This story begins with James Frey (23) waking up on a plane with his front teeth knocked out and his nose broken. At that stage he had no idea where the plane was going or any recollection of the past two weeks. Frey had been an alcoholic for ten years and a crack addict for three. Then he checked into a treatment facility. He was told he could either stop using or die before he reached age 24. This book is Frey’s account of his six weeks in rehab.