Drug addiction and alcoholism can reach out and touch anyone-any family, any class, and any color, anywhere in the world. But overcoming it can be incredibly difficult. Brutally honest, yet full of hope, Tales from a Mad Azorean takes a look at one man's struggle with addiction and his triumphant victory over its deadly pull. The youngest of five children born to middle-class parents, he began drinking and experimenting with drugs in high school and continued through college. When he landed a good job and kept moving up the corporate ladder, he considered himself successful-but he still needed the bottle. Over time, his alcohol and drug addiction began to drag him into a slow, downward spiral. Numerous sexual affairs, a broken marriage, and even the loss of his job were not enough to make him stop the toxic cycle. He delved into ugly, dark places with bizarre individuals in his constant quest to get his "fix," but it was never enough to satisfy him for long. Eventually, his addictions brought him to his knees, and he ended up in rehab. Though the journey to recovery was long and slow, he found healing and inner strength in the process, enabling him to turn his life around. John Machado mixes reality, fiction, and everyday life in Tales from a Mad Azorean, delivering a story full of hope and courage for those suffering from the pain of addiction.