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Too Far Gone
Too Far Gone is an emotional rollercoaster in the same vein as High Achievers and A Piece of Cake. Anthony and his mom, Diane, turn David and Nic Sheff's harrowing addiction journey on its head in this one-of-a-kind addiction memoir.Diane is a fun-loving, intelligent, caring mother and wife when she is sober. Years of battling severe depression and anxiety from abuse in her youth led her to crippling alcoholism. She's lost her friends, job, health, and tore her family apart. Her oldest child, Anthony, attempts to shrug off his own childhood of horrors to save his mom before she loses the only thing left...her life. Does he save his mom in time? Or does one more drink send her too far gone?Your purchase will save lives. A portion of the proceeds is donated to national and local addiction recovery and mental health centers. Each donation goes towards a person's recovery.
- GenresNonfictionAddiction
156 pages, Paperback
Published March 20, 2018
262 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
A.T. Micalizzi
4 books3 followersA. T. is the author of Too Far Gone and You: A Novel in Verse. He is also a poet, Social Studies teacher, softball coach, mental health advocate, and movie aficionado. He works with foundations to raise money and awareness for those suffering any number of addictions. He releases his short stories, movie reviews, and poetry on his rapidly growing Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/poemsbymic/. He is currently working on Far Gone, his sequel to his memoir and How to Cut Cable in 4 Easy Steps as well as a number of other new creative pursuits.
I look forward to sharing my newest book, Too Far Gone, with you all– it is near to my heart. Please check it out as I continue to launch my career!
I look forward to sharing my newest book, Too Far Gone, with you all– it is near to my heart. Please check it out as I continue to launch my career!
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 17, 2019
I am SO happy that I did NOT pay any actual $$ for this one. I'm going to assume, from the inconsistent, weak, and mediocre writing that this was NOT written by a person with ANY sort of background in creative writing, English literature, grammar, journalism, etc...And if said author DOES actually have some sort of writing degree, then they are a sad representation of whatever institute of learning that they attended. --Jen from Quebec :0)
April 5, 2018
“Mind over matter. You can do anything you set your mind to. ‘Can’t’ is not in our vocabulary.”
Author A. T. (Anthony) Micalizzi is a Social Studies teacher, softball coach, and dog dad to two beagle mixes. Addiction crippled his family and drove him into the field of mental health advocacy. He works with foundations to raise money and awareness for those suffering any number of addictions. He continues to write short stories and poetry.
As he states in his Prologue, ‘Addiction is a disease where a person compulsively abuses one or more substances until it negatively impacts their health and social lives. It disrupts lives, destroys families, and slowly kills its primary victim—the addict. In the U.S., addiction is an epidemic, and if we can all work towards understanding the nature of the addict, we can hopefully save their lives. To the loved ones of addicts: First and foremost, they’re worth fighting for. The toughest battle for a non-addict is the internal one. Almost every day, you have to remind yourself who they were and can be again, not who they’ve become. Remember that you are fighting for their lives. Insults will be thrown, tears will be shed, and you will be disappointed time and time again. But persevere because they are worth the fight. It may seem nearly impossible, but voluntary commitment into a rehabilitation program on the part of the addict is the easiest method to ensure they receive the help they need. Contact the National Substance Abuse Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP to seek out the best treatment. Check on your state’s website for local help as well. With addiction being such a widespread problem, be mindful that openings can be tough to come by. Costs also can vary. Some health insurance policies cover addiction while others can cost tens of thousands of dollars. But don’t lose heart. If you keep looking, you can and will be able to find treatment options that won’t hurt your family financially. In most states, some level of involuntary commitment for addiction treatment is also allowed. With ample evidence to prove that the individual is an addict and a danger to themselves or others, he or she can be placed in a proper rehabilitation facility for a variable amount of time. Unfortunately, some states, including Pennsylvania, exclude addiction from their legal definition of mental illness causing involuntary commitment to be tough to achieve. Currently, there are large gaps in the system when it comes to addiction, but the more we make our voices heard and help others to understand the devastation addiction causes, the better our options will become. Together, we can strengthen our current system so our loved ones have more and better options for treatment. In the meantime, we can utilize what help is available now. If he or she refuses to sign into a rehabilitation program and involuntary commitment is denied or doesn’t work, there may be other legal options to force the addict’s hand such as a restraining order. Call your local law enforcement to discuss immediate options in your area. If all else fails, plead with your loved one, convincing them of the beauty of life and love until you eventually break through. Never give up. To addicts: You may have given up on your life, but you still love your family and friends. Find it in your heart and soul to listen to them. It may seem like an attack, but they have your best interests at heart. You can and will defeat this disease, but you can’t do it alone. Use the resources available to you. Right now, you may be looking at your life and future through the hole of a straw. Sobriety will open your eyes and brighten your future once again.’
Powerful words from a very fine writer/memoirist. The book is tough to read because it is painful and yet so very important for everyone to understand. The story is Anthony’s and the summary tells it well: ‘Frightened, hopeless, helpless, alone, and permanently damaged…Addiction reared its ugly head at the Mazzani family and may destroy them forever. At ten in the morning, the first thing on Anthony’s mind is whether Mom is okay. Unsurprisingly, she is drunk. Typically, she reaches her drunken stupor much later in the day but as his dream prophesied, her alcoholism has taken full control and the family is in for a day from hell. Facing Diane’s addiction on a daily basis for most of their lives, the Mazzani children are plagued with mixed emotions as they face questions like “Do we even want to save her?” As they attempt to process their childhood of horrors, Diane experiences her own mental breakdown: flashbacks of being raped and the death of her mom come roaring back. Spiraling out of control, she holds a knife to her own chest, threatening to end her pain. Over the course of three days, the Mazzani family endures hell as their matriarch dances with the Devil, loses herself in purgatory, and attempts to ascend back to the person she once was.’
This is a book that should be required reading for public enlightenment.
Author A. T. (Anthony) Micalizzi is a Social Studies teacher, softball coach, and dog dad to two beagle mixes. Addiction crippled his family and drove him into the field of mental health advocacy. He works with foundations to raise money and awareness for those suffering any number of addictions. He continues to write short stories and poetry.
As he states in his Prologue, ‘Addiction is a disease where a person compulsively abuses one or more substances until it negatively impacts their health and social lives. It disrupts lives, destroys families, and slowly kills its primary victim—the addict. In the U.S., addiction is an epidemic, and if we can all work towards understanding the nature of the addict, we can hopefully save their lives. To the loved ones of addicts: First and foremost, they’re worth fighting for. The toughest battle for a non-addict is the internal one. Almost every day, you have to remind yourself who they were and can be again, not who they’ve become. Remember that you are fighting for their lives. Insults will be thrown, tears will be shed, and you will be disappointed time and time again. But persevere because they are worth the fight. It may seem nearly impossible, but voluntary commitment into a rehabilitation program on the part of the addict is the easiest method to ensure they receive the help they need. Contact the National Substance Abuse Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP to seek out the best treatment. Check on your state’s website for local help as well. With addiction being such a widespread problem, be mindful that openings can be tough to come by. Costs also can vary. Some health insurance policies cover addiction while others can cost tens of thousands of dollars. But don’t lose heart. If you keep looking, you can and will be able to find treatment options that won’t hurt your family financially. In most states, some level of involuntary commitment for addiction treatment is also allowed. With ample evidence to prove that the individual is an addict and a danger to themselves or others, he or she can be placed in a proper rehabilitation facility for a variable amount of time. Unfortunately, some states, including Pennsylvania, exclude addiction from their legal definition of mental illness causing involuntary commitment to be tough to achieve. Currently, there are large gaps in the system when it comes to addiction, but the more we make our voices heard and help others to understand the devastation addiction causes, the better our options will become. Together, we can strengthen our current system so our loved ones have more and better options for treatment. In the meantime, we can utilize what help is available now. If he or she refuses to sign into a rehabilitation program and involuntary commitment is denied or doesn’t work, there may be other legal options to force the addict’s hand such as a restraining order. Call your local law enforcement to discuss immediate options in your area. If all else fails, plead with your loved one, convincing them of the beauty of life and love until you eventually break through. Never give up. To addicts: You may have given up on your life, but you still love your family and friends. Find it in your heart and soul to listen to them. It may seem like an attack, but they have your best interests at heart. You can and will defeat this disease, but you can’t do it alone. Use the resources available to you. Right now, you may be looking at your life and future through the hole of a straw. Sobriety will open your eyes and brighten your future once again.’
