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In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood: A Gen Xer’s Survival Guide to Anxiety, Addiction and Accidental Enlightenment
In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood is the unfiltered, painfully funny, and surprisingly hopeful memoir of a Gen Xer who came of age with a latchkey, a bottomless bowl of Honeycombs, and a growing list of reasons to disappear. From self-sabotage and emotional landmines to a slow descent into alcohol, pills, and trading the people he loved for the numbness he craved, this is the story of a boy who never quite fit in and a man who tried everything not to feel—until he had no choice but to face himself. Through depression, addiction, and a mixtape of bad decisions, Jason takes us on a brutally honest journey from disconnection to redemption. It’s a love letter to imperfection, a survival guide for the quietly unraveling, and proof that even the most broken among us can find peace—no matter how many times we’ve hit snooze on rock bottom.
Told with brutal honesty, dark humor, and deep heart, the book explores childhood trauma, depression, addiction, and the long road to recovery. It’s not just about what broke him—but what helped put him back together.
For fans of David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs, and anyone who knows what it’s like to fall apart and rebuild from scratch.
Told with brutal honesty, dark humor, and deep heart, the book explores childhood trauma, depression, addiction, and the long road to recovery. It’s not just about what broke him—but what helped put him back together.
For fans of David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs, and anyone who knows what it’s like to fall apart and rebuild from scratch.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2025
About the author
Jason Mayo
3 books12 followersJason Mayo is the founder of Sober Not Subtle, a storytelling and advocacy platform breaking the stigma around addiction, recovery, and mental health. A Certified Recovery Peer Advocate, he serves as a community outreach coordinator at a local recovery center, where he leads dads’ groups, brings recovery meetings into the county jail, and speaks at schools to share his lived experience.
Before entering the recovery field, Jason spent years in New York City running award-winning visual effects and animation companies, partnering with some of the world’s top brands. He also gained national recognition as the voice behind the parenting blog Out-Numbered, named one of BlogHer’s Top 100 Voices of the Year and Working Mother’s “25 Dads Who Rock.”
Jason is a Twitch Partner, tattoo collector, lifelong metalhead, and unapologetic zombie enthusiast. He has written two children’s books, with proceeds donated to children impacted by trauma.
Sober since 2010, Jason lives in New York with his college sweetheart and their two daughters.
His debut memoir, In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood, will be published by Sober Not Subtle Media on September 9, 2025.
Told with brutal honesty, dark humor, and deep heart, the book explores childhood trauma, depression, addiction, and the long road to recovery. It’s not just about what broke him—but what helped put him back together.
For fans of David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs, and anyone who knows what it’s like to fall apart and rebuild from scratch.
Before entering the recovery field, Jason spent years in New York City running award-winning visual effects and animation companies, partnering with some of the world’s top brands. He also gained national recognition as the voice behind the parenting blog Out-Numbered, named one of BlogHer’s Top 100 Voices of the Year and Working Mother’s “25 Dads Who Rock.”
Jason is a Twitch Partner, tattoo collector, lifelong metalhead, and unapologetic zombie enthusiast. He has written two children’s books, with proceeds donated to children impacted by trauma.
Sober since 2010, Jason lives in New York with his college sweetheart and their two daughters.
His debut memoir, In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood, will be published by Sober Not Subtle Media on September 9, 2025.
Told with brutal honesty, dark humor, and deep heart, the book explores childhood trauma, depression, addiction, and the long road to recovery. It’s not just about what broke him—but what helped put him back together.
For fans of David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs, and anyone who knows what it’s like to fall apart and rebuild from scratch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
September 1, 2025
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book. Thank you for that.
I have also been lucky enough to have read a few memoirs in my time that examine addiction and recovery, but this is the first that really brought me into the culture of the times. I mean, I could hear the dial-up internet, the fax machine, and the sounds of "Like a Virgin" playing in the background with big-haired women in hair scrunchies and men with earrings wearing Members Only jackets. (I missed those days, as I was in the crib for most of those years, but I have my dad's Member's Only jacket!) But now I am the big-haired, scrunchie wearing gay man with earrings, though I'd listening to the 1990s/2000s more than the 1980s despite my love for what will soon be called the oldies. I have to break out the jacket and start wearing it. I'll do that on September 9th - well, the 10th when I see you next - to hell with the weather that day!
Jason is a seasoned veteran of the Gen X years. I myself lived through some of those years as a Millennial - I just made the starting cut-off! - so I knew so many of the references and jokes. I am also an old soul at heart who references Victor Borge's phonetic punctuation and Harry Bellefonte (and not just the Muppet Show episode), among others. So it goes. But the references hit the right notes. And that's when they are used as a joke as well as setting the scene a bit. That was what made this feel like a comforting read. It was a story to be told and experienced, not just read and felt. Don't get me wrong, I had the feels reading this! I totally did.
Reading this was like reading Kurt Vonnegut. There aren't the Sci-Fi elements of the story here, but the humor. Think Kurt Vonnegut's non-fiction work, or how he describes day-to-day events in his novels. That's what's here. In the alternative, it's like reading Carrie Fisher. (God, I miss her!) Her "Wishful Drinking" was a revelation of self-deprecation, sly humor, and honesty - just like here. It's also like talking to a friend. Jason's voice is clear. He comes across honest and straight-forward but hides just a little of the bite in some humor. You know that there is pain here - honestly, what memoir about anxiety, addiction and mental health doesn't have a little pain in there. The humor doesn't diminish the pain but highlights it subtly. It provides the foil to see the situation, feel the times and the life lived, and it brings the pain into stark contrast that provides just enough of a lens to see it for what it is: life.
Jason's memoir is a masterclass on discovering one's demons over time. Unlike most memoirs I've read on these subjects where there is a sudden "I'm addicted to this" moment - a reckoning, if you will - Jason acknowledges the moments he stopped to think he may have had an addiction early on and how now that he looks back, he is seeing the moments that were clear signs. I appreciated this. It was like a slow-burn thriller in that way: when is the turn? when do we find the killer over the body and the hero jumps up and reveals the killer? The call is coming from inside the head! Run!
The whole memoir was like a Viennetta. How many of you just sighed a little thinking of it? Yeah, it's like that. Reminiscing over how things were back then, comforting, but knowing that the past can be rose-tinted, especially if you remember the Viennetta from the 90s and then the reissue in 2021. It didn't hit the same. Something was lost over time. But it doesn't diminish the nostalgia of the times back then. Here, Jason has the nostalgia of the times, the setting, but the glasses are magnifying the personal experience which could be hidden in the rose-tint of looking back. He calls it as it was. He shares his experience, his inner thoughts, his fears and concerns. Maybe the Viennetta wasn't that good in the 90s. Maybe we just made it seem good at the time, but we have changed to recognize how we never really liked it. Like addiction itself, I guess.
I cried. I cried knowing the pain of loss, the pain of living through so much of what Jason talks about. (He does talk about September 11th and being in the city that day. I relived being in 9th grade Biology class when we heard the fighter jets roar over our Long Island school and then World History when we finally heard about what happened.) I relived a lot of those moments, and I kept thinking how close Jason and I were physically on Long Island all those times. It made the world close in a bit. I already knew my own recovery had elements of Jason's and that the things I did he did, as others have done. As I say below: the paths we walk are different, but the journey is the same.
Jason writes about standing out, about being special. He is. He, like everyone else who has gone through addiction and recovery, is special. Jason is that special person - the special writer - who brings you in, sits you down, orders the coffee, and begins a full recounting with laughs and tears and hope. And this memoir made me feel like he thought the reader was special too. That this was his story, but not a secret to be divulged. It was instead an experience to be shared, to be commented on, to be understood and recognized. In many ways, it's like a share in a fellowship meeting. He doesn't write or speak as though he was unique in his experience, or that he is here to bestow his experience and wisdom onto you like some gray-bearded wizard teaching an apprentice or an old hermit on a mountain you came to for the secret to life, the universe, and everything - which we all know is 42. Instead, he is just talking to a friend or a stranger who will be a friend. He's a lot like that in real life. He does have the gift of connecting with anyone. He really conveys that in his writing too.
The story of his life is told in a mostly linear fashion, but the parts that jump around a little bit are thematically connected so it flows. This jarred me a little the first time, but I kept reading and it made sense. The writing is more like a conversation where a side story can pop up before the rest of the story continues. Like there was a story about Daryl that is interrupted by a story about Hannah before Daryl came back into the story; but Daryl-Hannah thematically made sense. (I tried a reference, let's see if it lands.)
The memoir is true and raw. This IS who Jason is. I know him. Yep, I know an author. It's one of my claims to fame. (That and my huge array of unnecessary facts. I know more than any non-biologist should about the cloaca. It's a party trick, really. Really, it's the sign of a nerd. A cool nerd. Bowties are cool.) But if this memoir was garbage, I would say it. I can't give up my integrity as an at-home book reviewer. (I mean, there are some books I have absolutely tore apart. I'm not afraid of speaking my mind and Jason knew that when he told me he was writing a memoir. I told him I'd be brutal and honest.)
Anyway, this is who Jason is. All I will say is the blue pajamas in the Hamptons? Yeah, I could picture that. He has light up sneakers and more style than I do - which isn't that hard, honestly, but I am gay and I fail at style and therefore fail my people. While other memoirs have felt true and raw and real, I can say without a single doubt that this is true and raw and real. Jason is completely open and wise. He has experience and he's not afraid to use it. And if you like funny, he is just as funny and as he is honest. No sugar coating here. Some self-deprecating humor, but no sugar coating.
Jason talks about what brought him to recovery, but you get the sense of everything he has gained. He mentions throughout all of the joy he now has. His focus is on the pain, the spiral, going into Narnia and not remembering where the wardrobe is but stumbling upon it one day and finding the way out, just like the Pevencie children. The epilogue sets up everything that the decision to leave the cycle of addiction brought.
I'd still like to read more from Jason. A sequel. A companion. A whole new direction. Come on, Jason, I know it's in you. Eventually. For now, this is enough. You are enough. You gifted a brilliant memoir of your path and journey. For now, let's sit in the moment now and know we are not alone. None of us are alone. Our paths are different, but the journey is the same. We all have our vices and substances - whether you had a thing you used as a method to deal or mental health issues or life's general struggles, whatever it was, we all have something - but it is a common human experience and we all need to recognize that there is support in family and friends and even strangers who become friends. We save ourselves through seeking help from others. You did it. Many of us have done it. And what a wonderful world it is since we did.
For those of you still reading this: First of all, thank you for reading the whole thing! I love writing lengthy reviews. Second, you may have noticed several references to my being younger than Jason. Well, that's my own joy here. You see, my age has been the subject of an ongoing joke that has been said, I am sure, with all the love he has for me that I have for him. [As we said in the 90's and early 2000's, Ronni, no-homo here. He is all yours! He's not my type. But if you know a single gay man who ticks my boxes, Ronni, let me know! I trust your taste. We can discuss my boxes. Call me! Thanks! =)] As "grandpappy" - as Jason calls me, though I doubt I got the spelling correct - I had to take the piss a bit here and let everyone know that I am younger and that your birthday present to me - this book - arrived a day late! I can forgive you, but only because it was a great book and I do love you. Grandpappy will always love you. [Cue the Dolly Parton version of the song. We don't need the belting Whitney Houston version, just the subtle Dolly. It suits the vibe right now more.]
I have also been lucky enough to have read a few memoirs in my time that examine addiction and recovery, but this is the first that really brought me into the culture of the times. I mean, I could hear the dial-up internet, the fax machine, and the sounds of "Like a Virgin" playing in the background with big-haired women in hair scrunchies and men with earrings wearing Members Only jackets. (I missed those days, as I was in the crib for most of those years, but I have my dad's Member's Only jacket!) But now I am the big-haired, scrunchie wearing gay man with earrings, though I'd listening to the 1990s/2000s more than the 1980s despite my love for what will soon be called the oldies. I have to break out the jacket and start wearing it. I'll do that on September 9th - well, the 10th when I see you next - to hell with the weather that day!
Jason is a seasoned veteran of the Gen X years. I myself lived through some of those years as a Millennial - I just made the starting cut-off! - so I knew so many of the references and jokes. I am also an old soul at heart who references Victor Borge's phonetic punctuation and Harry Bellefonte (and not just the Muppet Show episode), among others. So it goes. But the references hit the right notes. And that's when they are used as a joke as well as setting the scene a bit. That was what made this feel like a comforting read. It was a story to be told and experienced, not just read and felt. Don't get me wrong, I had the feels reading this! I totally did.
Reading this was like reading Kurt Vonnegut. There aren't the Sci-Fi elements of the story here, but the humor. Think Kurt Vonnegut's non-fiction work, or how he describes day-to-day events in his novels. That's what's here. In the alternative, it's like reading Carrie Fisher. (God, I miss her!) Her "Wishful Drinking" was a revelation of self-deprecation, sly humor, and honesty - just like here. It's also like talking to a friend. Jason's voice is clear. He comes across honest and straight-forward but hides just a little of the bite in some humor. You know that there is pain here - honestly, what memoir about anxiety, addiction and mental health doesn't have a little pain in there. The humor doesn't diminish the pain but highlights it subtly. It provides the foil to see the situation, feel the times and the life lived, and it brings the pain into stark contrast that provides just enough of a lens to see it for what it is: life.
Jason's memoir is a masterclass on discovering one's demons over time. Unlike most memoirs I've read on these subjects where there is a sudden "I'm addicted to this" moment - a reckoning, if you will - Jason acknowledges the moments he stopped to think he may have had an addiction early on and how now that he looks back, he is seeing the moments that were clear signs. I appreciated this. It was like a slow-burn thriller in that way: when is the turn? when do we find the killer over the body and the hero jumps up and reveals the killer? The call is coming from inside the head! Run!
The whole memoir was like a Viennetta. How many of you just sighed a little thinking of it? Yeah, it's like that. Reminiscing over how things were back then, comforting, but knowing that the past can be rose-tinted, especially if you remember the Viennetta from the 90s and then the reissue in 2021. It didn't hit the same. Something was lost over time. But it doesn't diminish the nostalgia of the times back then. Here, Jason has the nostalgia of the times, the setting, but the glasses are magnifying the personal experience which could be hidden in the rose-tint of looking back. He calls it as it was. He shares his experience, his inner thoughts, his fears and concerns. Maybe the Viennetta wasn't that good in the 90s. Maybe we just made it seem good at the time, but we have changed to recognize how we never really liked it. Like addiction itself, I guess.
I cried. I cried knowing the pain of loss, the pain of living through so much of what Jason talks about. (He does talk about September 11th and being in the city that day. I relived being in 9th grade Biology class when we heard the fighter jets roar over our Long Island school and then World History when we finally heard about what happened.) I relived a lot of those moments, and I kept thinking how close Jason and I were physically on Long Island all those times. It made the world close in a bit. I already knew my own recovery had elements of Jason's and that the things I did he did, as others have done. As I say below: the paths we walk are different, but the journey is the same.
