More Demons
The story of James Frey and his now even-bigger best seller, A Million Little Pieces continues to grow. Today he was back on the Oprah show to have her challenge him for duping her and millions of his readers. This, of course, was after being on Larry King and defending himself along with Oprah making a call to support him there. Well, here is part of what was on the AP Wire today:

Frey acknowledged to King that he had embellished parts of the book, and he told Winfrey Thursday that the same demons that fueled his addictions caused him to mischaracterize himself.
--- from Associated Press, via WCCO-TV

Actually, that last line is not all that far from what the Time Magazine writer said last week:

Nobody questions that Frey was an alcoholic and a drug addict. And one of the habits addicts pick up is bending and breaking the truth on a regular, routine basis. If you look at the distortions in Frey's book not as acts of cynical calculation or self-aggrandizement but as symptoms of his disease, they have a pathos to them.
--Time, Jan.23, 2006

One of the things about addicts is that they have this "mischaracterization" problem. While still in active addiction it is quite easy to mischaracterize yourself as a "normal" person. The official name, of course, is denial. There is a blindness to the things that are going on. There is an inability to come to grips with the way reality just doesn't want to match up with what's going on in the mind of the addict.

The same things continues in recovery. I have heard many drunkalogues (extended monologues about the way things used to be.) In many of these the events that used to be denied are now made all the more interesting with extrapolations, grandiosity, and extensions of the truth. That may very well be part of the story behind the James Frey story. A drunkalogue has become public and the addict knows that it's the truth behind the stories that is far more powerful than the details.

So, I may be jealous that James Frey's story has earned him great big bucks. But that doesn't mean that the book shouldn't be read ... and read by many (The F-Bomb and all!) If you want to enter the world of addiction at the very depths of its pain and hell and even hellish grandiosity, read this book. You will see the early changes that recovery brings as Frey moves from his intial pain (physical and mental) and denial into awareness and hope.

Then read My Friend Leonard to discover what happens as he moves into reality- which as has been said- is something for people who can't do alcohol or drugs.

Actually, I am looking forward to the one he tells next to see how he continues to grow into recovery. It should be another interesting ride.