The world is a difficult enough place that sometimes, it’s good to be able to go through the story of someone’s struggles and how they came out on top, if only to understand that it can be done. Dianne Corbeau’s Six Days in Detox is the story of beating struggles, very much against the odds.
1. Thoughts on the events
This is a memoir following the author’s final stint with alcoholism and then going through detox in her journey to get sober. The story starts with her being so sick that she is near death. She goes to the hospital, but while they can help with the initial treatment, further treatment is not possible because they don’t treat both manic depression and addiction at the same time. Therefore, the author is sent to a facility an hour away. There, she is subjected to what amounts to medical abuse while going through her detox. Spoilers: she gets through it through sheer determination and faith.
Honestly, I have no idea what I was expecting when I picked up this book. I knew that it was a book about recovering from addiction, and that it would likely be harrowing, but this book was a lot more than that. Having chronic medical issues myself, I am already a bit wary of the medical world, but to read what happened at this facility was, truth be told, horrifying. I’m desperately glad that the author got through it, but it was difficult for me to read.
2. Thoughts on the author and journey
I half-expected this book to be one of the stories you see that are so popular these days; despite the struggles, the author tone stays positive throughout. Sometimes too positive, to the point where it seems fake. This book was not like that. The author was upfront and open about her struggles. She delved into the darker thoughts and the reactions to things that were beyond her control. There were absolutely messages of hope in the story, but they weren’t the only thing. Because, frankly, there is a lot of darkness out there and sometimes it needs to be acknowledged before we can move on. I really liked that perspective.
3. Favourite part
I think the little milestones the author mentioned were so well described and portrayed that it felt like I was reaching for them with her. I really appreciate that.
4. Critique
My biggest critique for this book is that it had quite a few grammatical errors. It was not at all difficult to read, but I am an editor as well as a book reviewer, so I am used to reading a story through such things. If you are easily distracted by those errors, this book may be difficult to get through.
Overall, I would say that Six Days in Detox was a very good memoir and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who may be struggling with their own demons, whether that be addiction or something else. I will warn you, though, if you are easily triggered by medical trauma/abuse, this book may not be for you.