Substance Abuse & Addiction
Books where substance abuse or addiction play a part in the story. Not always the main characters, but does have some kind of impact on the plot. Including memoirs but I haven’t read many so I’d love suggestions of both non-fiction and fiction.
created by gardenhead
last updated March, 2026
Comments
Can't forget Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby, Jr.
There's always Less Than Zero too, for those who want that "well, this is bleak" reading experience (when you recommend a book not because you especially enjoyed it but because it fits the prompt, lol).
For an under the radar type rec: Moth by Michael Takeda
Omg thank you I didn’t even know it was a book!!
Bret Easton Ellis absolutely gives me the willies and I’ve been too scared to read him 😭😭😭 definitely agree on the prompt thing, I wouldn’t recommend half the books I’ve put in my lists to anyone but they’re fun to create and think about what fits to a theme!
I will definitely be adding all 3 to the list!! They all sound rough, but Moth sounds fascinating and going straight on my tbr!! For when I’m in a horror mood 👻
You’re welcome ^^
I’m actually reading Requiem for a Dream right now (and am considering watching the movie too, just to make sure I don’t miss anything major, lol. . .) I find that Hubert Selby, Jr.’s style isn’t exactly easy for me to read. Took me ages to finish Last Exit to Brooklyn– as an aside. . . if Ellis gives you the willies, whoa boy, Last Exit to Brooklyn is. . . damn. o.O It’s actually interesting because Less Than Zero and Last Exit to Brooklyn are both such B-leak books and they feel like whole different leagues of bleakness, but probably they really aren’t. It’s more accurate to say they come from two opposing sides of social/monetary privilege. . and really I’m about to dive down a thought rabbit hole that’s only just forming so I’ll stop while I’m ahead. xD Some of the books I end up reading because I am DETERMINED to have a certain understanding of pop cultural references. Heeeh.
I think it’s about time I re-read Moth. I read it digitally, as an ARC reader and I honestly don’t retain nor process info as well if I read digitally. I’ve forgotten too much of the story, but I liked the story well enough to have bought a physical copy after reviewing. I also remember how heartbroken I felt for the main character after reading how addiction had ruined the life he’d been leading prior to the events of the story. There was also a shameless Trainspotting reference thrown in there that I appreciated, as a fan of Trainspotting, lol. I hope you enjoy it, when you get to it!
Ohhh that’s so interesting, I think I get what you mean - even if two characters experience the exact same bad things, I’m probably going to feel more heartbroken for one in poverty, who might not have ever been given any options to conceive of a different life, vs someone super wealthy who at least would’ve been provided with choice… but also that’s the extra insidious thing about substance abuse, it can really cause a lot of suffering, rich or poor!!
I wish I’d read more bleak things when I was younger and less sensitive! I can handle melodrama but anything beyond that requires a lot of effort 😂 and I so know what you mean about cultural references, I wish I could just install a director/musician/author’s references into my brain to fully understand their work… I hate it when I KNOW something must be a reference but I have no idea what 😆
Ohhh that’s so cool you got it as an ARC! But yes digital things can be weird, my kindle library is so vile and disorganised, god knows what’s lurking in there I started and forgot about 🥲 hope you enjoy your reread when the time comes!!
I think the difference between the type of characters we see in Less Than Zero and the type of characters we see in Last Exit to Brooklyn is that for Less Than Zero, the access to wealth and privilege stripped things away, if that makes sense. It created a void. Everything is meaningless, expendable, other people are just things, etc. And that's the core of any depravity you find there. For Last Exit to Brooklyn, the core of it is desperation, I think.
When I put those two side by side, I feel like Less Than Zero really isn’t nearly as rough a read as Last Exit to Brooklyn. It’s more to the point that the nature of one scene in particular, and the way in which it was presented and how the characters reacted to it was so disturbing to me that it coloured the entire novel. Last Exit To Brooklyn, though– the brutality is just so pervasive and overwhelming, you don't get any real reprieve from it, which makes sense because the characters you’re reading about don't get any real reprieve from the lives they’re leading. But yeah.
I like how I spent most of my commentary discussing a book I did not suggest as an addition to your list. Ha! There are definitely drugs and alcohol to be found in Last Exit to Brooklyn, but I somehow don’t feel like the book’s meant to be an exploration of addiction in the way that Requiem for a Dream is. I really do go off on tangents sometimes.
👏 I LOVE YOUR TANGENTS!! Such an interesting comparison!! The lack of reprieve is such a horrible thing to be reading about, I hate that totally hopeless feeling you get with certain situations, very important to be described and read about in literature but so harrowing 😭
D'aaaaaw, my rambles are appreciated! Thank you. Yes, the relentless onslaught books are so harrowing, but they're often so impactful.
