Ninety Days - Clegg

Bill Clegg's Ninety Days, a follow up to his memoir Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man, is a voyeur's peek into the life of a newly recovering addict.

Having recently completed a stint in rehab, Clegg is faced with returning to "normal" life, or the life he lived before drug abuse. Clegg is told by his new sponsor that if he can last just ninety days, the period of time during which without a strong support system many addicts relapse and return to using drugs, he will have a better chance of succeeding in sobriety.  Success is more likely during this time if he makes smart decisions like staying away from triggers (areas or people where/with whom he used to use, stressful situations, opportunities to purchase drugs) and if he fills his time with meetings and new friends who are also recovering themselves and can help show him the way.

Clegg attacks this period of his recovery with as much effort and positivity as he can. During his journey, he meets a cast of characters who both aide and impede his progress. And, though he fails on more than one occasion, he keeps getting back up on the proverbial wagon until finally he reaches the ninety day mark and the realization that perhaps, just maybe, this is possible.

This memoir was an interesting look into what happens in an addict's life after he has hit rock bottom and after the safety and security of rehab has been removed. You can not help but feel for Clegg's struggle and root for his success. A very good read...though I wish I had read his Portrait of an Addict... first. 


3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.
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The Jagreview