The Seven Rules of Highly Destructive People
Synopsis
‘Funny, raw and surprisingly hopeful.’ – Briony Gordon
‘Abi’s humour is completely disarming and reminds us that we’re all capable of change no matter how hard and messy things get.’ – Anna Mathur
Punish yourself on purpose. Avoid feeling at all costs. Never forgive yourself.
Raw, visceral, and full of dark humour, this is a true story of excess, ruin and eventual recovery – and of one woman’s journey to make sense of her actions.
Told through seven rules for life only to be followed if you’re determined to mess everything up, Abi Feltham shares that story unflinchingly, from losing her father to suicide at the age of three to embarking on a decade-long backpacking bender that saw her graduate from bargain booze in Bangkok to meth in Laos, sex work in Sydney and crack in Canada.
Abi has teamed up with addiction and mental health specialist Dr Rosa Town who sets out how each of the rules might show up for you, and what you can do to break them. These are the skills which helped Abi finally recover, get clean and even cope with a devastating terminal health diagnosis.
Part-memoir, part-actionable guide for living a better life, The Seven Rules of Highly Destructive People is a candid, messy and intensely moving read.
‘Abi escorts us into the darkness of addiction and brings us out with compassion, humour and joy.’ – Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Details
Reviews
“This book is funny, raw and surprisingly hopeful. Abi tells the story of her years of addiction and self-destruction with such openness that you can’t help but laugh, wince and root for her. But The Seven Rules of Highly Destructive People is more than a memoir. It’s a brilliant guide to understanding why we behave the way we do, and how we might finally learn to do things differently.”Briony Gordon, journalist, broadcaster and bestselling author of Mad Girl
“Brilliantly funny, wildly honest, and packed full to the brim with hope. You’ll laugh and well up, all within the same page. Abi’s humour is completely disarming and reminds us that we’re all capable of change no matter how hard and messy things get. I’ll be recommending this to my Psychotherapy clients and my friends.”Anna Mathur, psychotherapist and bestselling author of Mind Over Mother
“Abi has somehow written a book that’s incredibly honest, genuinely funny and properly useful, without ever sounding like it thinks it knows better than you. It’s like having a mate explain being a person to you. I think it could help a lot of people.”Joe Tracini, actor, presenter and bestselling author of Ten Things I Hate About Me
“An inspiring and remarkable true story. As I read I realised I don’t have much in common with Abi but I was with her every step of her extraordinary journey and can only respect her writing and, more importantly, her spirit. What a life and what a book. No spoilers from me, just a hefty recommendation.”Alex Horne, comedian and presenter
