Return from Hell: Memoirs

Return From Hell takes the reader on a journey that spans forty-one years of the author's life - December 28, 1945 to August 28, 1987 - the former, the date of his birth; the latter, the day he took his last drink of alcohol Even though this book is an ultra purely soul-baring, "no holds barred," "impossible to put down" memoirs of his struggle with the disease of alcoholism - and eventual freedom from it's surreptitiously controlling grip - it is also interspersed with bits of philosophy, psychiatry, psychology and religion; and is written with a humor and rhythm that; even though a more than serious issue is being dealt with, make for very interesting reading. Variations on the "core" theme give us - especially in the early chapters - a captivating account of the author's early years, and will certainly give cause for thought about what would seem like the ideal environment for his later-in-life addiction. The author emphasizes the stigmatization that is still rampant with respect to alcoholism and argues that one of the best ways to lessen it, will be for more people - who "have been there" - to come forward and tell their stories. The manner in which Cyril Greenham tells his makes for compelling reading