Frey'd Not

The current debate raging over Frey's book A Million Little Pieces seems to centre on these key points:

1. Memoirs by their nature, are embellishments of experience. Frey's book is no different.
2. Frey's publisher decided that his book was a work of non-fiction, not him.
3. It's a well written, searing message of hope and recovery, so in the end, who the hell cares?

Well, I for one care for none of the above, because all these angles essentially bypass the main issue.

The main issue, I believe, is that alcoholism, like all addictions to hard substances, is a profoundly disturbing and life wrecking experience for both the addict and anyone who cares about them. The 12 step program of recovery and the concept of alcholism as a disease process are two well accepted and proven paradigms of successful treatment that Frey's book essentially shatters. In his account, he abandons 12 stepping in favour of sheer pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps grit. In short, "Hold on."

Try telling that to the kid whose Dad chose a bar over him, to the daughter whose drunk mother embarrassed her on her wedding day, to the families whose loved ones have committed suicide or who live on the streets, irretrievably lost to their alcohol addiction. Try telling those people that a cure is just a matter of will power.

Given the nature of Frey's recovery, what seems to be getting questioned is the severity of his addictions and deviancy. In the end, pain is pain, but degrees of it seem to be getting applied here. For if the state of Frey's mental and phyical health was as derelict as his book purports, then his recovery is well and truly to be admired.

But if he's not the wayward, bad ass criminal his book purports him to be, then on a factual basis, i.e. beyond the concept of authorial embellishment, there is in the mind of many a credibility issue.

That's the thinking being applied. That's what's ticking a lot of people off. It's the difference between breaking an addiction to nicotine versus breaking one to crack, losing 20 pounds versus 150 pounds. Either accomplishment is inspiring. But it's what you bounce back from that makes it "miraculous."

When all is said and done, I think Frey wrote a ground breaking, inspiring book. I also think his success made him a target. That's pretty par for the course in Western culture. I also give Oprah props for standing by him, because she was absolutely right to point out the obvious: the essence of his achievement.

Because Frey could still be your average crack head living hit to hit. He isn't. He hasn't been for a long time.

And that's what matters.