We All Fall Down Living with Addiction

A parent would reach for this book when their teenager is seeking a raw, unvarnished look at the grueling reality of drug relapse and the messy path to recovery. While many stories focus on the initial fall into addiction, Nic Sheff's memoir provides a brutally honest account of what happens after treatment: the cycles of staying clean, the devastating reality of relapse, and the hard work of rebuilding a life. It explores heavy themes of shame, guilt, and the complex strain on family relationships. Due to its graphic descriptions of substance use and its consequences, this book is best suited for older teens aged 14 and up. Parents might choose it to foster a realistic understanding of addiction as a chronic illness, to offer hope to those feeling isolated by similar struggles, or to open a difficult but necessary conversation about the long-term journey of sobriety.