Leaving The Rest
Subtitle
Gay Men on Alcoholism, Addiction and Recovery
Edited by Leslie L. Smith
"Leaving the Rest" explores a wide range of sober experiences, each in relation to a 12-step program and with varied levels of success. Among the stories, a businessman is committed to the practice of the 12 steps, but writes about the challenges of addiction and his subsequent recovery over 20 years; a Parisian ex-pat writes about finding his secret key to the 12 steps in Dolly Parton; a boy from New Jersey parties his way from a broken home to an Ivy League education and then gets sober; a member of the Bear community links his 15 minutes of fame to his success in A.A.; erotic writer Edge discusses how his identity as a Leatherman is enhanced by his sobriety and vice versa; a Texas farmer explores life "outside" the rooms of A.A. — he has yet to achieve "long-term" sobriety after two decades of attempting; and novelist Scott Alexander Hess writes about having sober sex with men who are using. Honest and at times harrowing, but ultimately inspiring, these personal stories give voice to gay men and the ways in which sexuality intersects with addiction and recovery on the path to sobriety.
Bio
Leslie L. Smith's first novel, the acclaimed and controversial "Sally Field Can Play the Transsexual, or I Was Cursed By Polly Holliday" was published in 2014. His 1997 film "David Searching," is in the Outfest Legacy Project/UCLA Film Archive and can be streamed on Amazon Prime. He is pursuing a PhD at Arizona State University's School of Art, Media and Engineering.
Praise for this book
Difficult to read for its truth and its straightforward approach to exposing this truth, the book is the ultimate "Thanks For Sharing" moment. The stories — and yes, they are harrowing — are incorruptible and have universal lessons applicable to you, me, and all the other addicts. Addiction is, after all, a disease, and this book demonstrates that with care and generosity.
Edge Magazine
