A renowned literary agent tells his tale of a life spiraling out of control, entering an alcohol rehab in New York and his journey through recovery. His two memoirs are an honest and heartwarming tale of a man coming to grips with his addiction.
New York resident Bill Clegg had a life that others can only dream about. He built a successful publishing agency and was seemingly living the high life. However, his personal insecurities and demons within led him to a life filled with alcohol and drugs, and his life quickly came crashing down.
In a candid interview with NPR’s John Donovan, Clegg talks about the struggles he faced, his decision to enter alcohol rehab in New York, and the journey he started after seeking alcohol rehabilitation.
It’s a tale that is similar to many who have attended alcohol treatment centers through the years, however, Clegg documented his struggles in his book, Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man, released in 2010. Clegg followed up with a second memoir, Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery, released in early April 2012.
Clegg told Donovan that his biggest fear was reaching out to other alcoholics and addicts in recovery at the rehab center and having to open up about his struggles with his addiction.
“Public speaking for me or speaking even in front of a handful of people is my greatest fear,” Clegg said. “And so the idea of going into a room of strangers and being honest about the things that I had been secretive about and ashamed about my whole life was ... worse than almost any other thing that I can imagine.”
After spending several months at an alcohol rehab in New York, Clegg returned to the city and embarked on his path to recovery. At the rehab center, Clegg was told to attend 90 meetings in 90 days, and his second memoir captures that part of his journey in early recovery.
While Clegg’s drug of choice was crack cocaine, he could easily relate to alcoholics who harbored the same feelings and insecurities that he felt. Alcohol rehabilitation taught Clegg that he needed to be brutally honest about how his decisions were affected by his feelings, and that he needed to lean on the hope, strength and experience of others in recovery.
"As an addict and an alcoholic," Clegg said. "All extreme feelings and emotions were things that I ... often couldn't handle on my own without alcohol and drugs."
Alcohol rehab in New York helped Clegg to understand that he needed to do things differently. "All of the things that I learned in early recovery about being honest, staying connected, not trying to do it on my own," he says, "these are the things that keep me sober today."
Alcohol rehab in New York helped Bill Clegg find a path towards meaningful sobriety. 12 Palms Recovery Center can help anyone find that same meaningful recovery as well. For more information about the addiction treatment program offered at 12 Palms, please call 1(866) 331-6779, or visit us at www.12PalmsRecoveryCenter.com.
Doug Mead is a freelance writer who is also a recovering alcoholic with over 20 years of sobriety. Doug strongly believes in working with fellow recovering alcoholics and addicts who are new to recovery, and as a writer believes in delivering content that is both insightful and thought-provoking.