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Bonus Time: A true story of surviving the worst and discovering the magic of every day
How would you live differently if life gave you a second chance? Brian Pennie shouldn’t be alive today. His drug addiction was so bad that he was deemed too much of a risk for detox. Determined to confront his demons, he went cold turkey at home. Discovered in a pool of blood, it didn’t exactly go to plan, but that’s where his life truly began. On 8 October 2013, he was finally clean after fifteen years of chronic heroin addiction, and something extraordinary the world suddenly became beautiful. Free of the anxiety and fear that had always plagued him, Brian was given a second chance at life, and he devoured every minute of it. Bit by bit he rebuilt his world and began to share what he had learned with others. In this incredibly honest and inspirational book, Brian tells the story of how he turned a seemingly hopeless existence into a rich and rewarding life, showing that change is always possible, no matter how stuck we feel.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 27, 2022
4.5: an honest examination of addiction and luckily in Brian’s case, a second chance to live. It was eye opening to see the power of addiction, how it slowly creeps up, takes over without the person ever realizing they are an addict. (I’ve read more second hand accounts, so hearing a first hand account is very shocking/horrifying.)
November 7, 2020
An insightful book that has changed my perspective on addiction
Everyone needs to read this incredibly honest story - it has helped me to greater understand and have empathy for those suffering from addiction, and their families.
Everyone needs to read this incredibly honest story - it has helped me to greater understand and have empathy for those suffering from addiction, and their families.
July 13, 2021
A book everyone should read, an eye opener.
October 1, 2021
I came across Brian Penny on an episode of the anxiety podcast and found him fascinating and amazing and I bought this book straight away. The basic story is that he suffered from anxiety since he was a child, and started self-medicating with heroin and other drugs, and of course his life spiralled into a drug addiction hell beforebut then he completely turning his life around. I loved this book, it's such great read. A lot of people say they read to escape. It took me a few years to realise that I read to connect. And I really connected with Brian's story. Had a tear in my eye a few times towards the end, and that rarely happens with books for me. There are also some hilarious bits like when he discovers meditation etc while in detox and wants to give all his family and friends life advice after dealing with his BS for years. Overall a fantastic story about the power to transform a life.
March 5, 2021
Beautiful, very corageous account of a life in search of... yeah, what exactly? Peace and calm I presume. I read it quite a while ago but still come back to it in thoughts very often.
Brace and inspiring read, VERY descriptive at time (some parts are not for the faint-hearted, a bit like Trainspotting at times), but SO worth picking up - even if you don't feel it's your cup of tea.
Especially if you don't! Struggle though the harsh parts to uncover some magic and get inspired.
Brace and inspiring read, VERY descriptive at time (some parts are not for the faint-hearted, a bit like Trainspotting at times), but SO worth picking up - even if you don't feel it's your cup of tea.
Especially if you don't! Struggle though the harsh parts to uncover some magic and get inspired.
June 27, 2021
Very honest and shocking. A good insight into what drug addiction can do to people and how it affects family and friends. Probably more of a 3.5 than a 3!
January 13, 2025
A book of two tales. Accessible. Stimulating. Uplifting. This book will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. From highs to low. From happy to sad. This is a MUST read.
March 14, 2022
Read this book in one sitting! A very honest account of the downward spiral in to heroin addiction which had a hold of Brian Pennie for 15 years. He is now passionate about sharing his story to help others to find their path and way out. It seems as if his addiction was a way to disconnect and in healing and recovery, he has learnt that life is all about connection to self and others.
"Living each day as if life is like a bonus"
"Living each day as if life is like a bonus"
February 24, 2022
A really easy read about near-death addiction and going from surving to thriving.
July 5, 2021
I could not put this book down. Brian's story is phenomenal. His descriptions throughout are incredibly vivid and tragic - painting an eye opening and frightening picture of the harrowing drug trade in Dublin and the distress caused to individuals and families in its path. An truly inspirational story.
September 16, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It's upbeat, positive and uplifting - despite covering a very dark topic.
