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Drugs
Drugs is a story about Jake Stewart, a middle-class American from Texas who uses drugs and likes them. More importantly, he lives with them.
In author J. R. Helton's hilarious prose, Jake inimitably narrates the ups and downs of being a functional user of marijuana, cocaine, MDMA, alcohol, nicotine, brand name hydrocodone, and countless other drugs readily available and commonly partaken of in modern America. We follow Jake on car rides with his coke dealer to menace connections in supermarket parking lots, buying prescription opiates from a megacorporate health and beauty clinic, falling in love with his wife while on a series of mushroom trips through San Antonio and Austin, binging on nitrous oxide canisters to spectral visions of Julianne Moore whispering his name. Along the way, Jake explains the effects of the drugs he's done--not only on his body but on his soul--and at the same time lampoons an America that pretends, against all reason, that drug use is the province of the weak and the socially outcast, while simultaneously getting high and profiting off of an America in which drug use is not just a part of the American mainstream, but may be one of the only sane responses to the American mainstream.
The contemporary heir of William S. Burroughs's classic Junky , J. R. Helton's novel Drugs shows us--through sly wit, deceptively powerful prose, and the unmistakable ring of truth--a side of America that most of us allow to remain hidden in plain sight.
In author J. R. Helton's hilarious prose, Jake inimitably narrates the ups and downs of being a functional user of marijuana, cocaine, MDMA, alcohol, nicotine, brand name hydrocodone, and countless other drugs readily available and commonly partaken of in modern America. We follow Jake on car rides with his coke dealer to menace connections in supermarket parking lots, buying prescription opiates from a megacorporate health and beauty clinic, falling in love with his wife while on a series of mushroom trips through San Antonio and Austin, binging on nitrous oxide canisters to spectral visions of Julianne Moore whispering his name. Along the way, Jake explains the effects of the drugs he's done--not only on his body but on his soul--and at the same time lampoons an America that pretends, against all reason, that drug use is the province of the weak and the socially outcast, while simultaneously getting high and profiting off of an America in which drug use is not just a part of the American mainstream, but may be one of the only sane responses to the American mainstream.
The contemporary heir of William S. Burroughs's classic Junky , J. R. Helton's novel Drugs shows us--through sly wit, deceptively powerful prose, and the unmistakable ring of truth--a side of America that most of us allow to remain hidden in plain sight.
251 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 1, 2012
I found the book Drugs by J.R. Helton to be very interesting. It told the story of his life starting in his twenties while still looking back at events from his younger years. The book took place in places all around Texas which made it more real. Helton talked used the book to talk about the effects of drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, MDMA, alcohol, nicotine, hydrocodone. When I first started to read the book I assumed he would discuss his wild young adult life and his journey to redemption. But the book continued on with drug abuse though they seemed to get less severe with age. This book was unlike any I’d read before and I enjoyed it.
April 1, 2014
Drugs is a book I wouldn't necessarily recommend to anyone else due to the explicit content. I myself found this book utterly insane, but in a good way. Drugs tells the story about a man named Jake Stewart and his life experiences involving drugs and women. The book slowly unravels and tells how Jake was first introduced to drugs and the crazy lifestyle of a drugie.
Drugs doesn’t promote drug use or any other negative things. Although throughout the book Jake mentions just about every drug out there and his experiences with them. Jake does drugs on a daily bases with many different people. He quite enjoys it despite the amount of money he's wasting. While reading the book Jake reveals the ups and downs of drug use, he explains the effects they have on his body. He loves the feeling, the high he gets but sometimes he ends up in a bad situation where he's flat broke or stuck in the hospital due to the negative effects of some drugs.
His living situation is a little different, he’s lived just about everywhere from a friends beach house to staying at his dealers house. At one point he’s married but his wife lives with a friend and he with the dealer. Throughout the book he’s only married twice and never had any kids. But his lifestyle is a little different, he cheats without thinking. Like it’s not even a big deal, just gives the reader a different perspective on things.
Although the book is a twisted crazy adventure I definitely enjoyed it. I’ve never read anything like it and it really just gave me a different outlook on things.
Drugs doesn’t promote drug use or any other negative things. Although throughout the book Jake mentions just about every drug out there and his experiences with them. Jake does drugs on a daily bases with many different people. He quite enjoys it despite the amount of money he's wasting. While reading the book Jake reveals the ups and downs of drug use, he explains the effects they have on his body. He loves the feeling, the high he gets but sometimes he ends up in a bad situation where he's flat broke or stuck in the hospital due to the negative effects of some drugs.
His living situation is a little different, he’s lived just about everywhere from a friends beach house to staying at his dealers house. At one point he’s married but his wife lives with a friend and he with the dealer. Throughout the book he’s only married twice and never had any kids. But his lifestyle is a little different, he cheats without thinking. Like it’s not even a big deal, just gives the reader a different perspective on things.
Although the book is a twisted crazy adventure I definitely enjoyed it. I’ve never read anything like it and it really just gave me a different outlook on things.
