Customer Reviews

America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life

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America Anonymous is a powerful, important look at addiction in this country, through the lives of eight and a half addicts (author Denizet-Lewis alludes to his own sex addiction) as well as research into modern medical thinking on addiction and recovery. What makes this such a readable book, and one that will surely spark debate, is that Denizet-Lewis chooses to combine various kinds of addictions, from crack to alcohol to sex, food, and shoplifting. He acknowledges that some of these are not yet recognized in the DSM and that doctors and specialists vary on how best to treat people like his chosen subjects, and this additional information highlights the drama that unfolds.

For three years, he follows his subjects into recovery, whether that takes the form of an online support group for shoplifters or into a court-ordered home for addicts. The vibrant personalities all make for compelling reading, even when it's sometimes hard to have sympathy for them (for me, that moment was the $4,900 fee Sean pays for his sex addiction rehab). But if there's any point Denizet-Lewis is desperately trying to make, it's that for people like him, it's not just about willpower. Save for Bobby and perhaps Todd, who both seem torn between getting clean and staying in their chosen lifestyles, the others ardently want to change their behavior and go to great lengths to do so.

At one point, Ellen, who used to weight 300 pounds and is a "food addict," talks to her sponsor about how to cope and what the real issues are, and their conversation was fascinating to me, especially when Marianna, the sponsor, says, "Accepting that happiness comes from the outside rather than the inside is the difference." Her idea is that we have to focus on connecting with other people in order to have a whole life. I'm not necessarily I sure I buy that, or ever idea presented in America Anonymous, but I appreciate that each of these addicts struggles and explores how to heal both from their addiction and the issues behind it, each coming up with different coping strategies.

This book doesn't seek to answer every question ever about addiction, and would have been foolish to try. Instead, Denizet-Lewis both raises numerous questions and humanizes addiction, by claiming his own and by showing the complexity of the issues, including one's surroundings, outside opportunities, and the reasons behind these behaviors (such as shoplifters feeling like they're "owed" something). Marvin, the 80-year-old alcoholic, is especially compelling, and Denizet-Lewis deftly explores issues unique to elderly populations (such as the stigma around the word "alcoholic").

I'm not an addict, but I love many people who are, and what intrigued me especially about this book was how the Twelve Steps can also be applied to the rest of us. Those who did a "searching and fearless moral inventory" were clearly striving to create better lives for themselves, and those around them, and seeing them succeed (even with some setbacks) was inspiring. I could have kept reading about these quirky, funny, stubborn, and strong characters for many more pages, and found myself thinking about them and their complicated lives long after I finished the book.

As a recovering shoplifting addict since 1990 and as an addictions therapist and author myself, I am immensely impressed and gratified by Mr. Denizet-Lewis's new book "America Anonymous." He shares about his own background as a recovering addict but, more importantly, plumbs the depths of the lives of 8 other American addicts in recovery as well. I'm particularly pleased that he covers some of the lesser-surveyed addictions such as shoplifting.

This book offers something for everyone--addict and non-addict alike. In addition to the in-depth stories, Mr. Denizet-Lewis gives historical perspectives on addiction and treatment as well as more contemporary and future trends. His writing style is engaging and evocative. The book reads in equal parts as novel and treatise. I can't recommend highly enough this offering.

Whether you are on the outside looking in when it comes to addiction, or you are personally going through it, this book is a well-penned look into what addiction truly is. The eight characters in the book were extremely intriguing and I loved the fact they were from a myriad of different lifestyles - moms, grandmothers, college students. I also especially loved that the author was open enough to include tidbits of his own struggle with addiction. I found it to be an excellent portrayal into what life as an addict is like.

My only criticism, if it could be called that, is I would like to have seen a little deeper into these people's lives. I felt like I was truly connecting with the individuals documented in the book, but was missing something. We were never privy to what a situation looked like when someone really relapsed.

Overall, I thought this was one of the most intriguing and well-written books on addiction.

While I'm not an addict, I am fascinated by the experiences of those who are, and "America Anonymous" gives a personal, close-up account of the lives of eight such people. Denizet-Lewis, himself a recovering sex addict, spent three years following this diverse group of eight who struggle with everything from alcohol and drugs to food, sex, and shoplifting. Alternating chapters on each of the subjects gives us a series of successive windows into how these individuals are coping with their own particular manifestation of addiction. These accounts confirm what has been said about addictions--they are cunning, baffling, and powerful. I found myself rooting for all the people in the book while terrified that some would not make it.

In addition to the powerful stories in this volume, Denizet-Lewis supplies readers with useful background information on the nature of addiction. In fact, what behaviors constitute addiction remains controversial. Alcohol and drugs are always included, but many in the field of addiction disagree whether sexual compulsiveness and overeating, for example, constitute addictions. The field of addiction is evolving. This has enormous implications for what treatment may be available and how it is funded.

This book also describes what treatments are used for addicts from the traditional 12-step programs, which originated in Alcoholics Anonymous and are now adapted to almost all forms of addictive behavior, to the latest medications such as suboxone which is used to treat opiate dependency. Even with advances in treatment, it is still impossible to predict which therapies will work and for whom. Addiction treatment often involves much trial and error. Treatment can work, but relapses are common, and many addicts need multiple interventions before they recover. This book stresses that many addicts who desire and seek treatment do not receive it, resulting in enormous social costs such as imprisonment for offenders. A worthwhile goal for our society would be to make treatment available to all who seek it.

The title of this book seems a bit off because it is not primarily concerned with the 12-step groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. It succeeds because it gives us compelling accounts of the many faces of the disease while also educating us on the causes and treatments.

I thought there would be some "breakthrough" insight from reading this book on what parts of the brain are affected by addiction, treatment for it based on that new information. It is a story of how banal addiction has become for its victims. It is tiring to read the same story over and over - the desperation, the acting out, the bleak environmental conditions the addicts find themselves in. I am always struck by the supposed intelligence of the addict. A person who uses their intelligence wonders and marvels at the working of their own brain. Addicts seem to lose sight of their own fascinating qualities as individuals. They become part of a soupy society that all acts the same way with the same outcome.
It takes a certain kind of courage to swim your way out of the soup, but none of these characters learned to delight in their own individuality. They see themselves primarily as addicts, through and through.
I was sad when I finished reading the book. Sad that the author offered little celebration for the people he wrote about.
it is a sad book, in my opinion.

Nearly 23 million Americans are hooked on alcohol or drugs, another 61 million smoke cigarettes, and millions more are slaves to gambling, overeating, etc.

In 2007, the economic cost from alcohol and drug abuse alone was estimated to be over half a billion. Denizet-Lewis points out that profit and politics have more to do with how we combat addiction than rational thinking - nicotine and alcohol are legal, while marijuana, which kills virtually no one, is an obsessive focus.

"Faces of Addiction" follows 8 different addicts through their struggles with various personal devils ranging from alcohol, drugs, shop-lifting, food, etc. Some are more successful than others. A common theme running throughout is the existence of groups to help those addicted, and generally following the 12-step process.

Insurance companies don't pay for addiction treatment, but they treat other chronic conditions that often are caused by untreated addiction.

Something to think about - a quote from a counselor quoted in the book: "I never met a recovered addict who said it was because he/she couldn't find drugs anymore." So much for the War on Drugs?

I read an article by the author in The New York Times which mentioned that a new book, America Anonymous, was being released which addressed different types of addiction by integrating life stories of addicts. This intrigued me, so I bought the book. I'm very glad I did. Mr. Denizet-Lewis does a most admirable job in presenting addiction in some of its varied disguises. He discusses both substance and process addiction and presents people who successfully live with their addiction as well as some who are still in addiction's grip. He makes sure to emphasize that one never gets cured, but that one can learn to live a successful and fruitful life as an addict. He also discusses some of the physiology of addiction and pharmaceutical attempt to cure addiction.

The book is well balanced and extremely readable. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in getting broader perpective on the subject of addiction.

I just finished reading America Anonymous, an outstanding essay on the state of Addiction & Recovery in America today.
I recommend it becomes mandatory reading for anyone who is in the field of addiction, who might come in contact with an addict, or cares about one.
The eight narratives are bookended by a powerful introduction and eloquent conclusion. I personally feel uplifted and encouraged by the idea to get successful recovering addicts to tell their story publicly, eventually leading to a Million Man Recovery March in Washington. We need to take recovery out of churches basements and into the public arena. Benoit did an excellent job making the case for it!

This book is an incredible piece of non-fiction. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. It is a straight up honest look at the various forms addiction takes, and carefully profiles 8 different people from different parts of the country, with different addictions. I'm in recovery from addiction, and, in general, there are usually two types of literature out there about addiction: 1) Recovery literature, written by addicts in recovery, which is often very accepting and non-judgmental about the addiction, but too often sugar-coats the recovery process, and 2) Literature about addiction not written by an addict in which is is clear they have no effing clue what there talking about, and often mis-judges, mis-characterizes, and mis-interprets addiction.

This book is different. Written by a man in recovery, it has all the compassion that is so badly needed when writing about addicts, but it doesn't sugar coat anything or sell any one particular path to recovery. It's obvious he knows what he's talking about. I'm sure some people in recovery may have a problem that he gave up his anonymity by sharing openly about his addiction and recovery, but I think that's what's needed at this time in our society to get people talking about it and start the de-stigmatizing process that's so badly needed.

Nice work.

Denizet-Lewis gives powerful first-hand accounts of a variety of addictions as eight addicts are interviewed, and their day to day struggles in and out of recovery are explored. As a recovery compulsive gambler and alcoholic, the stories resonated with me.

I also have experienced the loss of a loved one as the result of her gambling addiction. Addictions kill! First our spirit and our soul, and then, left untreated, they can take our lives! My sister died as a result of an overdose related to her gambling addiction.

Jody's expression of frustration that 'we still have the idiotic notion that addicts somehow brought their addiction upon themselves'....and addicts "just need to grow some willpower and pull themselves together by the bootstraps" really resonated with me. He went on to say that "as long as addiction is only the PERSON'S problem, and not our collective problem, then they (insurance companies and politicians) don't have to do anything about it."

Most poignant...Jody's sentiment that "We can build a better system, or we can continue to bury our children" hits home.

A must read for anyone struggling with addiction, in recovery and their family members and treatment therapists. A powerful read.