🩹 Addiction Recovery

Books that map the harrowing terrain of substance abuse and the long road back — through science, memoir, twelve-step wisdom, or alternative approaches. Readers come seeking understanding, hope, and proof that transformation is possible.

Redeeming 6

by Chloe Walsh

He pushed her away to hide his heroin addiction. An unexpected pregnancy forces him to face it.

4.64

254k+

🍼 Accidental Pregnancy ☘️ Irish Romance 🖤 Childhood Trauma 🛡️ Parentified Child 😢 Gritty And Raw

Redeeming 6

He pushed her away to hide his heroin addiction. An unexpected pregnancy forces him to face it.

by Chloe Walsh 2023

4.64

254k+ ratings

🍼 Accidental Pregnancy ☘️ Irish Romance 🖤 Childhood Trauma 🛡️ Parentified Child 😢 Gritty And Raw

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking

by Allen Carr • 2013

Nicotine tricks you into believing cigarettes help. See the trick and the craving loses its grip.

4.28

19k+

🚭 Smoking Cessation 💉 Nicotine Addiction 🧠 Addiction Psychology 🔄 Cognitive Reframing 🔧 Behavioral Change

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking

Nicotine tricks you into believing cigarettes help. See the trick and the craving loses its grip.

by Allen Carr 2013

4.28

19k+ ratings

🚭 Smoking Cessation 💉 Nicotine Addiction 🧠 Addiction Psychology 🔄 Cognitive Reframing 🔧 Behavioral Change

Power vs. Force

by David R. Hawkins • 1985

Force creates resistance. Power is an invisible field like gravity. One always wins.

4.15

14k+

📚 Transpersonal Psychology 🧠 Consciousness Studies ⚡ Energy Fields 🌟 New Thought 📊 Emotional Hierarchy

Power vs. Force

Force creates resistance. Power is an invisible field like gravity. One always wins.

by David R. Hawkins 1985

4.15

14k+ ratings

📚 Transpersonal Psychology 🧠 Consciousness Studies ⚡ Energy Fields 🌟 New Thought 📊 Emotional Hierarchy

How to Change Your Mind

by Michael Pollan • 2018

Psychedelics quiet the brain's ego network. Depression, addiction, and fear of death dissolve.

4.27

85k+

🍄 Psychedelic Therapy 🔬 Psychedelic Science 🌀 Altered States ✨ Mystical Experience 🧠 Neuroplasticity

How to Change Your Mind

Psychedelics quiet the brain's ego network. Depression, addiction, and fear of death dissolve.

by Michael Pollan 2018

4.27

85k+ ratings

🍄 Psychedelic Therapy 🔬 Psychedelic Science 🌀 Altered States ✨ Mystical Experience 🧠 Neuroplasticity

The Wolf of Wall Street

by Jordan Belfort • 2007

His brokerage was a carnival of drugs, money, and manipulation, and he was its ringmaster.

3.75

39k+

📈 Wall Street Memoir 💰 Financial Crime 💊 Drug-Fueled Excess 💔 Toxic Marriage 😈 Darkly Comic

The Wolf of Wall Street

His brokerage was a carnival of drugs, money, and manipulation, and he was its ringmaster.

by Jordan Belfort 2007

3.75

39k+ ratings

📈 Wall Street Memoir 💰 Financial Crime 💊 Drug-Fueled Excess 💔 Toxic Marriage 😈 Darkly Comic

Scarcity Brain

by Michael Easter • 2023

An ancient survival circuit keeps you hooked on more. The fix was written 1,500 years ago.

3.92

9k+

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🔄 Behavioral Addiction 📊 Behavioral Economics 📰 Information Overload 📱 Digital Habits

Scarcity Brain

An ancient survival circuit keeps you hooked on more. The fix was written 1,500 years ago.

by Michael Easter 2023

3.92

9k+ ratings

🧠 Evolutionary Psychology 🔄 Behavioral Addiction 📊 Behavioral Economics 📰 Information Overload 📱 Digital Habits

The Better Sister

by Alafair Burke • 2019

Her husband is murdered in the Hamptons. The suspect: the stepson she raised, her sister's son.