Congratulations Brian (if you're reading this), a compelling story, a great read - keep up the great work :)
Congratulations Brian (if you're reading this), a compelling story, a great read - keep up the great work :)
July 20, 2020
An incredible tale of anxiety, addiction, and beating the odds with unbelievable conviction. Inspiring doesn’t do it justice. All the ingredients you could ever ask for. Phenomenal story and book.
October 27, 2020
I book that I could not put down.
March 4, 2021
The most powerful, life-changing and meaningful book I have ever read. So beautifully written, and one which will stick with me for a very, very long time.
April 18, 2021
interesting read, a very resilient man.
November 19, 2022
This book hooked me right from the beginning in which the five-week old Brian had a surgery for intestinal malrotation without anaesthesia. I was horrified! It was in the late 70s and the doctors at that time believed infants didn't feel pain. That experience traumatized Brian. Since then, he experienced anxiety.
"I believe as an infant I was treated like an organism, I needed an anaesthetic, I wasn't given an anaesthetic," he says. "I found that anaesthetic at 17 years of age."
This book is an inspiring and deeply honest memoir about addiction and recovery. It is a page-turner. Well, page-turner maybe isn't the correct word because I listened to the audiobook, borrowed from my local library. I just couldn't stop listening.
I feel kind of guilty for enjoying the first part of it where Brian experimented with sniffing petrol as a young teenager, then turned to cannabis and later when he was 17 to heroin. He even became a drug dealer. It's kind of like watching an adventure movie but more horrifying. I had never read such a detailed firsthand account of drug addiction and Brian is a brilliant writer.
I felt excited but at the same time I knew what was coming next. I secretly hoped Brian would come out of heroin, with something like a divine intervention, before he hit rock bottom. But that's not how life usually happens. Sometimes, hitting rock bottom is a kind of divine intervention, you need to hit rock bottom to shake you and wake you up.
I listened in horror when he had his withdrawal symptoms especially when he had his first seizure. But he had wakened up. He had realised that he was now given a second chance at life, a bonus time. It changed the course of his life completely.
He discovered meditation and eastern spirituality in detox, which helped him in his recovery. Now came the part I can relate to. In my university years, I was coping with depression and also trying to quit smoking. Spirituality and mindfulness meditation helped me through it. The books he read happened to be the ones I did. One of his favourite books, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle changed my life as well.
The discovery of meditation got him into psychology and neuroscience. At 35 years of age, he went to college and studied psychology. He is now doing a PhD in neuroscience.
This book gives you hope and courage. Whatever we experience in life, it may not be as hard as trying to quit heroin addiction. And Brian wrote this book so that we won't need to hit rock bottom to start appreciating our time in life.
"I believe as an infant I was treated like an organism, I needed an anaesthetic, I wasn't given an anaesthetic," he says. "I found that anaesthetic at 17 years of age."
This book is an inspiring and deeply honest memoir about addiction and recovery. It is a page-turner. Well, page-turner maybe isn't the correct word because I listened to the audiobook, borrowed from my local library. I just couldn't stop listening.
I feel kind of guilty for enjoying the first part of it where Brian experimented with sniffing petrol as a young teenager, then turned to cannabis and later when he was 17 to heroin. He even became a drug dealer. It's kind of like watching an adventure movie but more horrifying. I had never read such a detailed firsthand account of drug addiction and Brian is a brilliant writer.
I felt excited but at the same time I knew what was coming next. I secretly hoped Brian would come out of heroin, with something like a divine intervention, before he hit rock bottom. But that's not how life usually happens. Sometimes, hitting rock bottom is a kind of divine intervention, you need to hit rock bottom to shake you and wake you up.
I listened in horror when he had his withdrawal symptoms especially when he had his first seizure. But he had wakened up. He had realised that he was now given a second chance at life, a bonus time. It changed the course of his life completely.
