Writing has always been a form of self-expression that can transcend what readers typically expect. Books that discuss drugs fall under many categories, and while some books depict drug use in detail, others offhandedly mention them and use these struggles as plot devices.

While not every interpretation and understanding of drug use and addiction is perfect, there are a few that stand out for their unique approach to this difficult topic. Here are four books that talk about drugs, and more importantly, their effects on individuals and those close to them.

“Junkie: Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict” by William S. Burroughs

“Junkie” is a semi-autobiographical memoir written by Burroughs in the 1950s about his experience with heroin and morphine addiction. The main character, named William Lee, is based on Burroughs, and the novel roughly follows his real-life experiences with drug use. Because the events of the novel are inspired by real moments in Burroughs’ life, the content of the book is much more impactful, as his direct prose doesn’t sugarcoat the harms and struggles of addiction.

Though the events of the book may seem outlandish and often unrealistic due to the fast pacing, Burroughs’ writing style allows the reader to experience William Lee’s struggles with addiction and its impacts on his mind and the people around him.

A founding writer of the Beat literary movement and author of “Queer” — later adapted into a 2024 feature film released by A24 — Burroughs was well known in literary circles for the heavy topics featured in his work. Other notable Beat writers, like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, influenced Burroughs’ work, and Ginsberg was a part of the drafting and publishing process for “Junkie.”

For several decades, “Junkie” faced backlash and censorship due to its heavy content. However, over the years, uncensored versions of the novel have been published, and these versions, along with the rest of Burroughs’ work, have become increasingly popular among young adults.

“Go Ask Alice” by Beatrice Sparks 

“Go Ask Alice” stands out among the other three books on this list for its writing style. Published in 1971, the nearly 200-page novel details the journey of a 15-year-old runaway girl as she attempts to navigate her life amid a battle with drug addiction and her self-destructive behavior. The novel is made up of fictional diary entries written by the girl, beginning with her confessing and detailing her day-to-day life as she tries to survive on the streets.

What makes Sparks’ book stand out is that the name of the girl writing the entries is never disclosed, though some readers believe that “Alice,” who is mentioned in the book, is the one writing the entries. The anonymity of the writer emphasizes the struggle the writer has with drug use, presenting the novel as real diary entries of a young girl struggling with addiction.

The ending of the book emphasizes the isolation drug use can cause. While it has battled censorship over the years just like Burroughs’ “Junkie,” “Go Ask Alice” has risen in popularity over the years, serving as a reminder that drug addiction must be taken seriously.

“Valley of the Dolls” by Jaqueline Susann 

Susann’s 1966 novel explores the destructive nature of drug use in the entertainment industry. It focuses on the interconnected lives of three women — Anne, Jennifer and Neely — and the effects the amphetamines and barbiturates, or “dolls” as the women call them, have on their mental state and lives over 20 years. The novel is considered to be a roman à clef, or a novel that features real people or events under different names and circumstances, and Susann drew inspiration from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

The entertainment industry and the drug use it pushes on its members are the clear villains of Susann’s novel, directly causing all the misery that the three women suffer. The word “dolls” references the way young women were seen in the entertainment industry during the Golden Age. The women were expected to be young, beautiful, thin and malleable for industry moguls and men to exploit at the expense of their mental and physical health.

The women’s perpetual drug and alcohol abuse causes their slow alienation from the industry, as they become more and more dependent on the “dolls” as they age. “The Valley of the Dolls” not only shows how drugs were easily abused but also the rampant misogyny during that period, serving as a reminder that not much has changed in both the improvement of support for those suffering from addiction and the inherent misogyny still seen in our society today.

“My Year of Rest and Relaxation” by Ottessa Moshfegh 

Lastly, Moshfegh’s 2018 novel, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” is a modern approach to the destructive nature of addiction and society’s general ignorance and rejection of the issues caused by drugs. Moshfegh’s novel is set in New York City from late 2000 to early 2001, where the narrator decides to embark on a journey to “reset” her life and mind after a year of rest and relaxation. She does this through a combination of prescription medications, like sleeping pills and antipsychotics, prescribed to her by a dubious and eccentric psychiatrist, which she ingests with heavy alcohol.

The narrator’s goal for a year of rest and relaxation is constantly interrupted by outside influences, such as concerned acquaintances and professional responsibilities. She quickly abandons interaction with the outside world, no longer interested in participating in society due to their disconnect with the world and their general distaste for human interaction.

The novel is fast-paced, and it has many black comedy qualities, serving as a reminder of the morbidity of the situation the narrator has placed herself in and the consequences of drug abuse. The narrator experiences lapses in her memory as she sleepwalks to and from her apartment, participating in dangerous situations she doesn’t remember.

Moshfegh’s writing is thought-provoking, as the story is told by a narrator who believes that what they are doing is beneficial. The reader realizes from a sentence in the first chapter, “My hibernation was self-preservational. I thought it was going to save my life,” that this journey is harmful from the start. “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” shines a light on the incompetence of the medical community in helping patients who suffer from drug abuse, the disturbingly easy way that prescriptions are handed out without cause or care, and the general discomfort and disinterest society has when it comes to addressing these issues.