Diary of a Secret Drug Addict: Addiction, Dependence and Recovery. An Ex-User’s Guide to Breaking Free – Essential Insights for 2026

by Secret Drug Addict

'The most honest account of addiction I have read. This is an invaluable book'. – Tony Adams. What is an addict?

Who is susceptible, and why?

How can I recover from addiction?

Growing up in a fractious and dysfunctional family, life wasn’t easy for the Secret Drug Addict. By the time he was 29, his chronic and intensive drug abuse threatened end not only his career, but also his life.

After finally entering rehabilitation and various therapy programmes, he managed to find his way out of addiction and began to live with sobriety, in recovery, one day at a time.

This is his story, and this book is for anyone who is struggling with addiction or thinks they might have a problem. It is a book for family and friends who live with the real-life consequences of addiction and want to know more about the illness and where and how to get help.

'I've known the Secret Drug Addict for many years and there is no one better to write about addiction. A must read'. – Neville Southall.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook

288 pages, Hardcover

Published June 9, 2026

Reviews

[Lina]

Can't rate because it's not published! (a goodreads restriction)

3.5 ⭐️

But I listened to this as an audiobook and it was really great. The narrator was fantastic, he had the perfect voice and the conversational style of writing worked excellently as an audiobook. All the jokes just flowed great.

This was a really interesting book and quite hard to describe. It was part memoir, part advice column, part political musings. I loved the author's colloquial style, it made the the topic a lot easier to read and really humanised addiction by emphasising how it is a disease and not a choice. Rather than continuing to see people suffering from addictions as crackheads or junkies who have 'chosen' this 'life-style' it put the emphasis on our failing healthcare systems, the detrimental effects of capitalism and the darker days that we live in. It was really rewarding to hear from a recovered addict and to understand his motivations and how he now helps others.

Deffinitely not an everyday read, but incredibly thought provoking and insightful.

[Michał]

2.5/5

Nic kompletnie nie wyniosłem z tej książki, nie była bardzo wartościowa jak dla mnie. Może temat uzależnień jest dla mnie zbyt odległy żebym mógł zrozumieć treść.
Słuchałem audiobooka, niestety lektor nie był najlepszy.
Myślałem że nie dotrwam do końca, żeby słuchać ostatnie dwie godziny musiałem się bardzo zmuszać.

[J]

This book is part memoir, part self-help, and part social commentary. The self-help stuff was irrelevant to me; I was just curious about how people fall into and out of addiction. The "Diary" in the title is all that drew me in.

It was interesting, and the author's honest self-appraisal was refreshing. So many people self-aggrandize (or idolize those who do) that it's rare to see truly humble self-reflection. The social commentary was also insightful. As the author illustrates, framing addition as a family problem that is solely on families to solve is misguided. Addiction is as much a social problem as it is an individual one. Having adequate support services could prevent so many people from becoming addicted in the first place, and yet—as societies—we just don't.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books]

Addiction doesn’t show up at the door looking like a villain. It doesn’t announce itself with a cape and an evil laugh. No, it sidles up with a grin and says, ‘Fancy an escape? A shortcut to belonging? A good time?’ And before you know it, you’re hooked, and what once felt like a friend becomes the parasite that strips you bare.

I read this book for personal reasons and for research. It was a difficult read, but necessary.

Highly recommend if you or someone you know is suffering with addiction.

[River]

Well, it was ok, but it didn't address the things that I wanted to find out. It almost seemed like every part is too short—how the author fell into addiction, addiction itself, breakthrough, and recovery. If they went into the details, it would've been more interesting. The book itself is also quite unorganized, and it's clear that the author jumped between threads of thought, which made it sometimes hard to follow.

[Nestas Ataraxia]

That book was sensational, inspirational, raw, honest, compassionate, self-reflected and real. I'm really glad I've read this and I now have a minuscully better understanding of life. The author's advice can be applied to various life situations and I felt connected to his story and his words.
I listened to it on audio, so I must also say that the narrator was incredible!

[Laura Marita]

I enjoyed this and was a nice buffer read with the length. Some bits did feel like a self help book, but obviously I would imagine if addiction applied to you it'd be extremely helpful. Would recommend the humour and honesty is spot on.

[Joy]

Lovely written book

[Alina Kogan]

2.5 ⭐️ this felt pointless

[Nadia]

Randomly got this book from the library. A couple of interesting stories, but mostly a self help/advice book.

[Lukshitha Godakumbura]

This is a beautifully written book and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a comprehensive guide to ADDICTION.

[YN]

I enjoyed the memoir bits.