The Drop: How the Most Addictive Sport Can Help Us Understand Addiction and Recovery

by Thad Ziolkowski

In this revelatory and original book, award-winning author of the acclaimed surf memoir On a Wave illuminates the connection between waves, addiction, and recovery, exploring what surfing can teach us about the powerful undertow of addictive behaviors and the ways to swim free of them.Addiction is arguably the dominant feature of contemporary sex, gambling, exercise, eating, shopping, Internet use—there's virtually no pleasurable activity that can't morph into a destructive obsession. For Americans under the age of fifty-five, the leading cause of death is drug overdose. But there is another side of addiction.

In some instances, the very activities that can lead to addiction can also lead out of it. As neurologists have recently discovered, surfing is a kind of study in the mechanism of addiction, delivering dopamine to the "pleasure" center of the brain and reshaping priorities and desire in a feedback loop of narrowing focus. Thad Ziolkowski knows this dynamic intimately. A lifelong surfer, he has been surrounded by addiction since his boyhood. In this unique, groundbreaking book, part addiction memoir, part sociological study, part spiritual odyssey, Ziolkowski dismantles the myth of surfing as a radiantly wholesome lifestyle immune to the darker temptations of the culture and discovers among the rubble a new way to understand and ultimately overcome addiction. 

Combining his own story with insights from scientists, progressive thinkers and the experiences of top surfers and addicts from around the world, Ziolkowski shows how getting on a board and catching a wave is a unique and deeply instructive means of riding out of the darkness and back into the light. Yet while surfing is his salvation, its lessons can applied to other activities that can pull us free from the lethal undertow of addiction and save lives. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Memoir, Biography

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 6, 2021

About the author

Thad Ziolkowski is the author of Our Son the Arson, a collection of poems, and a memoir, On a Wave, which was a finalist for the PEN/Martha Albrand Award in 2003. In 2008, he was awarded a fellowship from the John S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. His essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, Slate, Bookforum, Artforum, Travel & Leisure and Index. He directs the Writing Program at Pratt Institute. Wichita is his first novel.

Reviews

[Joe E · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many books these days follow the same exact blueprint where based on certain archetypes I can figure out what is going to happen next. It was refreshing to read a completely novel fusion of ideas: surfing and addiction. The parallels between surfing and addiction were uncanny. But the part I found the most interesting was how restorative surfing can be for a wide range of people (people fighting addiction, people with autism, people with health trials.) There is something meditative about the natural ebb and flow of the waves. And there is nothing like an exhilarating wipeout and almost drowning to make you focus on the here and now.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“In the moving liminal water, renewal becomes possible, it's a matter of shedding or cleansing as in a baptism. What is washed away are encrusted self conceptions, losses, gains, traits, traumas, attainments and failures, resentments, carefully cultivated specialness and differences, self-pity, goals, regrets, sins and also virtues, the grand illusion.”


“In my soul, I knew it was just life. How unfair this life is. That the most perfect person could die out of nowhere and the mom just has to deal with the pain. You can’t take it from her, you just have to watch her.”

“The point is whether or not they struggle with drugs, big wave surfers share an essence with addicts, to overcome the effects of tolerance, of having grown familiar with a certain rush, craving something more powerful. Something like their first or best wave, that haunting gold standard, they increase the dose to the very limit of what their bodies can survive. Ross Williams, North Shore local and former world tour pro is unequivocal about the allure with flirting with death. Almost dying in big waves, as morbid as it sounds, is one of the things that keeps you coming back, it's kind of a junkie vibe.”

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a mish-mash, but light enjoyable reading none the less. I was hoping for more of a breakdown of the author’s commingling of surfing and addiction rather than a kind of quick trip through multiple surfers’ addictions. This was recommended by the author of “Barbarian Days,” which is a brilliant surfing memoir.

[Sportfogado24org · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi az online sportfogadás, és hogyan használhatod szórakozás és profitszerzés céljából

Az online sportfogadás a szórakozás és fogadás egyik formája, ahol pénzt fogadhat olyan sportesemények eredményeire, mint a futball, tenisz, kosárlabda, autóversenyzés és egyebek az interneten keresztül. Ez a gyakorlat rendkívül népszerűvé vált, köszönhetően a fogadási platformok könnyű elérhetőségének és a sokféle sporteseménynek, amelyekre fogadhat. Íme, hogyan tudhat meg többet az online sportfogadás, és hogyan használhatja azt felelősen szórakozásra és lehetséges nyereményekre. Ha érdekli a legjobb online sportfogadó sándak, átfogó útmutatót kínálunk 2024-re!

Hogyan működik az online sportfogadás?

A sporteseményekre (például labdarúgó-bajnokságra – például az UEFA) vonatkozó online fogadás speciális fogadási platformokon vagy fogadóirodákon keresztül történik. Ezek az oldalak különféle fogadásokat kínálnak a különböző sportágakra, és különböző eredményekre biztosítanak esélyt. Íme néhány alapvető lépés az online sportfogadásban való részvételhez:

Regisztráció: Kezdje azzal, hogy regisztrál egy fiókot a választott fogadási platformon. Ehhez általában személyes adatok megadása, valamint felhasználónév és jelszó létrehozása szükséges.

Befizetés: Miután létrehozta a fiókot, be kell fizetnie egy bizonyos összeget a számlájára a platformon. Ez lehetővé teszi, hogy valódi pénzben fogadjon sporteseményekre.

Fogadások kiválasztása: Válassza ki azt a sportot vagy sporteseményt, amelyre fogadni szeretne. A platform a különböző eredményekhez elérhető fogadások és szorzók listáját kínálja.

Fogadás: Válassza ki a fogadás típusát, és tegye a fogadni kívánt összeget a kiválasztott eredményre. Ellenőrizze az esélyeket, amelyek meghatározzák a potenciális nyerő tétet.

Eredmények nyomon követése: Kövesse nyomon az esemény előrehaladását, amelyre fogadott, és nézze meg, hogy megnyerte-e vagy elvesztette-e a fogadását.

A fogadások típusai

Az online sportfogadás különböző típusú fogadásokat kínál, többek között:

Match Winner (Pénzvonal): Egy mérkőzés vagy verseny győztesére fogad.

Pontszámok és pontok: Adott pontszámokra fogad, mint például a helyes pontszám vagy a pontok száma.

Fél- vagy negyederedmények: Az esemény bizonyos időszakának végén az eredményre fogad.

Különleges fogadások: Különböző eseményekre vagy statisztikákra fogad, például az első gólra vagy a sárga lapok számára.

Felelős fogadás

Fontos megjegyezni, hogy a sportfogadást felelősségteljesen kell használni. Íme néhány tipp a felelős fogadáshoz:

Kezelje bankrollját: Soha ne fogadjon többet, mint amennyit megengedhet magának.

Ne hajszolja a veszteségeit: Ha elveszít egy fogadást, ne próbálja pótolni azt újabb fogadások megtételével.

Állíts be limiteket: Állíts be korlátokat a fogadásodhoz, és tartsd be azokat.

Engedje át magát a szórakozásnak: Használja a sportfogadást szórakozás és szórakozás egy formájaként.

Az online sportfogadás szórakoztató módja lehet a sportesemények követésének, és extra izgalmat szerezni belőlük. Fontos azonban, hogy ezt a tevékenységet mértékkel és felelősséggel kezeljük, hogy elkerüljük a nem kívánt következményeket.

[Cheney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and found it far more useful about addiction and it’s choke-hold, whether from drugs or other activities like surfing. The author does a great job at explaining terms in a concise and understandable manner.

I loved the personal narrative and life story as well, I would get a little confused regarding time lines, but thought it helped me connect with the author and that carried on throughout the whole book.

Looking forward to reading more of his work!

[Kuan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just love surfing, the thrill of catching a wave, going down the ramp, the feeling of that big gulp of air after getting held down and surfacing again.
Love the culture and the history, but i felt these were random surfing stories, not sure what the overarching theme was except that i learnt a lot of old pro surfers did drugs. Drugs are bad, dont do it too much, dont do anything too much, same for oxygen and water.

[Anna Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very cool premise with some promising moments that would have worked better as a long article. He is a great writer and storyteller, but it needed more cohesion. Mostly just the author on a tangent (which I totally respect) without much of a thesis aside from serial storytelling of famous surfers and their struggles with addiction. Also, a whole bunch of instances of the word “liminality” which, if you know, you know.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sure didn't agree with 100% of what was in this book, but it was really thoughtful, enjoyable, careful, compassionate, and beautifully written. Don't let the subtitle fool you, these are some lovely lyric essays.

[Carol Ellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep understanding of the mind and addiction written with lyrical prose. A unique insightful book.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect airplane read. I had the feeling chapters could be read out of order. Some parts resonated more than others. Believed the author's take on how surfing relates to addiction.

[Masha Beversdorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting and enjoyable. An insightful read on the world of surfing and addiction.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book comparing surfing to drug addiction. Actually made a lot of sense and was entertaining

[Alicia Tapia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title is a bit misleading but it was interesting to listen to anyway. A but all over the place but also an insightful and illuminating reflection on the addictive and healing qualities of surfing.

[Milan Norling · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting perspective on the relationship between surfing (and other outdoor extreme sports) and addiction. Worth reading, lots of great vocab words

[Nick Monteleone · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting and engaging read on the relationship between surfing and substance use

[HB. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do love a good lyrical book about sports and this mostly delivered. I was more interested in the actual breakdown/comparison of addiction and surfing, less so the anecdotal stories, but they didn't feel like they dragged or anything. I am fascinated by the mentality of surfers contrasted to their reputation because I never thought they actually matched and this was a completely different spin on something I wasn't aware of, so that was cool. Big wave surfing will never not be insane to me and I do genuinely wish I felt that passionate about something.