When Brienne Joelle began attending a new mommies group, she was simply an overstressed mother who was trying to keep up with all the other supermoms around her. But when a fellow mommy took her aside one day and made an incredible proposition, Brienne could not believe her ears. We all do it, said the mommy who had just offered Brienne cocaine. In her poignant and honest memoir, Brienne shares the story of her real-life journey through the pressures of parenthood and into the darkness of drug addiction, the shame and guilt of divorce, and eventual rehabilitation. As she accepts the gift of cocaine with the hope she will gain energy to propel her through the hectic days, Brienne narrates how she soon found herself on a painful roller coaster ride that took her from the depths of hell to a new path where she learned to embrace her imperfections, build her self-esteem, and heal her emotional wounds. Cupcakes and Cocaine is the story of a girl who tried too hard and used too much to have too much; but, by losing it all, she found herselfand became the woman she was destined to be.

This pioneering book explores the notion of 'radical decadence' as concept, aesthetic and lived experience, and as an analytical framework for the study of contemporary feminist textile art. Gendered discourses of decadence that perpetuate anxieties about women's power, consumption and pleasure are deconstructed through images of drug use, female sexuality and 'excessive' living, in artworks by several contemporary textile artists including Orly Cogan, Tracey Emin, Allyson Mitchell, and Rozanne Hawksley. Perceptions of decadence are invariably bound to the negative connotations of decay and degradation, particularly with regard to the transgression of social norms related to femininity and the female body. Excessive consumption by women has historically been represented as grotesque, and until now, women's pleasure in relation to drug and alcohol use has largely gone unexamined in feminist art history and craft studies. Here, representations of female consumption, from cupcakes to alcohol and cocaine, are opened up for critical discussion. Drawing on feminist and queer theories, Julia Skelly considers portrayals of 'bad girls' in artworks that explore female sexuality - performative pieces designed to subvert and exceed feminine roles. In this provocative book, decadence is understood not as a destructive force but as a liberating aesthetic.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The heart-wrenching, uplifting tale about a woman named Cupcake “[Cupcake] Brown’s confessional . . . memoir is one you can’t easily put down. Her life is nothing short of a miracle.”—Chicago Sun-Times There are shelves of memoirs about overcoming the death of a parent, childhood abuse, rape, drug addiction, miscarriage, alcoholism, hustling, gangbanging, near-death injuries, drug dealing, prostitution, and homelessness. Cupcake Brown survived all these things before she’d even turned twenty. And that’s when things got interesting. . . Orphaned by the death of her mother and left in the hands of a sadistic foster parent, young Cupcake Brown learned to survive by turning tricks, downing hard liquor, and ingesting every drug she could find while hitchhiking up and down the California coast. She stumbled into gangbanging, drug dealing, hustling, prostitution, theft, and, eventually, the best scam of all: a series of 9-to-5 jobs. A Piece of Cake is unlike any memoir you’ll ever read. Moving in its frankness, this is the most satisfying, startlingly funny, and genuinely affecting tour through hell you’ll ever take. Praise for A Piece of Cake “[Brown] reflects now with insight and honesty on her experiences. . . . An engaging account . . . of a remarkable life filled with pain and wisdom, hope and redemption.”—San Fracisco Chronicle “Dazzles you with the amazing change that is possible in one lifetime.”—Washington Post

A groundbreaking, science-based approach to addiction that addresses it as the chronic brain disease it is and offersa proven lifelong treatment plan. In The Anatomy of Addiction, readers will discover information and advice on: - normal vs. problem drinking - new medications that are now available - medical and psychiatric complications of different addictions - the importance of treaing a dual diagnosis (such as addiction and borderline personality disorder or depression) - maintenance therapy - when and how to seek treatment, and the roles family members should play - effective strategies for treating the teenage addict - inpatient and outpatient treament services Using proven research and methods, top addiction professional Akikur Mohammad, MD, addresses how to understand and treat multiple types of addiction, from heroin and opiates to alcohol and prescription pills. As engaging as it is informative, The Anatomy of Addiction is a crucial, science-based action plan to help addicts--and their families, friends, and caregivers--conquer addiction once and for all.

The third edition of the essential, accessible source for understanding how drugs work and their effects on body and behavior.

A regularly updated compilation of drug and drug usage terms listing over 1500 street-level terminology for specific drug types, drug quantities, and the drug economy.