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I Am Someone You Know: The Fight For Recovery and Mental Health
A strange room. White walls, white bed sheets, and a white wrist bracelet. The last thing he recalls is a knife. Then... darkness.
In his early twenties, bipolar disorder spread through David Shamszad's mind like wildfire. The pendulum swung back and forth between mania and depression, which he kept secret and untreated. After watching how alcohol tormented his father, David tried to avoid it. But in distress, he turned to that familiar lifeline to ease the pain.
As the years roared by, alcoholism and bipolar disorder tore David's bright and promising life to pieces. Nothing could stop his spiral-not weeks in a psychiatric hospital, nights in jail, or waking up covered in blood. Not even losing the person he loved the most. He was ready to surrender and drown in the sea of alcohol and solitude, but she refused to let him sink. With help from the people who cared for him, and his own relentless determination, David set out to conquer the despair that almost broke him. A new man emerged from the wreckage of his former life.
Today, David is a husband, father, and successful entrepreneur. His harrowing memoir descends deep into the abscesses of spiritual emptiness-sometimes moment by moment, in gripping, visceral streams of consciousness. I Am Someone You Know shows us that, even in the face of our greatest challenges, we can always find hope, courage, and love.
In his early twenties, bipolar disorder spread through David Shamszad's mind like wildfire. The pendulum swung back and forth between mania and depression, which he kept secret and untreated. After watching how alcohol tormented his father, David tried to avoid it. But in distress, he turned to that familiar lifeline to ease the pain.
As the years roared by, alcoholism and bipolar disorder tore David's bright and promising life to pieces. Nothing could stop his spiral-not weeks in a psychiatric hospital, nights in jail, or waking up covered in blood. Not even losing the person he loved the most. He was ready to surrender and drown in the sea of alcohol and solitude, but she refused to let him sink. With help from the people who cared for him, and his own relentless determination, David set out to conquer the despair that almost broke him. A new man emerged from the wreckage of his former life.
Today, David is a husband, father, and successful entrepreneur. His harrowing memoir descends deep into the abscesses of spiritual emptiness-sometimes moment by moment, in gripping, visceral streams of consciousness. I Am Someone You Know shows us that, even in the face of our greatest challenges, we can always find hope, courage, and love.
264 pages, Paperback
Published July 23, 2025
9 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
David Shamszad
1 bookIt is with profound gratitude that I announce the debut of I Am Someone You Know. I wrote this book because I knew that my own recovery and treatment of mental illness and addiction, if shared, could be of service to so many others.
"Mental illness and addiction..."
To this day - seven years after starting this book, fourteen years after I stopped drinking, and twenty-two years after I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder - those words are still not easy to say. And that is, imminently, the point. Whether it is you, or someone you know, mental health and substance abuse intersect in all of our lives. Yet, in our communities, they are so often ensnared by stigma and conversations about them are remanded to a whisper. And so, for our friends, families, sons and daughters, join me and shout.
But be ready... this book is a harrowing journey inside a mind at war with itself. In the most visceral way, this story pulls you in to feel the despair brought about by untreated illness and self-medication. But, with no less gravity, it invites to feel the catharsis born of redemption, love, and prosperity.
And that is why this book is not just for those in apparent crisis. No, I Am Someone You Know is a rallying cry, meant to remind us that so many people, whether evident or not, are in a fight. And with the power of empathy and understanding, we can help ourselves and those around us choose courage in every moment of our lives.
So, when you are ready, I hope you read it yourself and pass it along where you see an opportunity for a message of hope.
With Love,
David
"Mental illness and addiction..."
To this day - seven years after starting this book, fourteen years after I stopped drinking, and twenty-two years after I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder - those words are still not easy to say. And that is, imminently, the point. Whether it is you, or someone you know, mental health and substance abuse intersect in all of our lives. Yet, in our communities, they are so often ensnared by stigma and conversations about them are remanded to a whisper. And so, for our friends, families, sons and daughters, join me and shout.
But be ready... this book is a harrowing journey inside a mind at war with itself. In the most visceral way, this story pulls you in to feel the despair brought about by untreated illness and self-medication. But, with no less gravity, it invites to feel the catharsis born of redemption, love, and prosperity.
And that is why this book is not just for those in apparent crisis. No, I Am Someone You Know is a rallying cry, meant to remind us that so many people, whether evident or not, are in a fight. And with the power of empathy and understanding, we can help ourselves and those around us choose courage in every moment of our lives.
So, when you are ready, I hope you read it yourself and pass it along where you see an opportunity for a message of hope.
With Love,
David
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 9, 2025
I Am Someone You Know is a powerful memoir. The author offers an honest, reflective, and authentic view into bipolar diagnosis and addiction. His vulnerability allows readers to see how close these challenges are in all our lives and does it with vulnerability and hope; and He demonstrates how necessary community and compassion are in finding hope.
March 20, 2026
Life is messy, sometimes we need help cleaning it up!
What a beautiful tribute to life and all its messes, all its glory! This gripping account of battling addiction and a mental illness in tandem showed the human fortitude and empathy. This was an awesome read. if you know of anyone who may be struggling with an addiction or battling a mental disease or illness they know nothing about, help them get help. This book is a great way to become familiar with dealing with these issues.
What a beautiful tribute to life and all its messes, all its glory! This gripping account of battling addiction and a mental illness in tandem showed the human fortitude and empathy. This was an awesome read. if you know of anyone who may be struggling with an addiction or battling a mental disease or illness they know nothing about, help them get help. This book is a great way to become familiar with dealing with these issues.
October 25, 2025
In I Am Someone You Know, David Shamszad writes with honesty about addiction, mental health, and the weight of shame. His vulnerability breaks down stigma and reminds us that these struggles live closer than we think — in someone we know or in ourselves. It’s a powerful reminder of the strength found in connection, support, and belonging.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews