Brandon Novak, a former pro skateboarder and MTV star, shares his incredible journey of overcoming addiction. He humorously recounts chaotic moments, including party crashes and hasty tattoos, while celebrating nine years of sobriety. Novak highlights the crucial role of support, personal boundaries, and the power of connection in recovery. He discusses running rehab centers and emphasizes that anyone can turn their life around, proving that transformation is always possible. His story is both heartwarming and inspiring!
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Early Success and Lack of Accountability
Brandon Novak's early skateboarding success removed accountability.
This lack of structure contributed to his later struggles with addiction.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Accountability in Skateboarding
Novak’s job as a young skateboarder did not offer much accountability.
This job placed him in uncomfortable positions which led to him feeling a lot of feelings he didn't like to feel.
insights INSIGHT
Defiance and Addiction
Novak connects skateboarding and addiction through defiance and nonconformity.
He says addicts, like skateboarders, often resist authority and struggle with uncomfortable feelings.
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This book, written primarily by Bill W. Wilson with contributions from other early members of AA, including Dr. Bob Smith, outlines the 12-step program for recovering from alcoholism. It includes personal stories of recovery, explanations of the steps, and chapters targeting specific audiences such as employers, wives, and agnostics. The book emphasizes the importance of a spiritual solution, community support, and abstinence in overcoming alcoholism. It has been widely influential and has sold over 30 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time.
A Million Little Pieces
James Frey
A Million Little Pieces follows James Frey, a 23-year-old alcoholic and drug addict, as he undergoes rehabilitation in a private clinic. The book chronicles his painful withdrawal, his relationships with other patients including a mafia boss named Leonard and a young woman named Lilly, and his struggles with the 'Fury' that drives his addiction. Initially marketed as a memoir, the book was later relabeled as a 'semi-fictional novel' after Frey admitted to fabricating several details of his story. The narrative explores themes of addiction, recovery, and personal responsibility, offering a raw and emotional account of Frey's experiences.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Mark Manson
In this book, Mark Manson argues against the typical self-help advice of constant positivity, instead suggesting that life's struggles give it meaning. He emphasizes the need to focus on what truly matters and to accept and confront painful truths. The book is divided into nine chapters and uses blunt honesty and profanity to illustrate its ideas, encouraging readers to find meaning through values they can control and to replace uncontrollable values with more meaningful ones.
Brandon Novak showed all the signs of becoming a highly successful, rebellious young man. He was a professional skateboarder in his early teens, rubbing elbows with the likes of Bucky Lasek and Tony Hawk. In his late teens and twenties, he was a regular on world-famous TV shows like Viva La Bam and Jackass.
But drugs and alcohol were always lurking in the shadows for Novak, and he soon fell head-first into the dark trap of his addictions. He endured bouts of homelessness, committed every petty crime you could imagine, and even resorted to sex work to feed his addictions.
The stats would suggest Brandon Novak shouldn’t be sober right now. He probably shouldn’t even be alive. But not only is he alive with 9 years of sobriety under his belt, he’s found a deep and meaningful purpose in his life, running his own rehab centers and taking care of his elderly mother.
This is the hilarious and heartening story of how Brandon Novak turned it all around. And trust me, if he can do it, so can anyone else.
SOLVED with Mark Manson 