3.84

44k+

🏠 Domestic Suspense 👯 Sister Rivalry 🔒 Family Secrets ⚖️ Courtroom Drama 📱 Social Media Scrutiny

The Better Sister

Her husband is murdered in the Hamptons. The suspect: the stepson she raised, her sister's son.

by Alafair Burke 2019

3.84

44k+ ratings

🏠 Domestic Suspense 👯 Sister Rivalry 🔒 Family Secrets ⚖️ Courtroom Drama 📱 Social Media Scrutiny

Finding Ultra

by Rich Roll • 2012

At 39, he couldn't climb stairs; at 41 he finished a 320-mile triathlon on plants.

4.02

27k+

🏃 Ultra-Endurance 🌱 Plant-Based Athletes 🧠 Mental Toughness 🥦 Plant-Based Nutrition 🔄 Midlife Transformation

Finding Ultra

At 39, he couldn't climb stairs; at 41 he finished a 320-mile triathlon on plants.

by Rich Roll 2012

4.02

27k+ ratings

🏃 Ultra-Endurance 🌱 Plant-Based Athletes 🧠 Mental Toughness 🥦 Plant-Based Nutrition 🔄 Midlife Transformation

Healing the Shame That Binds You

by John Bradshaw • 1988

When shame becomes identity, it poisons everything. The exit begins with telling someone.

4.09

12k+

🧒 Childhood Trauma 🗣️ Inner Critic 💗 Self-Compassion 🔗 Codependency 👨‍👩‍👧 Family Systems

Healing the Shame That Binds You

When shame becomes identity, it poisons everything. The exit begins with telling someone.

by John Bradshaw 1988

4.09

12k+ ratings

🧒 Childhood Trauma 🗣️ Inner Critic 💗 Self-Compassion 🔗 Codependency 👨‍👩‍👧 Family Systems

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

by Gabor Maté • 2007

Addiction begins in childhood trauma, not moral failing. Healing needs compassion, not punishment.

4.48

24k+

🧠 Addiction Psychology 💔 Trauma And Addiction 🩹 Harm Reduction 🔄 Neuroplasticity 🧘 Mindful Recovery

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Addiction begins in childhood trauma, not moral failing. Healing needs compassion, not punishment.

by Gabor Maté 2007

4.48

24k+ ratings

🧠 Addiction Psychology 💔 Trauma And Addiction 🩹 Harm Reduction 🔄 Neuroplasticity 🧘 Mindful Recovery

The Craving Mind

by Judson Brewer • 2017

One simple brain loop hooks us on cigarettes, smartphones, and love. The way out isn't willpower.

3.68

5k+

🧠 Behavioral Addiction 📱 Digital Habits 🧬 Dopamine 🔄 Habit Change 🧘 Mindfulness Meditation

The Craving Mind

One simple brain loop hooks us on cigarettes, smartphones, and love. The way out isn't willpower.

by Judson Brewer 2017

3.68

5k+ ratings

🧠 Behavioral Addiction 📱 Digital Habits 🧬 Dopamine 🔄 Habit Change 🧘 Mindfulness Meditation

Dopamine Nation

by Anna Lembke • 2021

Too much pleasure backfires. A psychiatrist on why your brain's reward system needs less, not more.

3.88

89k+

🧠 Dopamine Neuroscience 🔄 Behavioral Addiction 📈 Hedonic Adaptation 🛑 Impulse Control 🛒 Consumption Culture

Dopamine Nation

Too much pleasure backfires. A psychiatrist on why your brain's reward system needs less, not more.

by Anna Lembke 2021

3.88

89k+ ratings

🧠 Dopamine Neuroscience 🔄 Behavioral Addiction 📈 Hedonic Adaptation 🛑 Impulse Control 🛒 Consumption Culture

The Porn Trap

by Wendy Maltz • 2008

Quitting porn is half the job. The rest: rebuilding a sexuality rooted in connection, not screens.

3.94

458

🖥️ Porn Addiction 💞 Healthy Sexuality 🤝 Intimacy And Connection 🧠 Neurobiology Of Addiction 🔒 Shame And Secrecy

The Porn Trap

Quitting porn is half the job. The rest: rebuilding a sexuality rooted in connection, not screens.

by Wendy Maltz 2008

3.94

458 ratings

🖥️ Porn Addiction 💞 Healthy Sexuality 🤝 Intimacy And Connection 🧠 Neurobiology Of Addiction 🔒 Shame And Secrecy

Martyr!

by Kaveh Akbar

Haunted by his mother's death, a queer Iranian actor plays dying patients while seeking a sign.

4.14

200k+

📚 Immigrant Fiction 🤝 Found Family 🤫 Family Secrets 💭 Existential Crisis 🧘 Contemplative

Martyr!

Haunted by his mother's death, a queer Iranian actor plays dying patients while seeking a sign.

by Kaveh Akbar 2024

4.14

200k+ ratings

📚 Immigrant Fiction 🤝 Found Family 🤫 Family Secrets 💭 Existential Crisis 🧘 Contemplative

Unwinding Anxiety

by Judson Brewer MD PhD • 2020

Anxiety is a learned habit, not a broken brain. Rewire the loop with mindfulness, not willpower.

3.88

15k+

😰 Anxiety Disorders 🔄 Habit Change 🧘 Mindfulness Meditation 🔁 Habit Loops 💭 Worry Management

Unwinding Anxiety

Anxiety is a learned habit, not a broken brain. Rewire the loop with mindfulness, not willpower.

by Judson Brewer MD PhD 2020

3.88

15k+ ratings

😰 Anxiety Disorders 🔄 Habit Change 🧘 Mindfulness Meditation 🔁 Habit Loops 💭 Worry Management

Down the Drain

by Julia Fox • 2023

An Italian girl follows her erratic father to New York. Survival will mean constant reinvention.

4.36

95k+

🎬 Celebrity Memoir 🌍 Immigrant Childhood ⛓️ Sex Work 🔥 Raw And Unflinching 🏙️ Gritty Nyc

Down the Drain

An Italian girl follows her erratic father to New York. Survival will mean constant reinvention.

by Julia Fox 2023

4.36

95k+ ratings

🎬 Celebrity Memoir 🌍 Immigrant Childhood ⛓️ Sex Work 🔥 Raw And Unflinching 🏙️ Gritty Nyc

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Vaping

by Allen Carr • 2021

Nicotine relieves only the craving it caused. See the trick, and quitting takes zero willpower.

4.51

2k+

🚭 Nicotine Cessation 🧠 Cognitive Reframing 🧩 Psychological Addiction 🌊 Craving Management 📖 Rational Recovery

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Vaping

Nicotine relieves only the craving it caused. See the trick, and quitting takes zero willpower.

by Allen Carr 2021

4.51

2k+ ratings

🚭 Nicotine Cessation 🧠 Cognitive Reframing 🧩 Psychological Addiction 🌊 Craving Management 📖 Rational Recovery

Easy Way to Control Alcohol

by Allen Carr • 2002

Quit drinking without willpower: see alcohol clearly, and the desire to drink disappears.

4.15

3k+

🍷 Quit Lit 🧠 Addiction Psychology 🤔 Sober Curious 🔄 Cognitive Reframing 📺 Social Conditioning

Easy Way to Control Alcohol

Quit drinking without willpower: see alcohol clearly, and the desire to drink disappears.

by Allen Carr 2002

4.15

3k+ ratings

🍷 Quit Lit 🧠 Addiction Psychology 🤔 Sober Curious 🔄 Cognitive Reframing 📺 Social Conditioning

From the Ashes

by Jesse Thistle • 2019

Addiction took his home and nearly his leg. His lost Métis identity showed him another way.

4.49

35k+

🪶 Indigenous Memoir 🧬 Intergenerational Trauma 🍃 Cultural Reclamation 🏕️ Survival Memoir 🔒 Incarceration Memoir

From the Ashes

Addiction took his home and nearly his leg. His lost Métis identity showed him another way.

by Jesse Thistle 2019

4.49

35k+ ratings

🪶 Indigenous Memoir 🧬 Intergenerational Trauma 🍃 Cultural Reclamation 🏕️ Survival Memoir 🔒 Incarceration Memoir

Infinite Jest

by David Foster Wallace • 1996

A lethal film, a mute tennis prodigy, a recovering addict, and an America addicted to distraction.

4.25

103k+

🗿 Postmodern Maximalism 🎾 Tennis Prodigy 📼 Lethal Entertainment 🤡 Absurdist Despair 🏢 Corporate Dystopia

Infinite Jest

A lethal film, a mute tennis prodigy, a recovering addict, and an America addicted to distraction.

by David Foster Wallace 1996

4.25

103k+ ratings

🗿 Postmodern Maximalism 🎾 Tennis Prodigy 📼 Lethal Entertainment 🤡 Absurdist Despair 🏢 Corporate Dystopia

The Sun Sister

by Lucinda Riley

Grieving and addicted, a supermodel finds her dead father's letter and a grandmother she never knew.

4.35

99k+

🏛️ Multigenerational Saga 🕰️ Dual Timeline 🫂 Found Family 💍 Marriage Of Convenience 🔍 Hidden Heritage

The Sun Sister

Grieving and addicted, a supermodel finds her dead father's letter and a grandmother she never knew.

by Lucinda Riley 2019

4.35

99k+ ratings

🏛️ Multigenerational Saga 🕰️ Dual Timeline 🫂 Found Family 💍 Marriage Of Convenience 🔍 Hidden Heritage

Blue Sisters

by Coco Mellors • 2024

Three sisters reunite after the fourth's overdose. Grief binds them. Secrets could break them.

3.90

336k+

🖤 Sisters In Grief 🏠 Family Drama 💍 Lesbian Marriage 🔥 Forbidden Affair 🥊 Boxing Comeback

Blue Sisters

Three sisters reunite after the fourth's overdose. Grief binds them. Secrets could break them.

by Coco Mellors 2024

3.90

336k+ ratings

🖤 Sisters In Grief 🏠 Family Drama 💍 Lesbian Marriage 🔥 Forbidden Affair 🥊 Boxing Comeback

The Map of Consciousness Explained

by David R. Hawkins • 2019

Every thought you think registers on a scale from 1 to 1000. Only above 200 is life worth living.

4.43

815

🧠 Consciousness Studies 🪷 Spiritual Development ☯️ Non-Dual Spirituality 🎈 Ego Transcendence ⚡ Energy Psychology

The Map of Consciousness Explained

Every thought you think registers on a scale from 1 to 1000. Only above 200 is life worth living.

by David R. Hawkins 2019

4.43

815 ratings

🧠 Consciousness Studies 🪷 Spiritual Development ☯️ Non-Dual Spirituality 🎈 Ego Transcendence ⚡ Energy Psychology

Insatiable

by Asa Akira • 2014

A porn star's memoir of desire, hustle, and why she never learned to feel ashamed.

3.41

3k+

🎬 Porn Industry ✊ Sex-Positive Feminism 🔥 Female Desire ⚖️ Sexual Double Standards 💪 Body Autonomy

Insatiable

A porn star's memoir of desire, hustle, and why she never learned to feel ashamed.

by Asa Akira 2014

3.41

3k+ ratings

🎬 Porn Industry ✊ Sex-Positive Feminism 🔥 Female Desire ⚖️ Sexual Double Standards 💪 Body Autonomy

A Street Cat Named Bob

by James Bowen • 2012

An injured ginger stray saves a struggling busker from heroin, one shoulder ride at a time.

