The Book of Sheen: A Memoir

Crack is a smokable form of cocaine that delivers a rapid, intense high and a steep crash, driving compulsive use. Throughout the memoir, crack is a central engine of binges, paranoia, legal trouble, and career derailment, often described alongside pipes, torches, and late-night runs. In the narrative, crack represents a serious step in Sheen’s substance use, presented as a crucial moment in his addiction trajectory.

Freebasing is preparing and smoking cocaine in its “base” form to increase potency and speed of effect. In Sheen’s narrative, it’s referenced as part of the wider lexicon of cocaine use and the high-risk behaviors that orbit his worst spirals. Sheen represents the shift to freebasing as another level of increasingly serious substance use.

HIV attacks the immune system, and without treatment, it can lead to AIDS. However, with modern antiretroviral therapy, it can be suppressed to undetectable levels but not cured. Sheen’s public disclosure of his HIV-positive status is a major late-book turning point, reframing his routines, relationships, and media scrutiny.

Norco is a brand of prescription painkiller that combines hydrocodone (an opiate) and acetaminophen (often noted as “10/325”). In the book, Sheen’s use of Norco fuels dependence cycles, worsens withdrawal and on-set struggles, and becomes a hidden accelerant during turbulent stretches of work and family life.

A showrunner is the lead writer-producer who controls the creative and day-to-day operations of a TV series, overseeing the writers’ room, scripts, tone, and hiring. Figures like Chuck Lorre and Bruce Helford appear in this role as key counterparts to Sheen during Two and a Half Men and Anger Management. When Sheen decides to confront how his stutter affects his acting, he starts by admitting it to his showrunner at Spin City, signaling a willingness to be vulnerable that will change the way he approaches his craft.