Tweak--Nic Sheff

I really enjoyed the book Tweak, by Nic Sheff. His father, David Sheff, wrote the book Beautiful Boy, which I read over the summer. Tweak is a fascinating story about a young man and how he struggles with drug addictions. Nic's background is very interesting--his parents got divorced when he was very young, and he was always very close with his father, so he grew up very fast. Because he was more exposed to adult things (parties, alcohol, relationships, etc.), he started trying alcohol and experiementing with marijuana at a very young age (his early teenage years). Soon, he spiraled into multiple other drugs. As his family tried to help him, Nic generally ignored their pleas to come home and get help. Eventually, he agrees to enter a rehabilitation center and enter a 12-step program. Nic is assigned a sponser (someone to support you through the 12-step program), named Spencer. Spencer helps Nic stay preoccupied while also being there for verbal support so that Nic doesn't relapse. Spencer does things like go on bike trips with Nic, and even allows Nic to enter his family life. Spencer is very spiritual and tries to get Nic to be and feel a similar way, often relating his spiritual ideas with addiction. Their relationship is very close and loving, as Spencer is always there to help Nic, but doesn't baby him. When Spencer is taken ill, Nic (sober for a while), takes care of his daughter and home. This also helps Nic to prove himself and to prove that he is strong enough to manage a life without drugs. I really enjoyed this book; especially all the relationships between friends and family that are intertwined in this story.