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Nic Sheff    

Author & Recovering Addict

Nicolas Sheff was drunk for the first time at age eleven. In the years that followed, he would smoke pot regularly, do cocaine and ecstasy, and develop addictions to methamphetamine and heroin. Even so, he felt like he would always be able to quit and put his life together whenever he needed to.

It took a violent relapse one summer in California to convince him otherwise. Now Sheff is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic who has written two memoirs, "Tweak" and "We All Fall Down," about his experience. He has also been published in Newsweek, Nerve, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

In a voice that is raw and honest, he spares no detail in telling the compelling, heartbreaking, and true story of his relapse and the road to recovery. He plunges into the mental and physical depths of drug addiction, painting a picture of a person at odds with his past, with his family, with his substances, and with himself. It’s a harrowing portrait—but not one without hope.

In an extraordinary turn of events he and his father, David Sheff, simultaneously wrote a New York Times best-selling memoir about their experience, "Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey through His Son's Meth Addiction."

The memoir was adapted into an award-winning film, "Beautiful Boy," starring Steve Carell, Timothée Chalamet, Maura Tierney, and Amy Ryan.

Speech Topics


An Evening of Addiction, Hope & Redemption with Nicolas & David Sheff

Tweak: A Harrowing but Hopeful Portrait of Addiction

Struggling with Bi-Polar Disorder

Letting Go: A Journey Through Addiction

Addicts don't stop caring about the people they love. But as addiction takes over, it commands a person's mind and body to the point where all they can think about is getting the drugs into their system while loved ones are sidelined, feeling helpless. In this powerful presentation, speaker David Sheff shares the story of his son Nic's addition and the impact it has had on their family. Based on his New York Times best-selling book, Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction, and his son Nic's bestseller, Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, they tell the story from both sides of addiction in this riveting presentation.

Writing for Television

Why Addiction is a Family Affair and How to Deal With It

Realizing that killing himself would not just affect his own life but affect those who loved him helped bring speaker Nic Sheff back from a drug-infused abyss. Knowing firsthand the perils of abuse, today Sheff reaches out to those facing the same struggles. His book, Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, reassures young people in similar situations that they are not alone. By sharing his harrowing yet inspirational story in his book and in presentations, he shares his message that those battling addiction are not stuck in a vacuum—somebody out there loves them and will help them come back to the surface.

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Struggling and Coping with Bi-Polar Disorder

What Kids, Parents and Teachers Need to Know About Addiction

We All Fall Down: Living with Addiction

Tweak: My Life as an Addict and Journey Getting Sober

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News


Timothee Chalamet on 'Beautiful Boy' and Friendship With Nic Sheff ...
It's based on books by David Sheff and Nic Sheff about their real experiences with Nic's drug addiction and its impact on their family. Going in, Chalamet was ...

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