Powerful words from a very fine writer/memoirist. The book is tough to read because it is painful and yet so very important for everyone to understand. The story is Anthony’s and the summary tells it well: ‘Frightened, hopeless, helpless, alone, and permanently damaged…Addiction reared its ugly head at the Mazzani family and may destroy them forever. At ten in the morning, the first thing on Anthony’s mind is whether Mom is okay. Unsurprisingly, she is drunk. Typically, she reaches her drunken stupor much later in the day but as his dream prophesied, her alcoholism has taken full control and the family is in for a day from hell. Facing Diane’s addiction on a daily basis for most of their lives, the Mazzani children are plagued with mixed emotions as they face questions like “Do we even want to save her?” As they attempt to process their childhood of horrors, Diane experiences her own mental breakdown: flashbacks of being raped and the death of her mom come roaring back. Spiraling out of control, she holds a knife to her own chest, threatening to end her pain. Over the course of three days, the Mazzani family endures hell as their matriarch dances with the Devil, loses herself in purgatory, and attempts to ascend back to the person she once was.’
This is a book that should be required reading for public enlightenment.
April 8, 2018
A 20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ book of So Much Importance!! A story of shame, guilt and the love for a person that is here but gone....
A really great (feel so stupid using word like this when it is about a life worse then the most scary horror movie ) true story of living with an addicted mother. How it is to have a hippo in the living room that you pretend not to see...
Anthony has lived his life with an addicted alcoholic mother. A mother that set her bottles before anything else...Can you even imagine the pain and anxiety it is for kids, teens and even adults to every time they open the front door they don't know if the person who is supposed to be taken care of you are so drunk that she barely know who you are? The fear of making her angry and to hear what she thinks about you in her "out of mind" state? That You, her first born baby is not worthy the shit under you shoe? Can you imagine how it is to never feel safe? To know that a fly in the window could get your beloved mother to go berserk with you or start throwing furniture around her? To Never be aible to go to bed and feel real peace and serenity? Instead you are sleeping with anxiety and jump every time you hear a noise that is little higher then a needle dropped to the floor? To hate every Christmas, birthday and other things that people celebrate because you know that you're mum is going to ruin it one or another way? To know that first you have to try hide her drinking in front of your relatives (that already know but pretend to not see the hippo that takes up the whole room) and then it's going to end in disaster anyway? The anxiety if the car and your mum is gone at the same time? Scared almost to death that phone or that the door bell is going to ring and someone will say that is had been an accident?
To have to defend your love for your own mother because of all this?
To love a person that you also hate and want to disappear or die but still be living? To live your life with only one wish? That your mum is going in recover from the legal drug of alcohol?
So many people are living in this right in front of you! If you have kids in school you can be sure that in your child's class there's at least 3 kids that live like this! It's hell on earth and it is LEGAL!!! You can buy alcohol with your milk in most countries (not here in Sweden, we have to go to the liquor store but that doesn't help it's the same problems here).
Read this book and ask yourself after if there is worth the risk to ever drink again... The risk that You will get sick in this disease that alcoholism is!
Ask yourself if you know of any child that could be living in this hell and what You could do to make that child feel like someone don't judge but is there whenever the child needs help of any kind.
We all have to educate us and our children about the disease of alcoholism and drug abuse. My wish is that it should be lessons in school where the kids should meet both addicted in recovery (because you can never be cured from addiction) and people that lived or still live like Anthony did.
I also want to say Thank you for your courage to tell the story of your life ❤ because it takes a lot of courage to do that.
A really great (feel so stupid using word like this when it is about a life worse then the most scary horror movie ) true story of living with an addicted mother. How it is to have a hippo in the living room that you pretend not to see...
