My Confection: Odyssey of a Sugar Addict

by Lisa Kotin

Overview

A funny, candid, and original coming-of-age story told through sugar addiction

She doesn’t drink or do drugs, but like millions of other Americans, Lisa Kotin has a substance abuse problem. Kotin is addicted to sugar. My Confection is a darkly funny and candid memoir of where sugar took this teenage mime when she left her San Francisco Bay Area home in pursuit of artistic greatness. From the strict macrobiotic house where she is kicked out for smuggling Snickers, to her early days of Overeaters Anonymous meetings where she is bewildered by the idea of submitting to a higher power, to the stylish shrink who suggests she figure out how many minutes of tennis equal the calories in one jelly donut, to the men she unwraps and consumes like cheap chocolate bars, Kotin careens from romantic disasters to caloric catastrophes. Original and surprisingly affecting, this portrait of a sugar addict has nothing to do with losing weight or getting fit but rather with coming out of the (sugar) closet, finding allies who understand, and learning how to live healthfully, in spite of her compulsion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807069257
Publisher:	Beacon Press
Publication date:	01/05/2016
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Lisa Kotin is a writer, director, actor, and performance artist based in Los Angeles. She graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and went on to perform original shows combining physical comedy, monologues, and short films in the United States and United Kingdom. Kotin’s show Temporary Girl, which drew upon her experiences at 100+ temp jobs, is about a dysfunctional family as seen through the eyes of an office temp, and was adapted into a movie that Leonard Maltin praised as “bright and original, with the definite ring of truth.”

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Chapter 1 Macroneurotics 1

Chapter 2 Up the Yin Yang 12

Chapter 3 Belly of the Beast 25

Chapter 4 Shrink Rap 45

Chapter 5 Let the Bingeing Begin 51

Chapter 6 I Take the Cake 70

Chapter 7 Cookie Monster 79

Chapter 8 The First Bite 88

Chapter 9 Will Work for Sugar (and Sex) 98

Chapter 10 My Art 106

Chapter 11 Walking Chocolate Bar 111

Chapter 12 On Broadway 128

Chapter 13 A Womb of My Own 140

Chapter 14 As You Don't Like It 147

Chapter 15 Endgame 159

Chapter 16 Drama of the Gifted Child 171

Chapter 17 Cakewalk 181

Chapter 18 Psych Major 191

Chapter 19 Sugar Mountain 199

Chapter 20 Freefall 206

Chapter 21 Three Decades Later There Will (Still) Be Sugar 213

Acknowledgments 235

Editorial Reviews

10/26/2015
Kotin, a director and actor living in Los Angeles, describes herself as being a sugar addict from a young age. Though this frank memoir recounts the author’s early family life, the majority of her story is devoted to the chaos that the addiction created during her 20s. Kotin chronicles her constant feeling of emptiness, discomfort with her body, troubled family relationships, casual and disappointing sexual and romantic relationships, and an inability to settle on a career path. When life becomes hard and Kotin’s self-loathing sets in, she turns to soothing herself with copious amounts of sugar-laced foods. Kotin describes devouring dozens of cookies or an entire loaf of freshly baked bread—the bread so hot that it burns and blisters her mouth. Health issues begin to plague her, and following a serious scare, Kotin seeks help. Thirty years after her initial rejection of Overeaters Anonymous, Kotin finds a haven within that group. Her narrative makes for exhausting reading, but it convincingly depicts the decades-long emotional and physical traumas she endured. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Kotin, a director and actor living in Los Angeles, describes herself as being a sugar addict from a young age. Though this frank memoir recounts the author’s early family life, the majority of her story is devoted to the chaos that the addiction created during her 20s. Kotin chronicles her constant feeling of emptiness, discomfort with her body, troubled family relationships, casual and disappointing sexual and romantic relationships, and an inability to settle on a career path. When life becomes hard and Kotin’s self-loathing sets in, she turns to soothing herself with copious amounts of sugar-laced foods. Kotin describes devouring dozens of cookies or an entire loaf of freshly baked bread—the bread so hot that it burns and blisters her mouth. Health issues begin to plague her, and following a serious scare, Kotin seeks help. Thirty years after her initial rejection of Overeaters Anonymous, Kotin finds a haven within that group. Her narrative makes for exhausting reading, but it convincingly depicts the decades-long emotional and physical traumas she endured.”
—Publishers Weekly

“[T]he author is dedicated to showing the whole ugly process of coming to terms with addiction, and her honesty makes her plight palpable.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“The narrative is by turns bawdy, hilarious, and heart-wrenching, and readers will be moved by the author’s candid look at the very real addictive power of sugar.”
—Booklist

“A delicious morsel of memoir writing that will strike a chord with junk-food junkies and their clean living counterparts.”
—Library Journal

“I am blown away by Kotin's candor and clarity. My Confection is a devastatingly witty, courageous and soul-baring memoir detailing one woman’s search for healing in the face of addiction. If ever anyone doubted the scientific finding that sugar can be more addictive than cocaine, they should read this book.”
—Eve O. Schaub, author of Year of No Sugar

“My Confection is a gutsy and gripping memoir by Lisa Kotin, who offers a poignant, eye-opening, and sometimes humorous look into the tortured soul of a sugar addict. If you’re among the millions who devour sweets or fast carbs, I urge you to read this book, which reveals what scientists have recently discovered—that sugar is more addictive than cocaine.”
—Connie Bennett, author of Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock

From the Publisher

★ 06/01/2016
Kotin takes a lighthearted approach to illustrate that overeating and compulsive eating are addictions with serious effects. There's shame, private consumption, relapses, and promises that this is the last time. The author details her decades-long struggle to master her obsession and deal with the family dynamics that may have triggered it and led to pursuing inappropriate sexual partners. Ultimately, the why doesn't matter—it's how one moves forward and through that counts. VERDICT A delicious morsel of memoir writing that will strike a chord with junk-food junkies and their clean-living counterparts. [See Memoir, 12/14/15; ow.ly/Yz5t300b8mr.]—RD

Library Journal

2015-09-22
Actor and performance artist Kotin bravely reveals just how powerful sugar addiction can be. Who doesn't enjoy a scoop of ice cream? Or even a pint? That's fine for most people, but for compulsive overeaters, enjoyment isn't the point, and one pint is never enough. That's the message running through the author's meticulous memoir, which chronicles every sugar crystal that has crossed the self-proclaimed sugar addict's lips. By the time she digs the frozen cake out of her mother's freezer and begins hacking off chunks, she erases any doubt that sugar addiction is a real malady. It's hard not to get frustrated with Kotin, who, like an alcoholic or a junkie, regularly swears off her substance of choice only to find herself knee-deep in doughnuts days later. The same sort of cycle applies to her sex life, her studies, and her career; you want to shake her out of this alternatively self-indulgent and self-destructive cycle, though you know it's futile, like talking to a problem drinker after a night at the bar: there's no getting through the foggy thinking that's symptomatic of addiction. Kotin's ups and downs are so repetitive that it can be hard to detect the personal growth at the heart of this coming-of-age memoir. Her development as an artist comes through brilliantly, though, when she describes heartbreaking performance pieces in spare prose that is all the more illuminating for not overwhelming readers with details. Kotin's self-effacing, candid humor hits the mark at many junctures; elsewhere, she simply provides too much information about her bowel habits. However, the author is dedicated to showing the whole ugly process of coming to terms with addiction, and her honesty makes her plight palpable. Full of finely sifted detail but uneven.

Kirkus Reviews

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