However, he meets others like himself-former cynics, now devoted believers in the recovery process-who urge patience. When Burroughs checks into the Proud Institute, he is disheartened by its shabby, industrial appearance and even more so by the cliché 12-step routines and aphorisms. Because of Pighead’s diagnosis, Burroughs finds constant excuses to avoid seeing him. The narrative then introduces Pighead, a former-romantic-interest-turned-friend who is living with HIV.

As the first day of rehab nears, he reflects on the causes of his alcoholism: the aesthetics of the drinking experience, a popular culture that normalizes the addiction, and an abusive father who scarred him with cigarette burns. He schedules his 30-day stay at the Proud Institute, a recovery clinic in Minnesota catering to a gay clientele, assuming it will be “like going to a spa” (27). They strongly suggest rehab if he wants to keep his job, so he reluctantly agrees. After missing another meeting the next day, Greer and their boss Elenor confront him about his drinking. He arrives for a client meeting still drunk, and his partner, Greer, is forced to cover for him. One night, they drink until 4:00am despite Burroughs’s early workday the next morning.

His go-to drinking partner is Jim, a mortician. Nevertheless, he’s good at what he does, and he earns a good salary, so he perseveres-using alcohol to cope with the stress. A junior copywriter at 19, Burroughs is now 24 and hates the hypocrisy and artifice at the heart of advertising. This guide references the 2003 Macmillan paperback edition.Ĭontent warning: The memoir addresses the author’s experiences of childhood sexual abuse.Īugusten Burroughs, a New York advertising copywriter, opens his memoir with a critical look at the industry built on attractive unrealities.

Dry augusten burroughs audiobook