I'm not here to pitch a book, but I can tell you what's broken in addiction recovery publishing: most authors have never been the person desperately Googling "how to stop drinking" at 3am with shaking hands. I borrowed £30,000 to fund my own rehab in 2012 because I couldn't access affordable treatment. That financial barrier is what drives my work today--and it's what's missing from most recovery literature. The real story isn't the dramatic rock bottom. It's the 90% that comes after someone stops drinking--the part where you're sober but still don't know who you are or how to function at a family dinner. In my practice, I've watched people with 6 months sobriety relapse not because they craved alcohol, but because no one taught them how to sit with boredom or handle a disagreement without numbing out. Authors writing about addiction need to stop romanticizing the "moment of clarity" and start documenting the messy middle. Here's what I'd challenge interviewers to ask: How many people in your advice actually stayed sober past year two? What percentage of your recovery model acknowledges that someone might need three attempts before it sticks? The 12-step model saved my life, but I also know it's not enough on its own--that's why I combined it with CBT, ACT, EFT, and neuroplasticity training. Recovery writing needs fewer celebrity redemption arcs and more honest accounts of what it takes to rebuild a brain that's been rewired by addiction.
I'm Samuel, co-founder of Artmajeur, a platform that helps independent artists reach global audiences. My work sits at the intersection of art, technology, and social access. My current non-fiction project explores how digital platforms reshape who becomes visible in the art world. I've met painters who sold their first piece online after decades of rejection. One told me it was the first time she felt seen beyond her local community. The project looks at how online galleries change careers, create new inequalities, and open unexpected doors. I use real artist stories to show how creativity moves when barriers fall. I believe readers want human-centered reflections, less theory, more lived experience, and that's the heart of this work.