November 20, 2019
Drugs doesn’t promote drug use or any other negative things. Even though throughout the entire book Jake mentions just about every drug out there and his experiences with taking them. Jake does drugs on a daily bases with many different people. He quite enjoys it despite the amount of money he's wasting. While reading the book Jake reveals the ups and downs of drug use, he explains the effects they have on his body and the way they are able to release his emotions. He loves the feeling, the high he gets but sometimes he ends up in a bad situation where he's flat broke or stuck in the hospital due to the negative effects of some drugs. Even though this book is explicit and really has no place inside of an educational setting, its fascinating for someone outside of the drug world to see and learn about the experiences that they have on others, all of the ups and downs of them.
April 5, 2015
The way this is written is so completely bald and then when it's poetic it's actually like the author is describing the world as he sees it in that moment. & The emails back-and-forth between he and his friend are just tremendously genuine and lovely. It's a visceral book and it's a truthful book but it's also beautiful book in its specific way.
May 8, 2018
I've just binge-read all of Helton's books, and I'm glad that I read Drugs last. If I had read this book first, I would not have bothered with any of his other books, which were all fantastic.
This book however........at page 92 I was ready to quit.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole "fictionalized memoir" thing, what exactly does that mean? Wasn't that what got James Frey into trouble with "A Million Little Pieces"? Is it a cop out so that the author can say, "oh that didn't really happen," when pressed about some of the really horrible acts he committed?
Like page 92, which graphically depicts him and his high school jock friends getting trashed, molesting several women, and finally gang raping two women in a parking lot. Sorry, I just can't condone anything to do with that kind of despicable crime, and in the #metoo era, I think this book is going to have a hard time getting any traction in the mainstream world.
The rest of the book was basically just an account of rampant drug use that was interesting in some ways, but like one reviewer said, if you've ever done drugs or been around someone who has, this isn't anything new or interesting. But then the author kept trying to justify things, like driving drunk, by saying, "like every other person in the US". He did this sweeping generalization a lot, and I found it annoying. No, everyone doesn't drive drunk on Friday and Saturday nights, destroy private property, and treat women like interchangeable vaginas. He had a frat boy lifestyle that extended wayyyyyyy past college, and into his 40's and 50's, but that isn't the norm for "everyone" in the US, so stop painting all of us, especially responsible recreational drug users who don't have that frat boy mentality, with the same broad brush.
I really liked his other three books, and I would give them all 5 stars. But this one, sorry JR, this one left me cold.
He did get one thing right. The monologue with "corky" about women taking over the world. I do think that the world is slowly shifting back to a matriarchal society, and the #metoo movement with the resulting fallout of men in power is an indication that it's growing stronger.
This book however........at page 92 I was ready to quit.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole "fictionalized memoir" thing, what exactly does that mean? Wasn't that what got James Frey into trouble with "A Million Little Pieces"? Is it a cop out so that the author can say, "oh that didn't really happen," when pressed about some of the really horrible acts he committed?
Like page 92, which graphically depicts him and his high school jock friends getting trashed, molesting several women, and finally gang raping two women in a parking lot. Sorry, I just can't condone anything to do with that kind of despicable crime, and in the #metoo era, I think this book is going to have a hard time getting any traction in the mainstream world.
The rest of the book was basically just an account of rampant drug use that was interesting in some ways, but like one reviewer said, if you've ever done drugs or been around someone who has, this isn't anything new or interesting. But then the author kept trying to justify things, like driving drunk, by saying, "like every other person in the US". He did this sweeping generalization a lot, and I found it annoying. No, everyone doesn't drive drunk on Friday and Saturday nights, destroy private property, and treat women like interchangeable vaginas. He had a frat boy lifestyle that extended wayyyyyyy past college, and into his 40's and 50's, but that isn't the norm for "everyone" in the US, so stop painting all of us, especially responsible recreational drug users who don't have that frat boy mentality, with the same broad brush.
I really liked his other three books, and I would give them all 5 stars. But this one, sorry JR, this one left me cold.
He did get one thing right. The monologue with "corky" about women taking over the world. I do think that the world is slowly shifting back to a matriarchal society, and the #metoo movement with the resulting fallout of men in power is an indication that it's growing stronger.
October 26, 2023
A cross between Kerouac’s On the road (reeeally hate that book), Wolf of Wall Street, A brief history of vice, Cherry by Nico Walker, Angela’s ashes, and how I assume Schiller’s Pain and gain reads.
August 30, 2016
I found this book to be an apologia for drug addiction. Not recommended for anyone who's actually struggled with addiction for real (and gotten successfully sober) or those who have lost loved ones to addiction. It's well-enough written, but I can't recommend it for anyone who struggles with addiction or alcoholism; the entire book could well be a novel-length trigger that can cause more harm than good.
January 18, 2017
Fast read
I would have preferred less explicit sexual encounters.
Details of doses and timeline added to the relating of his experiences.
Thought provoking words on legal drugs vs illegal and the pharmaceutical industry.
I would have preferred less explicit sexual encounters.
Details of doses and timeline added to the relating of his experiences.
Thought provoking words on legal drugs vs illegal and the pharmaceutical industry.
July 28, 2013
excellent
November 5, 2014
Why are there no reviews? That's crooked!
January 19, 2018
classic dirtbag with funny moments, occasionally interesting below surface
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews