Girl, Wasted: A Personal Story of Addiction, Obsession, and Redemption

by Brittany Taltos

Brittany Taltos explores her progression into alcoholism, beginning with the familiar and ever-so-common binge drinking in college. She delves into her addiction at every level by highlighting her thirst for fame and attention through two reality TV appearances including the Bachelor Pad and Jersey Shore. After her epic and humiliating failure with television, she escapes to New York, predicting a fresh start. The city poses multiple threats to her happiness and well-being. Her romantic obsession with a middle-aged married financier becomes the catalyst that initiates an alcoholic tailspin, fueled by heartbreak and anger. Brittany’s insatiability becomes apparent at every level. Her eating disorder and alcoholism are in full throttle as she battles the demons inside of her head. Her raw, candid, and unapologetic delivery allows the reader into the mind of an addict while her sarcasm and humor lightens the tone. In the first chapter she asks, “How did my life as a beautiful girl with a college degree and an effervescent personality become a train wreck?” Throughout the book she explores this theme of transformation. Her desire for escaping reality became her reality. She analyzes and reflects on every destructive decision of her twisted mind that ultimately led her to sobriety. She renders provoking questions regarding life-fulfillment and happiness. By the end of the book, Brittany salvages her integrity as a woman and redefines her role as a fighter by not living as a product of her past.

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 8, 2020

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the quality of writing was poor and that it lacked depth. I also found the author to be a little racist at times (such as when she describes her “Asian” neighborhood with offensive and sweeping generalizations). It felt like it was written by an immature ‘Mean Girl’ with no semblance of accountability and little empathy for others. For me it started out as being relatable but quickly soured.

[J.P. Willson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having written two memoirs about my own alcohol addiction, this hit home for me. Like a baseball bat to the side of the head-hit home. It's funny to me the resemblances yet also how polar opposite our respective addictions were/are. The thing about addiction is it hits each person differently in so many ways, yet the similarities in all addictions, drugs or alcohol do remain a constant as does a large amount of the subsequent recovery...
I personally have never seen the need to reiterate one's horror stories in this fashion, yet I cannot fault the author for doing so as I completely understand the therapeutic value in doing such.
I have read many a memoir where it comes across as bragging, almost like a badge of honor. In this tome however I could 'feel' the change in the authors demeanor as the book progressed. I could feel her pain and her suffering, her unambiguous want of sobriety. It made me sad yet I knew there was a happy ending because I felt this all the way through the book.
This is well written, and unforgiving in it's depth of alcohol dependence.

[Kate Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently started rewatching the Jersey Shore and I reached the episode season where the twins appear. This led me down a rabbit hole to discover what happened to the two twins who had their five minutes of fame in Italy and then again on Bachelor Pad.

Their reality is heartbreaking. This book is such a raw and honest story about the author’s struggle with addiction and an eating disorder that it was almost hard to read at some points. She talks heavily about how unresolved issues with her childhood and her parents led her down this path. She describes horrible nights of blacking out, losing friends and her unwillingness to face the reality that she had a problem with alcohol. Like most alcoholics, she wasn’t blacking out all the time and she was functioning so she didn’t see a problem. But she exhibited many of the classic signs before she got to her breaking point - losing friendships over drinking, drinking alone and early in the day for no reason, and having no concept of when to stop. One of the saddest parts of the book is reading how the addiction impacted the other people in her life, and drove them to anxiety, depression and hopelessness.

Another really important point the author makes is that because alcohol is so socially acceptable, people rarely realize it’s a problem for them until it’s too late. Reality TV culture in particular pushes a constant culture of being drunk and the comedy of bad decisions. As a society, we need to do better about education around addiction.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. The author is very honest about her addiction. This is a very odd book though.....there is zero dialogue, especially from people in Taltos' life. Every sentence is an action or a thought. I am not used to this storytelling, but it works.

Scary events, and it's a miracle she is alive to talk about it.

[Meg Chiappari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book

I loved your goodbye letter to alcohol, it was remarkable. Keep up the good work. You lived a colorful life and you dealt so well with you childhood issues and made it work. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You sound like a wonderful person .

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Really enjoyed this book and how it touched on alcohol addiction and well as eating disorders and how they can go hand in hand.

[Christine Monaco · Rating 1 out of 5]

Vapid.

I am happy that her journey to sobriety was successful, but I got hung up on her misuse of words. Clearly she was drunk through College Writing 101.

[Courtney Habedank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very honest

Hard to put down! This story is very real and honest. I have also struggled with addiction (now sober) so I could relate to many parts of the book.