He discovered meditation and eastern spirituality in detox, which helped him in his recovery. Now came the part I can relate to. In my university years, I was coping with depression and also trying to quit smoking. Spirituality and mindfulness meditation helped me through it. The books he read happened to be the ones I did. One of his favourite books, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle changed my life as well.
The discovery of meditation got him into psychology and neuroscience. At 35 years of age, he went to college and studied psychology. He is now doing a PhD in neuroscience.
This book gives you hope and courage. Whatever we experience in life, it may not be as hard as trying to quit heroin addiction. And Brian wrote this book so that we won't need to hit rock bottom to start appreciating our time in life.
May 27, 2024
An excellent read that pulls back the curtain on addiction: the wonderful feel of the highs that fade no matter how far you chase them, the misery, the lies the addicted person tells themselves and others, the self-medicating that pulls many people to escape into addiction, and the physical prison of neurological need that keeps people locked into it. Brian tells it straight up. He is one of the lucky ones that escaped his addiction before it was too late, and then turned it into a new life of figuring out what helped him heal and sharing that with others.
I wished there was a bit less time spent on the heroin stories and more time spent on the nuts and bolts of his recovery program, but an educational read for anyone touched by addiction and a reminder that miracles do happen. Plus, I learned about some other awesome books that he mentioned reading. Bonus!
I wished there was a bit less time spent on the heroin stories and more time spent on the nuts and bolts of his recovery program, but an educational read for anyone touched by addiction and a reminder that miracles do happen. Plus, I learned about some other awesome books that he mentioned reading. Bonus!
January 29, 2023
An admirably honest account of drug addiction and the person it can turn you into. Brian Pennie doesn’t hold back on how much pain and trauma he caused his family through his addiction, and the hurdles he had to jump over (and will continue to) throughout his recovery. It’s rare to see someone write so openly about their mistakes without making any excuses, and it’s great to see him make a positive life for himself and others by the end of the book. I hope it long continues for him and his family.
April 13, 2023
Finished the book in two days. That says a lot really.
As someone who was familiar with Brian’s story, I had an expectation that I would be bored reading it. The opposite transpired.
There was some things in the book that I wasn’t keen on. In the early years it’s clear Brian was lacking empathy and some of the derogatory remarks made in his reflections lacked sensitivity. The use of the terminology “junkie” being one example.
All told it was an excellent book. Truly inspiring. Very glad Brian is now a force for good and a very good one at that.
Would highly recommend. 5 stars.
January 25, 2023
An incredible book. It manages to be both an extremely personal and physically vivid account of addiction and recovery, and a universal parable about freedom, responsibility, mental health and what it means to be alive. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone, whether you're interested in substance addiction stories (having worked in the field, I can say this is a great insight) or just want to read a powerful and insoiring life story.
May 21, 2024
A personal journey of addiction and recovery. It offers a raw and honest account of the author's struggles and triumphs, making it relatable and inspiring for anyone facing similar challenges. Pennie’s writing style is engaging and keeps the reader hooked (bad choice of word here) from start to finish.
You can visit the full review here without spoiler alerts.
https://audreyhogan.ie/bonus-time/
Bonus Time: A true story of surviving the worst and discovering the magic of every day
You can visit the full review here without spoiler alerts.
https://audreyhogan.ie/bonus-time/
Bonus Time: A true story of surviving the worst and discovering the magic of every day
October 23, 2025
This is a five star rating from me on the topic of this book, addiction. I learned so much, what a deep dive into the mind of an addict. It was so honest, and a courageous story. One of the great things about reading, is that it teaches us empathy. This book was above and beyond in that respect.
October 22, 2021
Gripping, horrifying and ultimately uplifting - this is an amazing read. What an incredible person Brian Pennie is.
December 18, 2022
Really honest account of drug addiction that at times gave more detail than necessary, perhaps. Enjoyable and inspiring. What more could you want, really?
May 12, 2023
Brilliant book, inspiring and thought-provoking. Would highly recommend.
May 26, 2024
Absolutely devoured this book. Such an open and honest and insightful view into the world of addiction. Will definitely be recommending this one.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews