Nic gets black-out drunk for the first time at age eleven and reflects that alcoholism runs in his family.

Nic, eighteen months sober, decides to relapse after Zelda refuses to leave her boyfriend for him.

Nic reconnects with Lauren in San Francisco and the two purchase crystal meth from a dealer named Gack.

Lauren overdoses at her parents' house, and Nic revives her and rushes her to the hospital.

Nic and Gack's drug-selling operation collapses after unhappy customers spread word about their diluted product.

Nic calls his sponsor Spencer, who light-heartedly convinces him to stop using and return to Los Angeles.

Spencer picks Nic up at the airport and begins guiding him through the 12-step recovery program.

A psychiatrist diagnoses Nic with bipolar disorder, and Nic feels relieved that his suffering finally has an explanation.

Nic receives an email from Zelda and reunites with her romantically, ignoring Spencer's warnings about the relationship.

Zelda admits she has secretly been using drugs for over a year, then shoots Nic up with crystal meth.

Nic shows up to his hair salon job in a blackout and is fired and locked out.

Nic goes into a drug-induced psychosis in his mother's garage and is found by Spencer and family members.

Nic's parents force him into a dual-diagnosis treatment center in Arizona despite his hostility and reluctance.

Therapist Annie tells Nic he must stay three months and places him under a no-female contract.

Nic completes four months of treatment and settles in Savannah, maintaining sobriety while writing his memoir.

Nic Sheff's memoir begins with his first blackout at eleven and traces how youthful drug experimentation escalates into full-blown crystal meth addiction. After eighteen months of sobriety, Nic relapses in San Francisco, falling deeper into drug use with his dealer Gack and ex-girlfriend Lauren. A call to his sponsor Spencer pulls him back to Los Angeles, where he slowly rebuilds his life through the 12-step program and receives a life-changing bipolar disorder diagnosis. His reunion with Zelda, however, triggers a catastrophic second relapse that costs him his job and nearly his life. After a drug-induced breakdown in his mother's garage, his parents force him into a dual-diagnosis treatment center in Arizona. He ultimately completes treatment and settles into a fragile but genuine sobriety, writing his memoir as part of his ongoing recovery.

The headline events of Nic's addiction and recovery journey.

During his teen years, Nic secretly uses drugs daily while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and getting published in Newsweek.

Nic and Gack break into Nic's father's house, and Nic is later spotted by his stepmother Karen during a car chase.

Nic and Gack meet a dealer named Joe, who steals money from both of them and immediately flees.

Nic and Lauren secretly live in Lauren's parents' luxurious house, using drugs heavily while her parents are away.

Nic and Lauren check into the San Remo Hotel for a final drug binge before agreeing to seek help.

Nic says goodbye to a hurt and angry Lauren and spends his last money on a one-way ticket to Los Angeles.

Spencer takes Nic biking and asks him to write a list of everything he wants out of life within one year.

Alone at his mother's house, Nic is overwhelmed by temptation to relapse but calls Spencer, who talks him through the crisis.

Spencer falls seriously ill with meningitis and is hospitalized, and Nic steps in to care for Spencer's young daughter Lucy.

Nic joins his father, stepmother Karen, stepbrother Jasper, and stepsister Daisy on an emotionally charged family vacation to Molokai.

Spencer explicitly warns Nic that his relationship with Zelda will lead only to devastation.

Zelda's jealous ex-boyfriend storms her house in the middle of the night, and she admits she still has feelings for him.

Nic and Zelda are stranded in Las Vegas after their volatile host Alexi becomes threatening and refuses to buy their return tickets.

Nic survives two near-death overdose episodes as his drug use with Zelda reaches its most dangerous peak.

Nic relapses on pills after his memoir is published but gets himself into treatment before things spiral out of control.

While excelling academically in high school, Nic was secretly using drugs daily—a double life that set the stage for his later addiction. In San Francisco during his first relapse, he breaks into his father's house, gets robbed by a fellow dealer, and watches Lauren live recklessly in her parents' home until her parents return. His sponsor Spencer anchors his early recovery with practical support, including biking trips, domestic introductions, and crisis counseling when Nic nearly relapses alone at his mother's house. As Nic approaches the one-year sobriety mark, he navigates a tense family vacation to Molokai before Zelda pulls him back into drug use. His second relapse escalates to near-death overdoses and a harrowing, violent episode in Las Vegas. The memoir closes in the afterword with Nic admitting a pill relapse after publication, but he seeks help quickly and presses forward.

The secondary scenes that shaped Nic's spiral and recovery.

Nic reflects that while excelling academically and swimming competitively at seventeen, he was secretly drinking and using drugs every day.

After stepmother Karen spots him mid-relapse, Nic talks himself into believing he owes no one anything and keeps using.

Lauren's parents and therapist offer Nic a supervised living arrangement with paid rent and food in exchange for sobriety, and Nic eagerly accepts.

Nic calls his father for help during his relapse in San Francisco, and his father flatly refuses.

Spencer introduces Nic to his wife Michelle and daughter Lucy, prompting Nic to reflect on his own lost childhood.

Nic reestablishes contact with his mother and, with Michelle's help, secures a part-time receptionist job at a hair salon.

Nic musters the courage to call his father during recovery, and the two share a brief but significant conversation.

Nerve.com accepts Nic's unsolicited film review and invites him to submit more, reinforcing his identity as a writer.

Nic switches sponsors from Spencer to the more permissive Voltaire, and he and Zelda impulsively decide to get engaged.

Nic discovers that a used needle he shared has given him a serious infection that doctors warn could cost him his arm.

Zelda visits Nic at the detox center while clearly still using, and Nic backs out of their plan for him to serve jail time.

A group therapy exercise using stuffed animals reveals that Nic chose the same animal to represent both Zelda and his mother.

In an all-male group session, Nic is forced to hold eye contact with every member after sharing his story, confronting his deep emotional disconnection.

Nic begins to genuinely value his treatment program and realizes that self-love and sobriety for himself must come before everything else.

Nic and his parents participate in joint group therapy sessions at the treatment center, openly confronting their shared pain and history.

Throughout his memoir, Nic faces a series of turning points that expose the true roots of his addiction and the obstacles to his recovery. His refusal to confront warning signs—justifying drug use after being spotted by his stepmother, then ignoring Zelda's obvious relapse—keeps him locked in denial for years. Moments of genuine progress emerge as he carefully rebuilds fractured relationships with his parents, secures work, and finds purpose through writing. His obsession with Zelda, which a therapy exercise shockingly reveals mirrors his unresolved feelings toward his absent mother, ultimately triggers his most destructive relapse. At the Arizona treatment center, Nic is forced to confront buried trauma through raw, structured group therapy exercises that demand a level of honesty he has always avoided. By the memoir's close, joint family therapy sessions and a hard-won self-acceptance allow Nic to claim his own identity for what feels like the first time.