JR Weaver is an army veteran and first-time author who has struggled with substance abuse. His new book “The Addiction Manifesto” shares his struggles and how he overcame them and also what it takes to stay on course.
We are excited to have had had a chance to interview author JR Weaver for our Author Spotlight series and wish him continued success. Please enjoy the interview and support him as an indie writer.
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What inspired you to become a writer?
It’s funny to hear myself called a writer because i really don’t consider myself one, I started writing in jail because I couldn’t wrap my mind around how my life got to this point. I know most ‘regular’ people won’t understand addiction, about how it consumes somebody and changes them but it’s real, if you don’t believe me ask your friends because chances are one of them knows somebody that’s currently dealing with it.
Writing helped me break thru the ‘smoke & mirrors’ that addiction blinds us with. I remember sitting in my jail cell thinking that I really screwed up my life and that I really needed to change before I ended up dead in some sleezy motel room or doing a long prison bid. I picked up a pen and started writing about addiction, i spent about 90 days in jail and by the end I had over 77 pages of what I called my ‘Hope manual.’ I realized that I could never go back out there to the streets, if I allowed myself one hit or one drink then the old cliche ‘one is too many and a thousand never enough’ would ring true.
My life has changed because of what I wrote down over those 3 months, and I understood that if it could save a guy like me then it could save others from following down that same dark path. I originally self-published in 2018 but I felt like I left it unfinished so I went back to edit some things, add some new stories and quotes. I call this version the ‘remix’ and I think it’ll help change lives.
Who is your favorite author & why?
Brad Thor and Mathew Reilly. I’m a military guy so I like the action.
Describe your new book “The Addiction Manifesto“ in 30 words or less.
A must-read for anyone new to recovery.
Why should we read it?
Most of us know someone struggling with drugs or alcohol, my book gives you the inside view of what they might be dealing with.
What books have influenced your life most?
The Bible.
