaining." (The New York Times Book Reviews)
"Harrowing yet hilarious personal encounter....His performance blends self-deprecating black humor with wise-cracking confidence. His natural wit and charm keep the listener rooting for his success." (AudioFile)

Inspiring

This was a really well written book and I was interested and found myself crying many times throughout listening. The issue I had is that the narrator sounded like Mr. Garrison from South Park when speaking for Foster. This was distracting because I kept waiting for him to say “mmm K” after ever sentence. Also Foster was supposed to be an attractive guy but I couldn’t get the image of Mr. Garrison out of my head...

Love the work

I am obsessed with Augusten Burroughs and his memoirs and writing, it’s fantastic. This book was very raw and nothing sugar coated. If your a recently recovered alcoholic or if your not it’s well written and well spoken.

enjoyable and relatable

I completely enjoyed this book. I related so many times throughout the reading. I look forward to reading morning from Mr Burroughs.

Such sweet sorrow

This tale of addiction will be heart wrenching to anyone who’s loved an addict. It gives you an inner glimpse into the mindset of an addict that can be painful to witness, mixed in with enough humor to make it not only palatable, but enjoyable.

I chugged it.

I could not stop listening. As a writer, I'm not sure I could ever pen an account as personal and self aware as Dry. And Burroughs' candor and veracity seem to be what other readers often call into question. "No one could possibly be this messed up," I hear again and again. True or not, it's a pretty stunning piece of work. Anyone who has struggled with addiction can take two things away from this story. One, the typical way we deal with these problems don't always work — just the opposite, in fact. And two, very few people can hit rock bottom and come back like the author.

Amazing Story!

So witty and full of depth, humor and a true sense of spirit and awakening. Augusten's writing style is simply amazing!! But not only that, I became completely immersed in the story as I listened to him read with enthusiastic inflection for each of his characters. I really felt like I knew them all! What a great story!

heartwarming

I loved the story. because I can relate to it in many ways. I didn't like how corny the main character falls for a crack head and it takes a while, but like I said I can really relate to this book. I won't spoil it but I've been wanting to read this book for a while. I know why I waited until now. it fits perfect.

Thoroughly enjoyed!

I could not stop listening to this book once I started it. This is the first Augusten Burroughs book I have experienced. I am hooked on this author's style of writing and loved the narration.

One of the best books I've ever listened to

Witty, dramatic, gut wrenching. I'm going to have to read or listen to more Burroughs.

Great book. I Love Augusten Burroughs!!!!

This was a wonderful book, narrated by the author in his droll and compelling performance. The only negative note is that Mr. Burroughs really can't do accents! However, I found his really bad British and low country accents did not take away from the power and charm of the story. His raw honesty about the intimate process of learning how to feel and think sober after years of self-medication is written in the eminently readable style of all of his work. Regardless of the reader's own history with addiction, we can all see ourselves in this great work!