Beautiful Boy Book

The book Beautiful Boy is the story of every parent's nightmare. Subtitled A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction, David Sheff's 2008 memoir discuses in detail how his family coped with their son Nic's addiction to methamphetamine. Sheff, a freelance journalist who has worked for Rolling Stone, Playboy, Fortune, and Wired magazines, expanded the book out of a February 2005 article for the New York Times Magazine entitled "My Addicted Son." Beautiful Boy reached the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list and was one many critics' lists of the best books of 2008.

Beautiful Boy covers most of Nic Sheff's life up to that point. David is constantly torn between his love for his son, and the danger that Nic is to the rest of the family. Nic steals from his younger brother and sister, and is even arrested in front of them at one point. In order to protect the family, David must install a security system on the family home.

Beautiful Boy also tells of Nic's many attempts at rehab and his relapses. At the end of the story, David reveals that Nic had been clean for an entire year, but the possibility of another relapse is always present. David Sheff talks about his experiences at Al-Anon, where he is taught the three C's: you didn't cause it, you can't control it, and you can't cure it. Nic Sheff told his version of his struggle in his own memoir, entitled Tweak.