As Needed for Pain

A Memoir of Addiction

De: Dan Peres

Narrado por: Joe Hempel

In the vein of Mary Karr’s Lit, Augusten Burroughs’ Dry and Sarah Hepola’s Blackout, As Needed for Pain is a raw and riveting—and often wryly funny—addiction memoir from one of New York media’s most accomplished editors which explores his never-before-told story of opioid addiction and the drastic impact it had on his life and career.

Dan Peres wasn’t born to be a media insider. As an awkward, magic-obsessed adolescent, nothing was further from his reality than the catwalks of Paris or the hallways of glossy magazine publishers. A gifted writer and shrewd cultural observer, Peres eventually took the leap—even when it meant he had to fake a sense of belonging in a new world of famed fashion designers, celebrities, and some of media’s biggest names. But he had a secret: opiates.

Peres’s career as an editor at W magazine and Details is well known, but little is known about his private life as a high-functioning drug addict. In As Needed for Pain, Peres lays bare for the first time the extent of his drug use—at one point a 60-pill-a-day habit.

By turns humorous and gripping, Peres’s story is a cautionary coming-of-age tale filled with unforgettable characters and breathtaking brushes with disaster. But the heart of the book is his journey from outsider to insecure insider, what it took to get him there, and how he found his way back from a killing addiction.

As Needed for Pain offers a rare glimpse into New York media’s past—a time when print magazines mattered—and a rarefied world of wealth, power, and influence. It is also a brilliant, shocking dissection of a life teetering on the edge of destruction, and what it took to pull back from the brink.

From One Addict to Another - SO relatable!!

I found myself agreeing, even out loud at certain points, YES! I spent too many years stuck in the same vicious cycle, and am so glad I found my way out the other side! I was also what would be considered a “high functioning” addict, until I wasn’t. Nice to read such a relatable story.

Get Ready to Pull an All Nighter

Wow! Dan’s book is quite a nail biter. I can’t believe that he’s living to tell his story. It takes such courage to tell it. It’s a not a pretty one by any means. Highly recommend this novel. Get ready to pull an all nighter.

Fantastic!

The performance was spot on. I forgot it was being read by someone other than the man who wrote it.

So Sad

Sad, tragic, and all too true. It is a gut wrenching look into the depth of addiction. Eating urine soaked extra strength Vicodin from under the urinal in the Waldorf. The disgusting juxtaposition of addiction and the need to maintain the facade normalcy. I had an overwhelming feeling that I’d just like to give Dan a beating, just like the one Sonny Corleone gave Carlo. That’s justice!

Loved it!

An honest and forthright story. Actually left me wanting more...Who was the rock star??