I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir by Amy Dresner. Even though it's about addiction and alcoholism, it's one of the funniest books I've read in a while.

Really great writing! Felt like I was there and engaged in the story. Literally could not stop reading. The authors style is delightful.

I enjoyed reading this book. The author has a unique style that grabs the reader’s interest.

Addictive, no pun intended. Funny and real, this was a great read.
congrats to the author for staying clean and thanks to her for sharing her story.

Amy Dresner's memoir, My Fair Junkie: A Memoir of Getting Dirty and Staying Clean stuck out for me as it sounded funny and honest, and we all know I love those two things.

Amy is an addict. Although she prefers opioids, anything will do. Alcohol makes her violent, cocaine works too, and sex fills the void when she is sober from substances. She can't be alone, and she doesn't know how to cope. A 40-something woman who grew up wealthy and spoiled, she's never learned coping mechanisms for the curveballs life throws. Her seventh stint in rehab after a domestic violence incident (by her) finally forces her to deal with who she is and her choices in life. No one said it would be easy, though.

Addiction is no joke, and it's a disease that takes the ones you love. Amy was no different. It was incredible to read her searing honesty and raw wit as she lays her soul bare in this memoir. It's tough to tel us the whole, honest truth, especially using such dark humor (my favorite), and she's doing it in writing for the public. Although I do understand that she. You are writing, it is sometimes the most cathartic thing and others reading or not it doesn't well matter. It was amazing to read her recounting of her wrongs in her own way, and to know that dealing with addiction and shame is a common experience.

Shame is a powerful emotion that drives many of our choices as human, and Amy had every reason to be ashamed of many of her choices, even while sober. Maybe especially when sober. Some parts elicited so much sympathy from me, and some mad respect for her ability to put it out there an own it. This included a few sexual exploits, and her embarrassment in what she was willing to do to fill the empty void inside her. I cheered for her when she finished her community service, laughed with her at the irony of having to call the graffiti removal squad, and hid my head for her when she agreed to continue sleeping with losers. We are all human, and we all have our fair share of shit. I'm thankful that Amy could lay here out there for us so others could feel not so alone.

Outstanding book. What a wonderfully written memoir. Honest, straight to the point and some funny moments thrown in also. I applaud the author for all she went through and her recovery. But, mostly, I applaud and respect her for allowing us to walk this journey with her and allowing us in. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. A Must Read!!!!!

Writer and comedian Amy Dresner writes about her journey to recover in this very honest, open and rather haunting memoir. Battling drug and sex addiction, we follow Amy back to her past and explore what drove her to the brink. It's a void that millions of people try to fill in whatever way necessary.

Dresner is open and darkly funny about her life and this book is journey.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A riveting account of addiction, incarceration in a psych ward and eventual redemption. What a wild ride!

My Fair Junkie: A Memoir of Getting Dirty and Staying Clean is a stunning and riveting debut of addiction and recovery by author comedienne Amy Dresner. With appearances on HuffPost Live, her writing has been featured in Psychology Today, The Fix, and other notable publications. She lives in West Hollywood, CA.

The 2011, holiday celebrations should have been enjoyable and fun. For Dresner, high on OxyContin, hysterical, and fighting frantically with her husband--life as she knew it would soon be over. Dresner would face formal charges of felony domestic violence with attempted assault with a deadly weapon. In her fourth 5150 in eight years, she was committed for a 72 hour hold in a hospital mental ward. “But I can still find time to feel sorry for myself” she wrote… “and ponder, in astonishment, the wreckage I have created: a criminal trial, shattered marriage, lost friendships, no home. I have managed to burn my life to the ground.”
Raised in a life of wealth and privilege, her divorced father a successful writer in film production and of popular sitcoms, she had the best education and mental health care her deeply concerned parents could provide. In therapy since her teens, a London analyst (for rich Jewish New Yorkers) diagnosed her with multiple mental health disorders. Often unable to get out of bed, change her clothes, medication was only temporarily helpful. Dresner knew there was something terribly wrong with her. Eventually she would turn to Tinder to feed her need for sexual trysts with a variety of men, as her behavior involving substance and sexual addiction spiraled beyond her control.

After treatment in several rehab and halfway houses, Dresner’s friend assured her that she could complete her 240 hour community service requirement working in a thrift shop as she had done. Instead, Dresner was assigned to work in the blazing sun, with a crew of non-English speaking males, sweeping streets and picking up filth and trash on/near Santa Monica or Hollywood Blvd. As she regained her sobriety and dignity, the stand-up comic inside her would realize a person didn’t speed simply because they weren’t ticketed, she could calm a crying infant that no one else could, and the “pink cloud” of delirious happiness wasn’t a realistic idea/goal after all.
**With much appreciation and thanks to Hachette Book Group via NetGalley for the direct e-copy for the purpose of review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir by Amy Dresner. Even though it's about addiction and alcoholism, it's one of the funniest books I've read in a while. It's about her many trips to rehab until she finally makes it stick, told with sarcastic humor while she recounts her marital split and divorce, breakdowns and time doing community service. She runs into some real characters during her time getting and staying clean, and it's a real trip. She also worked for nearly 5 years as a stand-up comic as you will easily be able to tell from her writing style. I was given an advance copy of this book for review.

As much as it feels 'wrong' to rate a memoir, as though you are passing judgement on someone else's life or experiences, I found it easier to rate Amy Dresner's memoir as there were a few things I struggled to get on board with.

Firstly some of her behaviours irritated me, but given that she was battling various addictions and problems, this is hardly surprising. But some of the things she said and did seemed to grate, and she came across with an air of superiority. Secondly, I found her to have a very blasé approach to some very major issues, such as domestic violence, and no-strings attached sex, seeming to belittle the experience of such things and completely dampen the significance of such experiences. She seemed to have a lot attitude throughout her experiences. Of particular significance to me when reading this, whilst talking about domestic violence, the way in which Amy did so seemed to really downplay the seriousness of it, and at times this made for troubling reading.

I was pleased to hear of Amy's sort-of happy ending, but I felt the book didn't really have a conclusion. We hear how she continued in her relationship, but it would be nice to know what exactly she is doing with her life now, as the memoir seemed to end quite suddenly. Has she stayed clean? Has she kept a job? Has she rekindled friendships? Maintained a social life?

I am pleased to have been able to read about Amy's experiences, but at times the stories were repetitive and the language unnecessarily colourful, so to speak. However this is a very insightful read which I would recommend.

Hopefully Amy is doing well. Personally, I'd be very surprised. I've read books about junkies previously, but with Amy, I never really understood her connection with her parents and why her life was in such turmoil. It left entirely too many questions to really understand all that happened.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Full disclosure: I had never heard of Amy Dresner before. And my life is pretty much 100% the opposite of hers. And yet, this book was completely captivating. It talks a lot about Amy's time dealing with alcohol, drug and sex addiction and goes into details about what that looked like, nightmares and all. Unlike some memoirs, her writing was good - even though many of her actions were despicable and horrific, you rooted for her. I wanted her to keep fighting (but not in the way that got her arrested).

I also feel like this book helped me understand depression a little more, and why people drink/drug to cope. As I said, my life is completely different so this review could have been all about how I didn't relate, couldn't understand... but I do understand now.

You do need a strong stomach at times when reading this but otherwise, I definitely recommend.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!