Tweak

Growing Up on Methamphetamines

By: Nic Sheff

Narrated by: Paul Michael Garcia

Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Nic Sheff was drunk for the first time at age 11. In the years that followed, he would regularly smoke pot, do cocaine and ecstasy, and develop addictions to crystal meth and heroin. Even so, he felt like he would always be able to quit and put his life together whenever he needed to. It took a violent relapse one summer in California to convince him otherwise. 

In writing that is raw and honest, Nic spares no detail in telling us the compelling, heartbreaking, and true story of his relapse and the road to recovery. As we watch Nic plunge the mental and physical depths of drug addiction, he paints a picture of a person at odds with his past, with his family, with his substances, and with himself.

You can also hear Nic's father's perspective in his memoir: Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey through His Son's Meth Addiction.

©2007 Nic Sheff (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Garcia delivers a strong and commanding reading that perfectly expresses the rawness of Sheff's most personal recollections….Endlessly memorable." (AudioFile Magazine)

"Garcia becomes Sheff, offering a gritty and raw performance that demonstrates just how dire the circumstances surrounding Sheff's existence really were." (Publishers Weekly)  

Painful Journey

I read David Sheff‘s book Beautiful Boy about living through his son’s Meth addiction and throughout the read, I realized that it would be great to read the son’s perspective, so I picked up a copy of Tweak by Nic Sheff.

Beautiful Boy was an incredible raw book of a parent’s journey through a child’s addiction, but I wasn’t at all prepared for the mental picture that accompanied the writings of the Nic Sheff. There is a raw, sort of, unedited perspective that is written with the mindset that the end result will be death, not life.

Tweak picks up about half way through Nic’s meth addiction – after he finds himself cut off from his parents financially, turning tricks to make ends meet so that he can score his next round of blow. He talks about doing drugs that range from marijuana to meth (his drug of choice) to heroine. Not only does he have an addiction to drugs, he also has an addiction to alcohol and sex. This book is written from the perspective of an early 20-something that seems to only care about his needs.

Much like Beautiful Boy, he highlights parts of his life that uses a day format. He talks about his stints in sobriety, some lasting as long as 18 months before the pull and allure of the drugs drag him deeper and deeper into his addiction. He lies, cheats, steals and leaves one of his girlfriends at a market for four hours while he goes to steal something from his mother’s house and then subsequently collapses in her garage.

The vividness of his account is extraordinary. When he goes into a building to score more drugs, you can feel the emotions he felt – your heart rate increases when uncertainty surrounds. This book is much more raw and unfiltering of his experiences then Beautiful Boy. This book takes you deep inside his thoughts, his actions, the words that flow from his mouth in a series of explictives. His candor in sharing these experiences is inviting, but you should be prepared for the experience.

I recommend this book, but I reco

Drugs - the most frustrating issue in our society

I read this after I read Nic's father's book Beautiful Boy by David Scheff. This book was a good accounting, from an addict's perspective of life as an addict. At times I wanted to reach through my headphones and strangle this young author and just yell STOP! Don't do that to your family. Having read his father's account of the agony the family went through and then to read the account of the relative lack of agony the addict went through (sorry, my perspective as a parent) totally by choice was very frustrating. Drugs account for multi-generational problems in our society and if rehab has such a low percentage of success (10-20%???) then what are we to do? For years we have heard that enforcement isn't the answer, treatment is the answer .... But after reading these two books it's obvious that treatment is elusive.

Tweak....i loved it!

I was so sad when it was over. The Mom in me wants to keep track of Nic and make sure he is clean and safe. I loved Beautiful Boy too. Both were great from beginning to end.

Trigger warning

This book has tons of triggers for those in recovery, but it's very honest and open.

EXCELLENT--SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING

This book should be required reading for Jr. High school kids, and again in high school. A great insight to the life an addict leads; I found it fascinating. He was very candid and the material raw, which made the unbelievable very believable. I do however, recommend reading "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff (Nic's dad) first, as the insight from his perspective made Nic's perspective more "real"--some of the stuff was just so unbelievable; I can't imagine living like he did. I learned a lot about that way of life, as fortunately, I've never been there myself. I think every kid should read this book to see what "glory" is in drugs, the tragedies in getting high, the work involved in coming clean and the hardships it creates on your body. Unimaginable.