Anthony has lived his life with an addicted alcoholic mother. A mother that set her bottles before anything else...Can you even imagine the pain and anxiety it is for kids, teens and even adults to every time they open the front door they don't know if the person who is supposed to be taken care of you are so drunk that she barely know who you are? The fear of making her angry and to hear what she thinks about you in her "out of mind" state? That You, her first born baby is not worthy the shit under you shoe? Can you imagine how it is to never feel safe? To know that a fly in the window could get your beloved mother to go berserk with you or start throwing furniture around her? To Never be aible to go to bed and feel real peace and serenity? Instead you are sleeping with anxiety and jump every time you hear a noise that is little higher then a needle dropped to the floor? To hate every Christmas, birthday and other things that people celebrate because you know that you're mum is going to ruin it one or another way? To know that first you have to try hide her drinking in front of your relatives (that already know but pretend to not see the hippo that takes up the whole room) and then it's going to end in disaster anyway? The anxiety if the car and your mum is gone at the same time? Scared almost to death that phone or that the door bell is going to ring and someone will say that is had been an accident?
To have to defend your love for your own mother because of all this?
To love a person that you also hate and want to disappear or die but still be living? To live your life with only one wish? That your mum is going in recover from the legal drug of alcohol?
So many people are living in this right in front of you! If you have kids in school you can be sure that in your child's class there's at least 3 kids that live like this! It's hell on earth and it is LEGAL!!! You can buy alcohol with your milk in most countries (not here in Sweden, we have to go to the liquor store but that doesn't help it's the same problems here).
Read this book and ask yourself after if there is worth the risk to ever drink again... The risk that You will get sick in this disease that alcoholism is!
Ask yourself if you know of any child that could be living in this hell and what You could do to make that child feel like someone don't judge but is there whenever the child needs help of any kind.
We all have to educate us and our children about the disease of alcoholism and drug abuse. My wish is that it should be lessons in school where the kids should meet both addicted in recovery (because you can never be cured from addiction) and people that lived or still live like Anthony did.
I also want to say Thank you for your courage to tell the story of your life ❤ because it takes a lot of courage to do that.
April 7, 2018
"Can't isn't in our vocabulary"
And yet sometimes, even when it breaks your heart, you need to learn when to "let go." That is some of what you will read in this amazing memoir and you see "what alcoholism" looks like and how it can break a family apart. Addiction, in general, is a "family disease," not just for the addict.
Yes, there is 'Help and Hope' from alcoholism, but some don't grab the "Golden Ring of Life" from addiction. They may feel it's easier to be an addict than to do the work necessary to gain your life back, even when it is your own loving family trying to help. "Hate the Addiction, not the Addict" is some of what I learned reading Anthony's memoir.
The author gives a clear, in-depth account of trying to save their mother can be a roller coaster ride, heartbreaking, and frustrating. So much so, it can affect the people trying to help and intervene in a negative way and jeopardize their own mental and emotional stability and health. So much so, the author is now a mental health advocate! The author shares, when is it "Enough?" Sharing this true story by the author tells us that addictions of any kind have no boundaries of whom it will touch and sometimes claim a life.
A. T. (Anthony) did exceptional in writing his memoir. His writing style makes you feel all the emotions of a family in crisis and trying to save their mother's life. I am a recovering gambling and alcohol addict now 11+yrs maintaining recovery myself and I know "Rule #1" is, the addict has to be willing and ready to receive the help. No one person like Anthony or even his dad and siblings tried to no avail. And many times the family will become bitter, and one by one leave and give up hope in trying to get the addict help.
This true story will touch your heart and is an exceptional example and should be read by all, especially family who is dealing and living with an addict. I liked the way the author laid out the way book was formatted. It makes it an easy but intense read. My favorite chapters that had an impact on me was "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Too Good To Be True" ...
Readers, do your self a favor and read this Amazing Book ...I Highly Recommend This One!
And yet sometimes, even when it breaks your heart, you need to learn when to "let go." That is some of what you will read in this amazing memoir and you see "what alcoholism" looks like and how it can break a family apart. Addiction, in general, is a "family disease," not just for the addict.
Yes, there is 'Help and Hope' from alcoholism, but some don't grab the "Golden Ring of Life" from addiction. They may feel it's easier to be an addict than to do the work necessary to gain your life back, even when it is your own loving family trying to help. "Hate the Addiction, not the Addict" is some of what I learned reading Anthony's memoir.
The author gives a clear, in-depth account of trying to save their mother can be a roller coaster ride, heartbreaking, and frustrating. So much so, it can affect the people trying to help and intervene in a negative way and jeopardize their own mental and emotional stability and health. So much so, the author is now a mental health advocate! The author shares, when is it "Enough?" Sharing this true story by the author tells us that addictions of any kind have no boundaries of whom it will touch and sometimes claim a life.
A. T. (Anthony) did exceptional in writing his memoir. His writing style makes you feel all the emotions of a family in crisis and trying to save their mother's life. I am a recovering gambling and alcohol addict now 11+yrs maintaining recovery myself and I know "Rule #1" is, the addict has to be willing and ready to receive the help. No one person like Anthony or even his dad and siblings tried to no avail. And many times the family will become bitter, and one by one leave and give up hope in trying to get the addict help.
This true story will touch your heart and is an exceptional example and should be read by all, especially family who is dealing and living with an addict. I liked the way the author laid out the way book was formatted. It makes it an easy but intense read. My favorite chapters that had an impact on me was "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Too Good To Be True" ...
Readers, do your self a favor and read this Amazing Book ...I Highly Recommend This One!
February 20, 2020
Addiction is everywhere!
I appreciated reading your story. Your family suffered a lot and you did expose a lot of truth and realism regarding alcoholic addiction. I know this is a memoir but I am not criticizing because I have had a family member in the girls of addiction . It is heartbreaking . But I also feel that your family might have benefited from Al-Anon. There was a lot of codependent behaviors in your family that needed to be addressed. I am not a there but I feel your mom had PTSD from the trauma of the rape and that she suffered from mental illness. Your story is a great message to get get out to the public and you eventually all had to walk away . I hope your mom is doing better. I hope your family recovers from the trauma you all suffered. God bless all of you .
I appreciated reading your story. Your family suffered a lot and you did expose a lot of truth and realism regarding alcoholic addiction. I know this is a memoir but I am not criticizing because I have had a family member in the girls of addiction . It is heartbreaking . But I also feel that your family might have benefited from Al-Anon. There was a lot of codependent behaviors in your family that needed to be addressed. I am not a there but I feel your mom had PTSD from the trauma of the rape and that she suffered from mental illness. Your story is a great message to get get out to the public and you eventually all had to walk away . I hope your mom is doing better. I hope your family recovers from the trauma you all suffered. God bless all of you .
December 27, 2021
This book was absolutely heartbreaking!! The abuse this family endured at the hands of Diane was absolutely brutal. All of the members of that family need serious counseling or I fear the cycle will continue. I know they loved Diane, but they were the worst enables I have ever seen. To remove her from the place they had been trying to get her help in so she can go on vacation with them was absolutely unbelievable. There will be more times for vacations after she is clean and sober. At the end they all moved out but they are still enabling her. I hope and pray they all get some serious therapy and join ALANON.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2019
An eye opening reality!
An eye opening reality! This is such a good read. All too often we forget who the addict was before addiction took over. This read covers a miriad of emotions that those affected go through.
An eye opening reality! This is such a good read. All too often we forget who the addict was before addiction took over. This read covers a miriad of emotions that those affected go through.
September 1, 2019
Short sad story
This is a short sad memoir by a young man dealing with his mother's severe alcoholism. There's no real ending or solution so that was disappointing. That's basically all this was. No more, no less.
This is a short sad memoir by a young man dealing with his mother's severe alcoholism. There's no real ending or solution so that was disappointing. That's basically all this was. No more, no less.
January 28, 2019
An Addiction Memoir
Really good book. Touching an issue so many suffer. Such a shame we can’t do more to help. This man tells his story well. Thanks
Really good book. Touching an issue so many suffer. Such a shame we can’t do more to help. This man tells his story well. Thanks
February 3, 2020
Loved it
I could relate so much. Addiction runs rampant in my family. I hope you write more because this truly inspired me.
I could relate so much. Addiction runs rampant in my family. I hope you write more because this truly inspired me.
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April 22, 2018A brutally honest read
This was a look into the lives of a family affected by alcoholism. It was hard to read the words of abuse. You get all of the emotions. Anger, sadness, anxiety and hopelessness. Alcoholism affects the whole family. It's a sickness that can be helped , but only when the individual afflicted is ready.
This was a look into the lives of a family affected by alcoholism. It was hard to read the words of abuse. You get all of the emotions. Anger, sadness, anxiety and hopelessness. Alcoholism affects the whole family. It's a sickness that can be helped , but only when the individual afflicted is ready.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews