Tweaked: A Crystal Meth Memoir
"This cautionary tale makes you both want and fear crystal meth, as Patrick Moore tells of the ecstatic erotic liberation the drug can bring, and then of the agonizing paranoia, anxiety, loneliness, and self-destructiveness that accompany addiction. But this is also a celebration of recovery, the narrative of one life in which horror didn't claim the ultimate triumph. Elegantly constructed, with a complex narrative structure that drives the reader forward, Tweaked is elegiac, searingly honest, and impossible to put down." --Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression and winner of the 2001 National Book Award for Nonfiction"Observant, funny, and harrowing, Tweaked is an eye-opening, fasten-your-seatbelts ride in and out of the depths of meth madness." --Michael Musto, The Village Voice"Tweaked is a spine-chilling journey into the absurd and tragic realities of drug and alcohol abuse and the painstakingly slow but spiritually redemptive path to recovery. At a time when much of the gay media has been slow to report the horrors caused by crystal methamphetamine addiction, Patrick Moore honestly and bravely bares his soul to show the world what is happening to people because of this drug. Most of all, this skillfully-written memoir leaves the reader with the greatest asset known for survival – hope." --Rich Merritt, author of Secrets of a Gay Marine Porn Star" Don’t let the title fool you: Tweaked is so much more than a crystal memoir. It’s an immersion into a gritty, rarely seen L.A., a recollection of a sleazy downtown New York that no longer exists, an extended visit with an unforgettable, spitfire grandma in Iowa, and—most of all—a penetrating look inward at the lies we tell ourselves, no matter where we are. Patrick Moore writes with humor, grace and precision. His tender-hearted memoir is a book for anyone who’s ever found himself in the wrong place, in a messed up state of mind, but with just enough clarity—and hope—to know that the only way out is to tell the truth." --K.M. Soehnlein, author of The World of Normal Boys and You Can Say You Knew Me When"Like a cat chronicling its nine lives, Patrick Moore describes in Tweaked each one of his harrowing brushes with mortality. In this eye-opening look at the often misunderstood world of crystal meth addiction, Moore will win you over with his audacity, honesty, and poignancy. Anyone who's ever considered trying crystal should read this book first -- it's not preachy or moralistic, but it might save your life." --Tom Dolby, author of The Trouble Boy"Patrick Moore does something extraordinary in this engaging, haunting memoir--he makes the reader understand his simultaneous love affair with and fear of the dark world of addiction and obsession. Even those who have never entered the universe he writes about will come to understand how it seduces so many, calling to the searching and welcoming them with poisoned kisses. Moore takes one of the greatest challenges facing gay men and reveals the human side of a destructive force all too often hidden behind the facade of perfect bodies and sexual fantasy. He offers no answers and asks for no sympathy. He simply tells his story and, through it, the stories of so many others who have had their lives changed forever by Tina's sparkling lies. Impossible to put down and harder to forget, his story lingers long after the last page, asking the reader to question the roles that longing, hope, and fear play in our lives." --Michael Thomas Ford, author of Last Summer and Full Circle"Tweaked is a page-turning, harrowing and ultimately uplifting memoir. Few have been able to speak with such lucidly about the crystal-meth addiction that has gripped so many gay men. Patrick Moore writes in a remarkably open and at times highly entertaining manner – laughing out loud at the sheer preposterousness of the world that had engulfed him, even as he vividly takes us on a trip through his personal house of horrors and, eventually, to his escape. He does an enormous service by offering the story of his successful battle against Tina as roadmap for others to follow." --Michelangelo Signorile, author of Hitting Hard