Life lesson

This is an amazing book after his dad's. I finished listening to it in several days. Although I was haunted most of the time by his up and down, I was really touched by his extreme honesty. It is a true achievement to anybody to publish a good book, and it's even harder for somebody finished a book while struggling with drug addition. Wish Nic can really get his life back. With his talent and his conscience deep in his heart, he deserves a much better life than the one controlled by drug, and his family deserves a better life, too.

Riviting

I couldn't stop listening. I read Beautiful Boy first and was fascinated with Nic. I listened to all 12 hours in less than a week. Gritty, honest and yet hopeful. I haven't been so touched by a book in years.

Tedious Drunkalogue

I found this complementary memoir to "Beautiful Boy" to be devoid of any insight, character development or nuanced emotion. It is simply a repetitious recounting of long sequences about either 1) the effects of doing drugs, or 2) the logistics of looking for drugs.

I am surprised, as this writer is self-described as quite accomplished in other areas of his life, and still, throughout this memoir, finds getting high his top priority.

I was hoping some of the narrative gifts and perceptive acumen of his father might have been included in this writer's DNA, but evidently not.

Amazing Memoir

This book helped me see things from an addicts perspective.

My brother had been addicted to opiates for many years before tragically losing his life. The struggles he faced were so similar to Nic's in this story.

This was one of my brother's favorite books and he kept asking me to read it. I am so glad I did.

The writing, along with the narration had me feeling each moment as if I were there with the characters. I loved it!

A well-written cautionary tale that's too long

A promising young man grows up with everything -- especially parental love -- and still, his life goes off the rails because of his addiction/illness. Nic is one of those people who should not drink or use drugs, period. It feels like he took it up because, well, young people experiment. In other words, I don't think anyone could've prevented him from going down the path he did. This is a book that parents and their teenage children should read and talk about. Having said this, it's repetitive at times and the writer uses "whatever" far too often. A third of this book could've been edited out and nothing would've been lost.

A detailed insight. Chilling.

Wonderfully narrated, a real showpiece. Well done! Great insight for those who love an addict, but get yourself a 12-step programme to help save yourself, learn about the disease, about your issues and to recover enough to be there to support the addict if s/he manages to find their way. I wish I could have done more.

Baring / Bearing it all

Nic Sheff does exactly that in this brutally honest memoir which compliments his father's own memoir - Beautiful Boy.
Whilst sometimes appearing a spoiled wasting brat - Nic Sheff also manages to bare his soul in this tumultuous memoir. At times rambling and undoubtedly written in maybe more detail than it is reasonable to expect - Nic nevertheless manages to ask us to look into our own imperfect selves before casting any kind of judgement.
I for one am pleased he seems to have kicked his 'past' demeanors firmly into the past where they belong and hope he has the strength to maintain sobriety for his own sake as well as for his family's sake.
Compelling!

Honest, interesting, captivating, sad, well writte

I really enjoyed this book. Despite being about a tragic topic, it is refreshingly honest and full of hope

Everyone should read this book....

I am a Detective in London, I've mainly worked in safeguarding on my 20 year career. This has got to be one of the most harrowing stories I have ever read. I feel in debt to Nick and his father for having written these books, so incredibly brave for the brutally honest accounts. I now feel that I will have more compassion with addicts that I deal with in my work. I think these books should be read in schools, maybe just maybe it will stop some from trying drugs.

Gripped

Loved this book from start to finish. Couldn't wait to pick up whenever I had to put it down.

Harrowing but self indulgent and repetitive

Good performance of a book that needed a lot more editing. It reads like a first draft - unfinished sentences and no depth. Lacks insight. I’m pleased he is recovered but I learned nothing from this book.

okay read. A bit too dark for my liking....

struggled to get through the entire book. Reader had a bit of a flat tone...the story was a bit dark.

Gripping

The memoir itself was gripping and moving but the performance from the narrator really brought it to life

Moving and educational

I’ve learned a lot from Nic Sheff's searingly open and raw account, as a practicing surgeon I have treated many patients with complications from injecting drugs but this book has opened my eyes to how deeply people can get caught in their dependency and to some of the precipitating and perpetuating factors including deep feelings of inadequacy or even self-loathing and I hope that I can be more empathetic to such patients in future based on my better understanding. I was moved by this book.

beautifully narrated

the way this story is told by Paul makes it so alive and tangible, I love his narration. thank you!