Musicians and Addiction: Research and Recovery Stories examines the extraordinary vulnerability musicians have towards addiction. The book attempts to examine all the facets that contribute to the problem and suggests ideas for addressing the problem. It starts by presenting a review of research and published articles on the topic. This is broken into themes such as pre-existing conditions, performance anxiety, cultural and workplace pressures, creative exploration/ creative pressures, and identity issues. The second section presents personal insights from 30 contributors working in the Australian, UK and US music industries. This includes: 12 excerpts from interviews and autobiographies of well known musicians; 12 specially commissioned recovery stories from musicians working across multiple genres (one withdrawn after publication); and a series of professional perspectives. The final section of the book examines the implications for individual musicians, organisations and the industry as a whole. The book potentially has relevance to visual artists, novelists and other creative people.
