Whiskey Bent & Smoked Out

Mostly set in California, this fast-paced novel is an accurate portrait of today's lost generation who take to drugs, alcohol, and sex in a world increasingly shaped by cynicism, alienation, and passivity. Alex has worked as a surveyor and food server, but what he really loves to do is smoke weed, snort mountains of cocaine, and drink with the gang. He is regularly joined by close friends and fellow junkies, stoners, and drunkards Herb, Anthony, and James in their frequent hangout-which they call the "shithouse"-where they all proceed to get stoned, get high, and get wasted. Everything gets complicated, however, when Alex meets his ex-girlfriend, Skyler, and rekindles his feelings for her. Alex is torn between maintaining the carefree life he is used to and working for a better future for him and Skyler, which includes getting clean and drug-free. And when a personal tragedy suddenly strikes Alex's family, his life turns into a downward spiral of depression that threatens to unhinge everything.