At the age of 18, he drinks five drinks a night to get drunk. By the time he is 20 this had moved up to 10 drinks a night to get drunk, with the occasion (self-labeled) binge. The fact that Augusten has said that his binges go well beyond the clinical definition of a binge. There is a strong argument that the clinical level of a binge (4 drinks for women, 5 for men) is too small for truly problematic drinking (Wechsler, 1998). By the time Augusten was 21, he was drinking a liter of Dewar’s along with cocktails. Overall, it is impossible to deny that as Augusten got older and his drinking habits progressed, he developed a very strong tolerance for alcohol. When Augusten was checked into his rehab center, he had relatively few symptoms of clinical withdrawal. The only major one pointed out was a high blood pressure, which could have easily been due to the journey in which he knew he was about to embark on. But, it is a different story altogether when he is in the midst of a relapse. After a sleepless, sick feeling night, Augusten falls into withdrawal. It starts with hallucinations of spiders (criterion B.5 for the DSM diagnosis of withdrawal). After 24 hours of no alcohol he feels as if he is dying. His body is shaking and his hands have such bad tremors “they vibrate” (criterion B.2). His heart rate has increased dramatically (Criterion B.1) to the point that it “woke me up…beating so wildly in my chest…like someone pounding on the front door”. The
- Augusten's most recent book chronicles his experience as a closeted lifelong witch, born into a family filled with witches.
- ― Augusten Burroughs, Dry. Like “I sit there and think how it isn't fair that I can't drink at all, even a little. I realize I have crammed an entire.
- From the bestselling author of Running with Scissors comes Dry — the hilarious, moving, and no less bizarre account of what happened next.You may not know it, but you've met Augusten Burroughs. You've seen him on the street, in bars, on the subway, at restaurants: a twenty-something guy, nice suit, works in advertising. But when the ordinary person had two drinks, Augusten.
- Dry is a memoir written by American writer Augusten Burroughs. It describes the author's battle with alcoholism. Dry was written before Running with Scissors, but was published second. Dry reached number 24 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Hardcover Nonfiction.
| Author | Augusten Burroughs |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
| June 2003 | |
| Pages | 293 |
| ISBN | 978-0312272050 |
| 813/.6 B | |
| LC Class | PS3552.U745 Z465 2003 |
Dry is a memoir written by American writer Augusten Burroughs. It describes the author's battle with alcoholism. Clavia dmi ab driver. Dry was written before Running with Scissors, but was published second.[1]Dry reached number 24 on The New York TimesBest Seller list for Hardcover Nonfiction.[2]
Dry by Augusten Burroughs-Audiobook Excerpt Listen to bestselling author Augusten Burroughs read from his memoir Dry. From the New York Times Bestselling author of Running With Scissors comes the story of one man trying to out-drink his memories, outlast his demons, and outrun his past.
Although the memoir is based on actual events, the first pages include this author's note: 'This memoir is based on my experiences over a ten-year period. Names have been changed, characters combined, and events compressed. Certain episodes are imaginative re-creation, and those episodes are not intended to portray actual events.'[3]
Synopsis[edit]
The first part of the memoir centers on Burroughs' intervention by his co-workers and boss as well as his time spent at a rehab facility that caters specifically to gay and lesbian patients. The second part of the novel deals with Burroughs' first bout with sobriety since leaving the rehab program. He meets a love interest at his group therapy sessions and takes in a fellow addict in recovery. Part II also shows the decline in health in Burroughs' ex-boyfriend and current friend, only named Pighead in the memoir. Pighead is living with HIV, and although healthy in the beginning of the book, he eventually succumbs to the effects of HIV. The death of his friend sends Burroughs into a relapse, including drinking, cocaine and crack. The memoir ends with Burroughs getting clean and helping another alcoholic friend of his through his recovery.
Dry Augusten Burroughs Audiobook
Characters[edit]
- Augusten
- Main character and author of the memoir.
- Greer
- Burroughs's co-worker and friend. Part of the intervention
- Jim
- Mortician. Burroughs's drinking buddy. Reappears in the end sober and in recovery as well.
- Pighead
- Burroughs's best friend and former love interest.
- Foster
- Burroughs's love interest in the memoir. They meet at group therapy for alcohol/drug addicts.
- Hayden
- Recovering addict who moves in with Burroughs midway through the memoir
Film adaptation[edit]
Burroughs is writing the script for a Showtime series based on the memoir. No release date has been announced.[4]
References[edit]
- ^Mcdonald, Natalie Hope (August 13, 2003). 'Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs'. Pop Matters.
- ^'Hardcover Nonfiction'. The New York Times. July 6, 2003.
- ^McElhatton, Heather (November 3, 2011). 'Truth vs. Fiction in Augusten Burroughs' memoir, 'Dry''. MPR. Retrieved May 12, 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^Mitchell, Wendy (October 27, 2009). 'Augusten Burroughs plans new TV shows with CBS, Showtime'. Entertainment Weekly.
See also[edit]
Augusten Burroughs House
