An Officer and a Junkie: From West Point to the Point of No Return

by Michael Winder

The author traces his painful voyage through a wide variety of substances that twisted his priorities, his psyche, and his perception of reality in a candid memoir that depicts the penalty of addiction and his journey back to a new life. Original. 25,000 first printing.

371 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2007

About the author

I was born in Westport, Connecticut, in 1977. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and former U.S. Army officer, I currently reside in my hometown, where I'm collaborating on a screenplay and working on my second book."

Reviews

[Jesse]

I thought this book was going to be more about how the stressful lifestyle of the military created this guy's bad habits. It did at the beginning, but then for the next 200 pages, it just seemed that he was bragging about all of the drugs he did, and what he got away with.

Pretty stupid - don't waste your time.

[Mazola1]

This book chronicles the author's downward spiral from West Point cadet to a mental ward inmate hearing voices and convinced he's Frieda Kahlo. Although at times it is almost hypnotically readable, it would have benefitted from a tighter editing. Winder describes his polydrug abuse in sometimes tedious detail, but nonetheless provides an enlightening look into his inexorable decline. He has included copies of various documents such as his admission letter to West Point, medical records, performance evaluations, and discharge records. These provide proof that the basic outline of his story is true, which is a good thing because sometimes the story is so bizarre it seems hard to believe.

It is especially incredible that he was able to function at all (let alone graduate from West Point and get accepted to George Washington University School of Law)in a very demanding environment, given the magnitude and frequency of his drug and alcohol use. Perhaps the fact that the book focuses almost entirely on his drug abuse and mental problems, and provides little if any information about his education at West Point beyond the initial hazing period, contributes to this. Winder calls this a cautionary tale. The question it raises is this: It could happen to anyone. Or could it?

[Shelley]

This book was an eye opener for me. I am surprised that someone can make it through West Point while abusing drugs to this degree. I give him credit for being honest about this now, I just wish he would have got the help he needed while he was at West Point.

[Geoff]

My friend wrote this book. Way better than James Frey's Million little Pieces.

[Gretchen]

A quick and easy read. Not sure what the point of the story was. Kind of leaves you wondering if he is still a junkie.

[Robert Devine]

Peculiar memoir; last quarter of book goes off the rails.