Death Grip chronicles a top climber's near-fatal struggle with anxiety and depression, and his nightmarish journey through the dangerous world of prescription drugs. Matt Samet lived to climb, and craved the challenge, risk, and exhilaration of conquering sheer rock faces around the United States and internationally. But Samet's depression, compounded by the extreme diet and fitness practices of climbers, led him to seek professional help. He entered the murky, inescapable world of psychiatric medicine, where he developed a dangerous addiction to prescribed medications-primarily "benzos," or benzodiazepines-that landed him in institutions and nearly killed him.
With dramatic storytelling, persuasive research data, and searing honesty, Matt Samet reveals the hidden epidemic of benzo addiction, which some have suggested can be harder to quit than heroin. Millions of adults and teenagers are prescribed these drugs, but few understand how addictive they are-and how dangerous long-term usage can be, even when prescribed by doctors.
After a difficult struggle with addiction, Samet slowly makes his way to a life in recovery through perseverance and a deep love of rock climbing. Conveying both the exhilaration of climbing in the wilderness and the utter madness of addiction, Death Grip is a powerful and revelatory memoir.
"As I read this compelling book, I kept wondering this: How did Matt Samet remain a world-class rock climber, able to cling to the tiniest of fingerholds, while in the throes of benzodiazepine addiction? Ultimately, Death Grip is a portrait of a young man's courage, as he confronts a challenge more difficult than any climb he ever attempted--withdrawing from legally prescribed drugs. Fast-paced an
Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic
"You do not have to be a rock climber to appreciate this book. Anyone who has experienced benzodiazepine addiction personally, or observed it in their family or friends, will find this book not only riveting but also helpful. Matt Samet tells his gripping story vividly, with anger and passion, and with no holds barred."
Dr. Heather Ashton, author of The Ashton Manual
"As a fellow climber who's also experienced challenges with depression, medications, and the addictiveness of adventure itself, I felt uplifted and awed by Matt Samet's gritty yet hopeful memoir. Compared to my self-amputation, Matt's epic self-exorcism from the clutches of psychopharmacology is a far more powerful display of courage. Whatever adversity we face, in our darkest moments, we need
Aron Ralston, New York Times bestselling author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place
