Anything But Dry

After reading Augusten Burroughs' frightening account of his "childhood", it's no wonder that he ended up self-medicating. And boy, did he. In Dry., he manages to relate his journey of successful but sotted advertising career along with the death grip alcohol had on his life. Written with his signature humor and wit, this book nevertheless delivers the message of just how strong that urge is when it has been one's coping mechanism for so long. We probably all know someone (or several someones) who will come to mind, and in one's sympathy for Augusten, we can find a new understanding of others. His outline of the alcoholic mind is frightening, mystifying, and in the end, enlightening.