3.99

61k+

🐈 Human-Animal Bond 🏠 Homelessness Memoir 🏡 Animal Rescue 🐱 Cat Memoirs 🔄 Second Chances

A Street Cat Named Bob

An injured ginger stray saves a struggling busker from heroin, one shoulder ride at a time.

by James Bowen 2012

3.99

61k+ ratings

🐈 Human-Animal Bond 🏠 Homelessness Memoir 🏡 Animal Rescue 🐱 Cat Memoirs 🔄 Second Chances

Breaking the Cycle

by George Collins MA • 2011

Sex compulsion is not you. It is a subpersonality you can name, confront, and quiet.

4.19

470

🧠 Sex Addiction 🔄 Compulsive Behaviors 🪑 Parts Work 🧸 Early Trauma 🛡️ Shame Resilience

Breaking the Cycle

Sex compulsion is not you. It is a subpersonality you can name, confront, and quiet.

by George Collins MA 2011

4.19

470 ratings

🧠 Sex Addiction 🔄 Compulsive Behaviors 🪑 Parts Work 🧸 Early Trauma 🛡️ Shame Resilience

Smarter Faster Better, The Power of Habit

by Charles Duhigg • 2019

A brain loop runs your routines on autopilot. The single rule that lets you reprogram it.

4.27

269

🧠 Habit Science 🔄 Behavior Change 🏢 Organizational Habits 💪 Willpower Research 🛒 Consumer Psychology

Smarter Faster Better, The Power of Habit

A brain loop runs your routines on autopilot. The single rule that lets you reprogram it.

by Charles Duhigg 2019

4.27

269 ratings

🧠 Habit Science 🔄 Behavior Change 🏢 Organizational Habits 💪 Willpower Research 🛒 Consumer Psychology

The Biology of Desire

by Marc Lewis • 2015

Addiction is desire turned automatic, not disease. What the brain learned, it can unlearn.

4.09

2k+

🧠 Addiction Psychology 🧬 Neuroplasticity 🔁 Habit Formation 🎯 Neuroscience Of Desire ⏳ Delay Discounting

The Biology of Desire

Addiction is desire turned automatic, not disease. What the brain learned, it can unlearn.

by Marc Lewis 2015

4.09

2k+ ratings

🧠 Addiction Psychology 🧬 Neuroplasticity 🔁 Habit Formation 🎯 Neuroscience Of Desire ⏳ Delay Discounting

Living Clean

by Unknown • 2012

The first recovery gets you clean. The second teaches you to live.

4.58

529

🪜 Twelve Step Recovery 🛤️ Long Term Recovery 🧎 Spiritual Practice 🌅 Spiritual Awakening 🤝 Recovery Community

Living Clean

The first recovery gets you clean. The second teaches you to live.

by Unknown 2012

4.58

529 ratings

🪜 Twelve Step Recovery 🛤️ Long Term Recovery 🧎 Spiritual Practice 🌅 Spiritual Awakening 🤝 Recovery Community

Coffee Self-Talk

by Kristen Helmstetter • 2022

A 5-minute bedtime ritual to rewire your brain and manifest the life you want.

3.75

2k+

✨ Law Of Attraction 🌙 Nighttime Rituals 🛏️ Sleep Hygiene 🧠 Neuroplasticity 💭 Reprogram Subconscious

Coffee Self-Talk

A 5-minute bedtime ritual to rewire your brain and manifest the life you want.

by Kristen Helmstetter 2022

3.75

2k+ ratings

✨ Law Of Attraction 🌙 Nighttime Rituals 🛏️ Sleep Hygiene 🧠 Neuroplasticity 💭 Reprogram Subconscious

1 2 3 4 5 Next

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M