The Struggle

10 Years Later

By: Brian Storm

Narrated by: Brian Storm

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Addicted to heroin and unable to stop on his own, Brian Storm finds himself sitting on the tracks waiting for a train to come and take his life. But things weren't always this bad for Brian, an aspiring white rapper from Philadelphia who had a good upbringing.

In Brian's early teen years, he discovers that drugs and alcohol are the perfect solutions to his low self-esteem issues. Like most addicts and alcoholics, Brian believes that he can stop at any time, so he doesn't see any harm in continuing to drink and smoke weed. What he doesn't know is that with every sip and every puff, he falls deeper into a world of crime and desperation.

The Struggle is a gripping true story that takes you through the life of an addict who hits rock bottom, but quickly learns that the more he tries to dig himself out, the deeper that bottom gets. It takes a blessing in disguise for Brian to finally get the help he needs, but when he does, he learns that The Struggle is far from over.

"Philadelphia native Storm’s debut memoir traces his painful path from developing a life-engulfing addiction to drugs and alcohol to finding sobriety. Narrating his own book, Storm describes how he experimented with drugs and alcohol when he was 12 years old to ease his social anxiety. Soon he began smoking marijuana and spending most days selling drugs to his peers and getting drunk and high. Beginning with MDMA, Percocet, cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana, Storm then began using heroin, a drug that destroyed his life. Eventually, through countless fits and starts, soul-crushing sickness, guilt, sorrow, and fear, he was able to find his way out of addiction, working through the 12 steps and forming healthy relationships with others in the recovery community. Storm delivers his story with disarming frankness and warmth. While he mourns his younger self, he also views himself with compassion and extends this grace to everyone around him. He is not a professional narrator, but this is not what the memoir requires; his unvarnished, occasionally rough, but always clear-eyed presentation speaks volumes. Verdict: Tough and brutally honest, Storm’s gripping account is timely and deeply affecting. This is an audio that deserves to be heard." (Library Journal)

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