Jason writes about standing out, about being special. He is. He, like everyone else who has gone through addiction and recovery, is special. Jason is that special person - the special writer - who brings you in, sits you down, orders the coffee, and begins a full recounting with laughs and tears and hope. And this memoir made me feel like he thought the reader was special too. That this was his story, but not a secret to be divulged. It was instead an experience to be shared, to be commented on, to be understood and recognized. In many ways, it's like a share in a fellowship meeting. He doesn't write or speak as though he was unique in his experience, or that he is here to bestow his experience and wisdom onto you like some gray-bearded wizard teaching an apprentice or an old hermit on a mountain you came to for the secret to life, the universe, and everything - which we all know is 42. Instead, he is just talking to a friend or a stranger who will be a friend. He's a lot like that in real life. He does have the gift of connecting with anyone. He really conveys that in his writing too.
The story of his life is told in a mostly linear fashion, but the parts that jump around a little bit are thematically connected so it flows. This jarred me a little the first time, but I kept reading and it made sense. The writing is more like a conversation where a side story can pop up before the rest of the story continues. Like there was a story about Daryl that is interrupted by a story about Hannah before Daryl came back into the story; but Daryl-Hannah thematically made sense. (I tried a reference, let's see if it lands.)
The memoir is true and raw. This IS who Jason is. I know him. Yep, I know an author. It's one of my claims to fame. (That and my huge array of unnecessary facts. I know more than any non-biologist should about the cloaca. It's a party trick, really. Really, it's the sign of a nerd. A cool nerd. Bowties are cool.) But if this memoir was garbage, I would say it. I can't give up my integrity as an at-home book reviewer. (I mean, there are some books I have absolutely tore apart. I'm not afraid of speaking my mind and Jason knew that when he told me he was writing a memoir. I told him I'd be brutal and honest.)
Anyway, this is who Jason is. All I will say is the blue pajamas in the Hamptons? Yeah, I could picture that. He has light up sneakers and more style than I do - which isn't that hard, honestly, but I am gay and I fail at style and therefore fail my people. While other memoirs have felt true and raw and real, I can say without a single doubt that this is true and raw and real. Jason is completely open and wise. He has experience and he's not afraid to use it. And if you like funny, he is just as funny and as he is honest. No sugar coating here. Some self-deprecating humor, but no sugar coating.
Jason talks about what brought him to recovery, but you get the sense of everything he has gained. He mentions throughout all of the joy he now has. His focus is on the pain, the spiral, going into Narnia and not remembering where the wardrobe is but stumbling upon it one day and finding the way out, just like the Pevencie children. The epilogue sets up everything that the decision to leave the cycle of addiction brought.
I'd still like to read more from Jason. A sequel. A companion. A whole new direction. Come on, Jason, I know it's in you. Eventually. For now, this is enough. You are enough. You gifted a brilliant memoir of your path and journey. For now, let's sit in the moment now and know we are not alone. None of us are alone. Our paths are different, but the journey is the same. We all have our vices and substances - whether you had a thing you used as a method to deal or mental health issues or life's general struggles, whatever it was, we all have something - but it is a common human experience and we all need to recognize that there is support in family and friends and even strangers who become friends. We save ourselves through seeking help from others. You did it. Many of us have done it. And what a wonderful world it is since we did.
For those of you still reading this: First of all, thank you for reading the whole thing! I love writing lengthy reviews. Second, you may have noticed several references to my being younger than Jason. Well, that's my own joy here. You see, my age has been the subject of an ongoing joke that has been said, I am sure, with all the love he has for me that I have for him. [As we said in the 90's and early 2000's, Ronni, no-homo here. He is all yours! He's not my type. But if you know a single gay man who ticks my boxes, Ronni, let me know! I trust your taste. We can discuss my boxes. Call me! Thanks! =)] As "grandpappy" - as Jason calls me, though I doubt I got the spelling correct - I had to take the piss a bit here and let everyone know that I am younger and that your birthday present to me - this book - arrived a day late! I can forgive you, but only because it was a great book and I do love you. Grandpappy will always love you. [Cue the Dolly Parton version of the song. We don't need the belting Whitney Houston version, just the subtle Dolly. It suits the vibe right now more.]
September 9, 2025
I received an ARC of this book last week and absolutely CHOMPED right through it in two days. I laughed, I cried, and many times I felt a blow to the chest with the harsh relatable moments. I’m normally not a memoir reader, but I highly recommend y’all read this one and not just because I said so. But because we all have some sort of dark history within us or know those who have experienced something similar. I almost had to stop at one point as I felt like I looked in a mirror and that someone else had an experience and emotional trainwreck as I had. It took me a LONG time to heal but old wounds did crack open a little. But I felt okay. I felt okay as I wasn’t ALONE in that someone else knew what it felt like.
Almost like having a silent companion to hold your hand.
Will also be sharing to my bookstagram @silverstaglibrary
Almost like having a silent companion to hold your hand.
Will also be sharing to my bookstagram @silverstaglibrary
September 3, 2025
I devoured this book in two days. Raw and honest, it’s easy to read and thoroughly captivating. I fully recommend. While covering both systemic trauma and painful moments in his life, Mayo manages to infuse his memoir with humor and grace. I found myself identifying with his journey on many levels. Anyone who has ever struggled with addiction or loss will find this an edifying read, and come away with a profound sense of hope.
September 4, 2025
An absolute WINNER! This book had all the feels! What a remarkable writer with an incredible life story!
August 25, 2025
“In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood” is one of the most honest and moving books I’ve read in a long time. This memoir gave me a much deeper understanding of how addiction could manifest at such a young age.
It’s as raw as biting down on Reynolds’s wrap with a newly minted cavity. It’s 100% authentic and just beautifully written. I laughed, I cried, and sometimes at the same time.
This isn’t just a story about addiction—it’s about resilience, healing, boyhood, mistakes, manhood, imposter syndrome, hope and a nice dose of humor.
No one gets through this life unscathed, and it’s a stark reminder of how we are all struggling in our own individual ways, and the only way out is to face those challenges head on as Jason does.
From a guy with severe ADD who generally doesn’t read many books, I could NOT put this one down!
It’s a must read.
It’s as raw as biting down on Reynolds’s wrap with a newly minted cavity. It’s 100% authentic and just beautifully written. I laughed, I cried, and sometimes at the same time.
This isn’t just a story about addiction—it’s about resilience, healing, boyhood, mistakes, manhood, imposter syndrome, hope and a nice dose of humor.
No one gets through this life unscathed, and it’s a stark reminder of how we are all struggling in our own individual ways, and the only way out is to face those challenges head on as Jason does.
From a guy with severe ADD who generally doesn’t read many books, I could NOT put this one down!
It’s a must read.
August 22, 2025
This book is your next best read. It follows Jason from his childhood through adulthood, and all the painful trials and tribulations he has gone through. His messages are deep and clear. It's okay to ask for help. It doesn't make you weak, in fact, it's the opposite. It makes you strong and it makes you brave. Everyone needs it. I ugly cried, cried again and laughed throughout the entire book. Jason has a way with words that shows his raw honesty, his vulnerability and his sharp sense of humor throughout. I've already started rereading it. If you've ever felt lost or helpless or there's no way out of the situation you're in, you need to experience: In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood. You'll be relieved that you did.
August 21, 2025
I was lucky enough to get an early release of this book I couldn’t put it down. Jason is funny, honest, and insightful. He shares stories from his life which includes anxiety and addiction, but also includes Long Island, Jewish day camp, sleepaway camp and many funny nostalgic memories of growing up in the late 70s and 80s and then going to college in NY, adulthood, his career and his own family. In the book, Jason also shares some deeply personal stories about his addiction journey, which could make you laugh while crying and cry while laughing. Read the book!
September 7, 2025
This cover would make a nice tattoo... 😉
Easy Read - Difficult To Put Down
First off...if I'm motivated to write an honest review, I must really like this memoir👍
I try to live by what my beautiful mom instilled: "If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything."...social media translation: Scroll on!
My fellow recovering latchkey kid Jason Mayo from Queens / Nassau County, NY inspires the reader with authenticity, humor, and nostalgia. I must admit Google helped me with some of those Gen-X / 1980's nostalgic references. This book is intense at times, but worth the read.
My addiction is sugar (legal cocaine) and food. Cunning and baffling. Regardless if it's a substance or behavioral addiction...Addiction is addiction just different animals. Whether you have an addiction, endured abuse of someone who has, the human experience stories woven into this book connects the casual reader with no relation to recovery. Takeaway, we are all a-holes in someone's stories. Beautiful anuses / recovering humans. Do yourself a solid and read this book.
Side note - Mr. Mayo seems to be the Kevin Bacon of Long Island. Six degrees. This man knows everyone. Kuddos to Ronni; she needs a cape. 🦸♀️
Be kind to yourself and others. ✌🏼
Forgive yourself and others, but don't forget.
Drew Manchu signing off.
Easy Read - Difficult To Put Down
First off...if I'm motivated to write an honest review, I must really like this memoir👍
I try to live by what my beautiful mom instilled: "If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything."...social media translation: Scroll on!
My fellow recovering latchkey kid Jason Mayo from Queens / Nassau County, NY inspires the reader with authenticity, humor, and nostalgia. I must admit Google helped me with some of those Gen-X / 1980's nostalgic references. This book is intense at times, but worth the read.
My addiction is sugar (legal cocaine) and food. Cunning and baffling. Regardless if it's a substance or behavioral addiction...Addiction is addiction just different animals. Whether you have an addiction, endured abuse of someone who has, the human experience stories woven into this book connects the casual reader with no relation to recovery. Takeaway, we are all a-holes in someone's stories. Beautiful anuses / recovering humans. Do yourself a solid and read this book.
Side note - Mr. Mayo seems to be the Kevin Bacon of Long Island. Six degrees. This man knows everyone. Kuddos to Ronni; she needs a cape. 🦸♀️
Be kind to yourself and others. ✌🏼
Forgive yourself and others, but don't forget.
Drew Manchu signing off.
August 28, 2025
Jason’s memoir is a raw and honest story of struggle, survival, and hope. He takes readers through the darkest corners of addiction, without ever losing sight of the person behind the struggle. It’s so powerful because of the vivid honesty and the resilience that shines through each page. This isn’t just a book about addiction; it’s a book about transformation. Jason captures what it means to face your own breaking point and still choose life, growth, family and healing. He shows that he is both vulnerable and strong, showing us that recovery is possible. I walked away with a deeper understanding of Jason and a respect for the strength it takes to rebuild. Give it a try, it will inspire anyone who has faced hardship and needed to persevere.
September 8, 2025
Jason’s story is one of extraordinary courage and raw honesty. This memoir doesn’t just explore the depths of addiction—it reveals the quiet resilience of someone who lived with it far longer than most could imagine. Despite having countless reasons to choose sobriety, Jason’s journey shows how complex and deeply rooted addiction can be.
What makes this book truly powerful is its emotional depth. It’s gut-wrenching at times, yet undeniably inspiring. Jason’s willingness to share his truth is a gift to anyone facing similar struggles, and his commitment to helping others is nothing short of heroic.
This is more than a memoir—it’s a testament to love, perseverance, and the human spirit. Highly recommended for readers seeking a story that’s both heartbreaking and hopeful.
What makes this book truly powerful is its emotional depth. It’s gut-wrenching at times, yet undeniably inspiring. Jason’s willingness to share his truth is a gift to anyone facing similar struggles, and his commitment to helping others is nothing short of heroic.
This is more than a memoir—it’s a testament to love, perseverance, and the human spirit. Highly recommended for readers seeking a story that’s both heartbreaking and hopeful.
August 23, 2025
I really enjoyed this book, in fact, I found it hard to put down. Mr. Mayo sums up the ‘latchkey’ or Gen X generation with humor and pathos. As a mother of two, I experienced a lot of what he summed up so excellently. As a stay at home mom, I was able to issue more control, but I certainly saw what he explained watching my children’s friends. The book had me laughing, then tearful, and whom doesn’t like a good cry! I’m glad he survived the ordeals he went through and was around to write the book. It’s the duty of all mothers of pre-teens and teens to read it, and note the signs of troubles. Beautifully written, In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood, will help prevent a lot of heartache later.
September 5, 2025
I just finished reading this book, and I am truly moved. I went to high school with the author and had no idea he was going through such a difficult battle with addiction. His honesty, courage, and willingness to be so vulnerable on the page is inspiring.
What struck me most is how he balances raw truth with hope. He doesn’t sugarcoat the pain, but he also shows that healing and redemption are possible. It’s a reminder that we often don’t know the struggles people around us are facing, and that compassion and understanding can mean so much.
This book is more than a story of overcoming addiction—it’s a testament to resilience, strength, and the power of second chances. I’m proud of my friend for not only turning his life around but also sharing his journey so that others might find light in their own darkest times.
Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an honest, heartfelt, and ultimately uplifting read!
What struck me most is how he balances raw truth with hope. He doesn’t sugarcoat the pain, but he also shows that healing and redemption are possible. It’s a reminder that we often don’t know the struggles people around us are facing, and that compassion and understanding can mean so much.
This book is more than a story of overcoming addiction—it’s a testament to resilience, strength, and the power of second chances. I’m proud of my friend for not only turning his life around but also sharing his journey so that others might find light in their own darkest times.
Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an honest, heartfelt, and ultimately uplifting read!
September 8, 2025
I could not put this book down. Jason's voice is funny, brave, and vulnerable. He puts it all out there - addiction warts and all. Some parts were painful to read because he sheds light on aspects we all resist and want to keep in the dark. Not only could i not put it down, it stayed with me and has changed my perspective on how my go-to escape hatches have impacted choices I've made, the conseqences I've had to live with -- and the (reluctant) tough changes I need to make to be a better mother, friend, daughter, and human. Bravo Jason. So proud of you.
September 2, 2025
This book is ridiculously good. Especially if you’re a GenX’r. Even if you’re not, you will relate. The author has a special talent for weaving pop culture throughout deeply emotional stories keeping it humorous so you don’t have to cry if you don’t want to. However, you will cry. You root for the author the entire book and feel his pain, sadness and joy along the way. In fact, he’s so relate able, it almost feels like he’s telling my story.
This book is amazing. I happen to be in the middle of 9 other books because I have a difficult time reading due to my ADHD. This one, not one bit. I finished it in 2 days, you can’t put it down. Do yourself a favor and read this. It just might help you.
This book is amazing. I happen to be in the middle of 9 other books because I have a difficult time reading due to my ADHD. This one, not one bit. I finished it in 2 days, you can’t put it down. Do yourself a favor and read this. It just might help you.
September 5, 2025
In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood was amazing. Jason somehow manages to be both brutally candid and oddly charming (which for him is very easy), turning awkward personal moments into laugh‑out‑loud scenes that sneak up and stab you in the heart. It’s the kind of book that will make you smirk, cringe, and then nod in embarrassed recognition.
As a fellow addict, I can honestly say this book is for everyone, not just for those in recovery.
A+! 5 Stars!
As a fellow addict, I can honestly say this book is for everyone, not just for those in recovery.
A+! 5 Stars!
September 5, 2025
This is a book i cant put down . Written with such emotion and strength. To put your painful memories to paper is very healing, but also very brave.
This book takes you with the author and stirs up some of your own emotional memories. Very well written.
This book takes you with the author and stirs up some of your own emotional memories. Very well written.
August 27, 2025
I received an early copy Tuesday and finished it Wednesday. Absolutely blown away. I like ANY recovery story, but this book, like Nigel Tufnel’s amp, goes to ELEVEN. Though i often type LOL, i rarely LOL. Along with the real laughs and real tears, this book offers so much hope for the hopeless. If
you or someone you know is struggling with demons and losing , point them to this book (out 9/9/25). They will see themselves and just maybe find that spark we all needed to surrender.
you or someone you know is struggling with demons and losing , point them to this book (out 9/9/25). They will see themselves and just maybe find that spark we all needed to surrender.
August 27, 2025
Raw, brutally funny, and unexpectedly uplifting, In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood is a memoir of addiction and survival that doesn’t flinch from the truth. From the fallout of a childhood divorce to the chaos of alcohol and drug abuse, the author lays it all bare—yet somehow finds humor and hope in the wreckage. A fearless, inspiring story of pain, persistence, and the power of redemption.
August 23, 2025
Absolutely devoured this book! There were so many parts I actually laughed out loud and had to read the passage aloud to my husband. There was also so many things that brought me back to my teenage years and the desire to fit in. I wish this was written while I was raising my kids as it would have given me a better understanding of their minds.
It is also a story of overcoming your issues and facing them head on! Jason has truly helped so many people with his honesty and vulnerability, this is an absolute must read!!
It is also a story of overcoming your issues and facing them head on! Jason has truly helped so many people with his honesty and vulnerability, this is an absolute must read!!
August 22, 2025
This book is so relatable to everyone! Not just anyone dealing with addiction, but everyone! It’s very well written and with bits of humor. Starting with childhood and into adulthood the feelings and emotions are all there. It’s real and it’s raw and the vulnerability Jason puts out there is intense. You just want to give Jason a hug as you’re reading it. It’s amazing how he’s been able to turn his life around early enough so it didn’t end up killing him and now he’s able to help others with his story! Highly recommend!!
August 22, 2025
Jason writes with raw, vulnerable honesty. This book should be required reading for anyone who has dealt with mental illness, addiction, or is a a Gen Xer. The book made me laugh, cry, and think. It is a beautifully written memoir about childhood trauma, a spiral into addiction, and the climb and ascent into recovery. Run and get this book! You will be better for reading it!
August 22, 2025
Jay’s story is personal and the subject matter is serious, but jays ability to weave the nostalgia of growing up in the 80s, his sense of humor and his brutal honesty make this a super easy read. Almost like listening to a great story teller. If u or someone u love is suffering from mental health issues and/or substance abuse, I cannot reco this any more
August 23, 2025
Gen Xers will appreciate all the cultural references to '80s living. And anyone who has struggled with addictions will relate to the lows that Jason Mayo describes in this fast-paced, easy-to-read memoir. My favorite part was the end, where he finally kicked his habits. Very movingly described.
August 22, 2025
If you too are a Gen X, Latch key kid from a fully functional, dysfunctional family, trying to not only find your way but find your peace- this book is for you. It harkens memories of an after school special.
September 4, 2025
In Case of Emergency, Break Childhood is the kind of memoir that sneaks up on you, punches you in the gut, and then makes you laugh through the tears. Jason Mayo delivers his story with the rawness of an open wound and the sharp wit of a true Gen Xer who grew up on latchkeys and Honeycombs.
This book is unfiltered in the best way — Jason doesn’t sugarcoat the emotional landmines, the self-sabotage, or the numbing spiral of alcohol and pills. But here’s the miracle: amid the darkness, his honesty shines with surprising hope. He takes us from disconnection to redemption with a mixtape of bad decisions that somehow turns into a survival soundtrack.
If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t fit in, if you’ve ever hit snooze on rock bottom, if you’ve ever wondered whether peace is possible after all the brokenness—you’ll see yourself in these pages. Jason’s voice is painfully funny, heartbreakingly authentic, and ultimately redemptive. This isn’t just a memoir—it’s a love letter to imperfection and a lifeline for the quietly unraveling.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves a story that’s equal parts brutal honesty, nostalgic hilarity, and stubborn hope.
This book is unfiltered in the best way — Jason doesn’t sugarcoat the emotional landmines, the self-sabotage, or the numbing spiral of alcohol and pills. But here’s the miracle: amid the darkness, his honesty shines with surprising hope. He takes us from disconnection to redemption with a mixtape of bad decisions that somehow turns into a survival soundtrack.
If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t fit in, if you’ve ever hit snooze on rock bottom, if you’ve ever wondered whether peace is possible after all the brokenness—you’ll see yourself in these pages. Jason’s voice is painfully funny, heartbreakingly authentic, and ultimately redemptive. This isn’t just a memoir—it’s a love letter to imperfection and a lifeline for the quietly unraveling.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves a story that’s equal parts brutal honesty, nostalgic hilarity, and stubborn hope.
September 20, 2025
I started this book and could not put it down. I was like a starving person, devouring this book. In fact, I just finished it, and I'm already looking forward to reading it again, this time with a slower pace so I can savor it longer, making notes as I go. I'm not an addict and I'm not in recovery, and yet, so much of this book was relatable to me. The underlying pain that was the driving force behind the author's addiction was so familiar. And I think that is what really gets me about the book. Everyone can relate to feelings of inadequacy, imposter syndrome, and traumas that inform our later actions. Yes, this book is about a journey of addiction and recovery, but it is much more than that. Mayo has a way of expressing his pain in a way that is so raw and so understandable, and he describes so perfectly what people often say: a person has three lives - a public life, a private life, and a secret life. In revealing his secret life, Mayo brings us on a journey that at times has the reader laughing and at times crying, feeling deeply that we all have a basic human need to be understood in order to heal.
November 22, 2025
This book is a WOW!
This is a WORK OF WISDOM and a priceless gift of authentic soul sharing in which the author reveals his personal and intimate SOS or Suffering Over Sadness. The honesty of this memoir leaves the reader confident that this is a valid, reliable, and, therefore, trustworthy blueprint for learning from someone else's difficult journey from the torture of self-doubt to emerging self-acceptance, self-respect and a happy and fulfilling life. The book is extremely readable because the author is a gifted writer whose sense of humor blends perfectly with scenes of painful reality and this blending of life's varied experiences helps to carry the reader through this very difficult journey through self-awareness and its resulting wisdom. The fact that we can trust this author is not easy to achieve in our current world of ubiquitous mendacity. When lying and misrepresentation are so common, to find believable advice is truly a precious gift and we owe a lot to the caring and truthful sharing of this author.
This is a WORK OF WISDOM and a priceless gift of authentic soul sharing in which the author reveals his personal and intimate SOS or Suffering Over Sadness. The honesty of this memoir leaves the reader confident that this is a valid, reliable, and, therefore, trustworthy blueprint for learning from someone else's difficult journey from the torture of self-doubt to emerging self-acceptance, self-respect and a happy and fulfilling life. The book is extremely readable because the author is a gifted writer whose sense of humor blends perfectly with scenes of painful reality and this blending of life's varied experiences helps to carry the reader through this very difficult journey through self-awareness and its resulting wisdom. The fact that we can trust this author is not easy to achieve in our current world of ubiquitous mendacity. When lying and misrepresentation are so common, to find believable advice is truly a precious gift and we owe a lot to the caring and truthful sharing of this author.
August 25, 2025
I’m Julianne, founder of Swift Steps: The Recovery Communities for Swifties, and I had the privilege of meeting Jason Mayo, the writer and creator of Sober Not Subtle and the author of this book, when Jason spoke at one of our signature SPEAK NOW speaker meetings. Hearing Jason share his story live was unforgettable. It was equal parts raw, unflinching, and deeply hopeful. Reading his book felt like an extension of that moment.
Jason doesn’t shy away from the messy truth of recovery but he tells it in a way that feels human, relatable, and real. His voice is powerful not because it’s perfect, but because it’s honest. This is not just a recovery story: it’s a testament to resilience, humor, and the kind of connection that makes healing possible.
If you’re in recovery, love someone who is, or just need a reminder that growth comes from struggle, this book will stay with you long after the last page! Thanks for getting me an advanced copy, Jason!
Jason doesn’t shy away from the messy truth of recovery but he tells it in a way that feels human, relatable, and real. His voice is powerful not because it’s perfect, but because it’s honest. This is not just a recovery story: it’s a testament to resilience, humor, and the kind of connection that makes healing possible.
If you’re in recovery, love someone who is, or just need a reminder that growth comes from struggle, this book will stay with you long after the last page! Thanks for getting me an advanced copy, Jason!
July 27, 2026
What I appreciated most about this book was reading addiction through a male perspective for the first time. As someone in recovery, I found Jason's portrayal incredibly relatable, not just the drinking itself, but the way addiction seeped into every corner of life. The obsession wasn't limited to alcohol. It showed up in work, in collecting things, in relationships, and in the constant search to fill something that always felt missing.
I especially connected with the idea that the first drink is the one that gets you drunk, because it's the one that sets everything else in motion. That mindset felt incredibly familiar to me.
Another part that resonated with me was his exploration of growing up with divorced parents and the fear of abandonment. That search for something to quiet the pain or fill the void is something I think many of us, whether we're in recovery or not, can understand.
I especially connected with the idea that the first drink is the one that gets you drunk, because it's the one that sets everything else in motion. That mindset felt incredibly familiar to me.
Another part that resonated with me was his exploration of growing up with divorced parents and the fear of abandonment. That search for something to quiet the pain or fill the void is something I think many of us, whether we're in recovery or not, can understand.
August 22, 2025
I absolutely loved being allowed to look into Jason's life story. He is so honest, raw and often funny describing his journey. From the deep void in his life with the implosion of his family, to the following chapters that layered the trials and tribulations of teenage years to young adult. His openness about his addiction touches my heart deeply. As a woman in long term recovery, I applaud all who share their story honestly and unabashedly from the heart. Jason is a warrior against the sigma and shame of addiction. He honors his journey and that opens the door to give light to the one's still struggling. I couldn't put this book down, and yet didn't want it to end. It made me cry and laugh, my two favorite emotions that move me deeply.
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