Addicted to Drama: Healing Dependency on Crisis and Chaos in Yourself and Others

by Scott Lyons

With empathy, humor, and unique insight, a psychologist examines drama addiction and charts a path for healing in this groundbreaking book.

Do you know someone who seems to thrive on chaos, a person who manufactures crisis where there is none, makes mountains out of molehills, and whose very presence feels like an inescapable whirlwind?
You may even label them a “drama queen.” 
This person might be someone close to you. 
This person might even be you. 

In this groundbreaking book, clinical psychologist and mind-body expert Dr. Scott Lyons turns the notion of the “drama queen” on its head, showing that drama is actually an addiction and those who are suffering with it are experiencing a much deeper psychological, biological, and social pain. For a person addicted to drama, the intensity becomes their way of coping.  Their life is a constant cycle of crisis, chaos, and chronically high levels of stress. They may never be able to relax without an internal alarm going off, sending them spiraling back toward chaos. Drama is the stirring, the excitement, the exaggeration, the eruption, the unrest, and the medicine to feel alive in relation to the numbing of the internal and external world around them. For a person addicted to drama, the drama is often how they survive—or think they do.

With studies, primary research, and patient stories, Dr. Lyons deconstructs this little-understood addiction,  
Rather than dismiss addiction to drama as just attention-seeking, Dr. Lyons offers clear-eyed empathy, humor, and practical strategies to help us all understand and break free of the drama cycle. 

Genres: Psychology, Self Help, Nonfiction, Addiction, Mental Health, Audiobook

288 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2023

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down.

There are aspects of this book that I really enjoyed, mainly Lyons' empathy and his frequent reminders that people who are addicted to drama are not in fact vampires or evil even when their behavior causes pain to others or when you have to disengage from them for your own wellbeing.

The part I struggled with was a rather large one, however. There's little to nothing provided to differentiate the symptoms he lists from symptoms of other conditions and little to no acknowledgement of the existence of other conditions and how they might interact with the addiction or affect how you work on that addiction (per example we know that some mindfulness practices can be ill advised for certain neurodivergent groups and there's no indication on whether or not his recommendation for these practices would change for said groups). This shortcoming made the whole thing of rather limited use for me.

[Jennifer Gardella · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have been the victim of a drama addict and been an addict yourself you need to stop everything and read this immediately. I’m a survivor of vicious domestic violence at the hands of an drama addict and through healing acknowledge my addicting as well. No one - not even my trauma therapist was able to frame it as scott has. Scott - you have truly made a difference and I thank you. I read this in anticipation of attending an event with an addict who has it in for me. My bubble and boundaries are in place thanks to you.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Lyons writes "Addicted to Drama. It is about constantly feeling needy. There are different ways we use in order to manipulate the circumstances. Those unfulfilled desires can cause us to become highstrung.This ;leads to other people becoming involved with a relationship. In the end they find themselves in a another reality.:: physical pain, emotional pain, migraines or some new virus on the move... Someone might become hindered by accidents.

The book has a few questions. These quizzes are good for those who would like to keep a journal.. The author also uses fairy tales to deepen his point. It is delightful to read examples like Alice In Wonderland. Perhaps, in the end all who experience drama will reach a better understanding of themselves after reading "Addicted to Drama..The authors personal stories are a little confusing, but confusing is good it causes one slow down and reread the information.
.

[Мелани Шакири · Rating 5 out of 5]

➣ 𝑵𝑬𝑾 𝑩𝑳𝑶𝑮 𝑷𝑶𝑺𝑻 ➢

Здравейте, книжни дракони! Скъпи приятели, читатели и писатели 💖

В последното си ревю за книгата "Някой виждал ли е Шарлот Солтър?" от бруталния, трилър дует на Ники Френч (ревюто за нея може да намерите тук), споделих и че редом с нея от AMG Publishing са ми изпратили и още едно от най-новите произведения, напуснали печатницата им. В този ред на мисли днешния пост, един от последните в блога за тази година, ще е точно за тази книга. "Пристрастени към драмата" от д-р Скот Лайънс не би могла да се каже, че е едно от типичните ми четива. Рядко се насочвам към творби с психологически аспект или такива от секцията за "Самопомощ" в книжарниците. Малкото случаи, в които съм го правила обаче, тези книги никога не са ме разочаровали. Ярък такъв пример е "Тънкото изкуство да не ти пука" от Марк Менсън (ревю за нея на линка тук), след чиито прочит бях като преродена и с изцяло нов поглед над живота. Книгата на Марк Менсън остави дълбок отпечатък в начина ми на мислене и въпреки че откакто я прочетох изминаха близо три години, все още понякога си прехвърлям цитати от нея във всекидневни ситуация, които по един или по друг начин го налагат. Поради тази специфична причина, когато поех към "Пристрастени към драмата" го направих с едно силно вътрешно усещане, че това е правилната книга. Имах чувството, че дълбоко в себе си, на едно подсъзнателно ниво, наистина имам нужда от нея. Оказах се права. "Пристрастени към драмата" от д-р Скот Лайънс ме бе намерила в точния момент. Разберете защо като продължите да четете ➡

(...)

Спомням си, че бях видяла един път тази книга в книжарница някъде и веднага я бях хванала да я разгледам. Заглавието и корицата ме грабнаха. Признавам си, че това често се случва, колкото и да се старая да не...

*

Цялото ревю на линка по-долу или в биографията ми 👇🏼
https://melithefangirl.blogspot.com/2...

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up.

There certainly were useful pieces in here, but as someone who has been through a lot of this both self inflicted and otherwise, I was hoping for more. Just didn’t quite work for me. I’m interested though to see if there’s a follow through with this topic

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love listening to Dr. Scott on podcasts, however: something about this book dragged a bit for me, seemed a little repetitive. Appendix has some great tools for navigating stress and drama.

[Shannon Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...only 20% of what we see and interpret in the present moment is happening in the present. The remaining 80% is filled by memories of the past and expectations of the future...we make decisions, adapt attitudes and take actions based on our subjective interpretations."

[Pooja Mathur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was actually a good book with lots of different perspectives and topics. I appreciated all the ideas on how to cope and deal with the issues described. My main concern was that I wonder if the title and some of the phrasing might turn people off from the book. I wonder if it would resonate with softer wording... Just a thought.

[Leanne Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good account of this type of human behavior, becoming all too-common in this age of social media responses and worsening emotional resilience. I think the key is people have to learn to face difficult issues/emotions in life in order to change the narrative of themselves and the world.

[Michael David Maley · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Doctor" Scott Lyons is really just using this book to air his personal issues on people he found to be "addicted to drama" by doing the most dramatic thing he could think of and wrote a whole book on it.

[Bobbie Boldt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that you read with your own lifestyle in mind. Some things apply broadly and others did not work for me. The point is to evaluate your relationships and identify what is healthy and productive and what is not. Podcast intereviews with him are worth a listen.

[Charles Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

47%

This book is hypocritical and annoying. There's a stark contrast between what the author says is his addiction to drama and how he treats it, including treating others and his belief about what constitutes drama. The reality is we need to look at what matters here. Are you causing stress for yourself? Are you causing stress for others? Are you living with intention? Are you moving towards your goals? Are you supporting yourself? Are you supporting others? Are you making a positive impact in life? This whole idea of addicted to drama, there's no scientific validity for it. Like yes, people like interesting things. That's so shocking. Insert sarcasm. I just got to a point where I was listening to this book for actively putting in some kind of new information or something valuable, and I just kept waiting the entire time. It's good that he gave some mindfulness practices and breathing at the end beyond that. It's a bad book by a bad author.

[Цвети Запрева · Rating 4 out of 5]

Познавате ли хора, които са пристрастени към драмата? А дали Вие самите не сте пристрастени?
Може би на първия въпрос бихте отговорили по-бързо отколкото на втория. По-лесно е да признаем, че познаваме такъв човек, отколкото да признаем, че ние самите сме такива.
Хората пристрастени към драмата обичат да живеят в собствения си хаос, обичат да създават такъв без да съзнават колко всъщност си вредят.
Как да разпознаем сигналите за пристрастеност към драмата и можем ли да помогнем в дадената ситуациия? На този и още въпроси можем да намерим отговори в книгата на д-р Скот Лайънс - с помощта на живи примери авторът ни помага да излезем от тази драматична въртележка.

Написана по много лек, приятен и разбираем начин, книгата определено е много полезно четиво и ми беше интересно да я чета.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this read not because I considered myself addicted to drama, but because I would often find myself in situations dealing with people who are (or at least, seem to be).

This read gave me a new perspective on how to remain in control of my own emotions and reactions when dealing with those who are addicted to drama, and also led me through some thorough reflections that helped me dive deeper into how my own reactions can feed into others.

It was a light audiobook to get through, and definitely kept me entertained on my afternoon walks!

[Katie Romine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting. After reading, I think to some degree, most people have been exposed to or are currently intertwined with an addiction to drama, even if for just a period of time when life doesn’t feel or seem as stable as it once was. With that said, there is a lot of helpful information in this book to help recognize those patterns, understand the underlying reasons for them, and work towards healing within yourself or someone you care about.

[Violette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovered it on Mel Robbin’s podcast.
Was curious so I rid it
And
Wwwow
Not just another book about self development.
It has helped me understand the behaviour of a lot of people around and to become aware of my own addiction to drama

The good thing about this book too Is that it provides you with a lot of tools to help you getting rid of this addiction that we all have at different levels
This book made me also more kind towards others when they pull me in their drama.

Highly recommended !

[Allie Linder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is for the self-catastrophizing, work-addicted girlies who try to find control in every situation. Being "addicted to drama" is much larger than just being a dramatic person, but rather, an entire operating system of your nerves. I heard this author on a podcast & thought that his ideas were very interesting. So, I decided to give the book a little listen. I liked it overall; but the podcast still caught my attention more.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 1 out of 5]

*****UNPOPULAR OPINION****

I felt this was a one-sided opinion by a supposed "doctor" on what he deems is drama and the people attracted to it. The whole book is a complaint about toxic behavior and toxic people. Could have been written with more empathy.

Glad this was a library book. Cannot recommend.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish that I had this info when I was working as a therapist. The author covers several versions of people addicted to drama. I was able to see family members in this book as well. He includes helpful suggestions on how to get well from this form of codependency. I look forward to more books by him in the future.

[Grandma Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always forget to update these things… I finished this book a while ago. It was all the same things you would expect in a psychology/self-help book. Basically we are all addicted to drama to help cope with our ptsd or avoid our own problems. Face your problems/fix yourself/and you are no longer addicted to drama.

[Necol or Eli Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book explaining how drama can be addictive. I just got out of a bad relationship and it was very eye-opening to read this book and to know that there are a lot of people who struggle with this type of addiction and it gave me some good advice on how to separate myself from the person who is trying to draw me into an addictive cycle that I didn't want to be in

[Erin Matson · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a slow start with a first section that feels a bit overly pop psychology (what is drama? sigh, we know), there is solid information in this book. It is helping me to better interpret and address my own tendency to keep myself overbooked and over-scheduled, as well as how to cope with exasperating people in my life. Here’s hoping some of the exercises help!

[Danielle Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got into this book study as a way to apply this knowledge into my daily work life. Little did I know what was coming. We all have drama in our lives. It’s seeing what we are creating and what others are creating and then finding our own healing and peace. I highly recommend this book as not only a self reflection, but a way to become a better person wholly.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was brilliant. If you are a human being who has or has ever had other human beings in your life, you need to read this! Being addicted to drama is not an all or nothing deal. Dr. Lyons explains the what, the how, and the what-to-do about unwanted drama happening in your life. Excellent!

[Lisa Cariello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this and it has helped me tremendously in at the very least identifying the drama cycle. That alone helps me to get out of it when I or others are in it. I'm also a huge Scott Lyons fan and listen to his podcast frequently. It's funny and delightful.

[Simran Dhillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

for someone who grew up in a chaotic environment and have been trying to heal from the impact it has had on my nervous system, this book was insightful, validating and also calls you out in a great way. i really recommend it.

[Sezen Yasar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book great, it has written by someone who go through the experience and had courage to grow out of its attachments, be free of suffering and now guiding others to see how they are. it is helpful because it is showing me what I couldn't see.

[Cayce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening and practical, easy to understand as he walked through what the addiction to drama looked like and how to manage it in self and other people.

[Poetstar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful

[Jocelyn Velestuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very eye opening and informative book on the self awareness around drama and how we can work on having less drama into our lives. One of the most applicable books I’ve read.