As for a life-changing book, Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood, would have to make the top of my list. The author, Koren Zailckas, writes about her personal alcohol abuse experiences beginning with early adolescents through her mid-twenties. I first read this book the summer before my junior year of high-school. Smashed turned out to be an eye-opening look into the world of alcohol, something I hadn't tried at that point in my life. However, since I would be going to college a few years later, it really made me think of what I was open to trying and what I wasn't. I often thought of this book through my college years, particularly when a friend of mine turned out to be borderline alcoholic. She luckily was smart enough to get help and her counselor suggested reading Smashed. It was an overwhelming, yet wonderful read for her as well and helped with her rehabilitation process.
