In the tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, High Bottom Drunk: A Novel...and the Truth about Addiction & Recovery melds three stories (what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now) together into one extraordinary tale of addiction and recovery.
"What it was like" chronicles Steve Campbell's downward slide toward his alcoholic/addict "bottom." Along the way, this so-called "golden boy" loses his Midas touch, but not his staunch denial.
"What happened" patiently watches Steve hit that bottom hard enough to crack his denial and offer him an honest look at himself. Steve hitting bottom is not a pretty sight, but it's very, very real.
"What it's like now" follows Steve's upward climb toward recovery and spiritual redemption. Though rocky and painful in spots, his journey is remarkable and quite beautiful.
Because High Bottom Drunk does not fit neatly in any particular writing genre, it has been given many labels. Of those, "Historical Self-help Fiction" best describes this exceptional work.
Charles Roper lives in Buda, Texas, a pinpoint dot on the map about ten miles south of Austin. He resides there with his wife, Joan, two of their four kids (Andrew & Kathryn), three dogs, four cats, a ferret, a cockatiel, and some-odd fish. His other two children (Kim & Grady) are grown and have families of their own.
By trade, Dr. Roper is an addictions counselor. He began working in that field in 1983, the same year that he received his doctorate degree in Educational Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin, and also the same year that he got sober and into recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.
He founded Solutions Counseling & Treatment Center in 1985 and ran it until 1994, when he sold it to an international hospital corporation. Solutions continues to operate today under the name La Hacienda's Solutions.
Following a two-year break from the addictions field, during which he completed the first draft of High Bottom Drunk, Dr. Roper went to work for Austin Recovery Center, a large non-profit addictions treatment facility in and around Austin. He served as ARC's Director of Training & Quality Control, then Clinical Director, and finally Director of Adolescent Services. He left ARC in 1999.
Charles worked on High Bottom Drunk off and on for about five years. "I actually got the idea for High Bottom Drunk in 1990 while on a solo hiking trip in the Colorado Rockies. It was "a God thing" as we say in recovery meetings. I prayed for direction for my life, and the book, including the title and opening paragraph, popped into my head. I promised myself right then and there that I would write it. I never doubted that I would, even though it took me awhile."
People have asked Charles how much of High Bottom Drunk is autobiographical. He replies, "Oh, about two-thirds or so, but I'd be pretty hard-pressed to say exactly which two-thirds it is. I'm afraid that if I did that, my mom might disown me. And I'm not kidding about that. On the other hand, the book's perspective on addiction and recovery is fully my own. It represents what I've learned over the years from my own dumb mistakes added to the wisdom that I've culled from other addicts, both those in recovery and those not yet there."
And what's on the horizon? Dr. Roper is working on his second novel, Elephants in the Living Room, Tigers behind the Doors. "The idea for Elephants... & Tigers... came to me one night when I was thinking about Steve Campbell's childhood and adolescent years. [Note: Steve Campbell is High Bottom Drunk's protagonist.]
"Both of Steve's parents were alcoholics. His dad was an unstable, violent alcoholic. I pictured a 16-year-old Steve in his bedroom, with his door closed and locked, sitting at his desk and writing in his journal about his lonely, confusing, screwed up life. I put myself in his place, and because I'm familiar with his circumstances, I started writing from his perspective. Before I knew it, I was hooked, and Elephants in the Living Room, Tigers behind the Doors had been born.
"At first, I thought it would be a book about adolescents, for adolescents. It didn't turn out that way, though. It's a story about people, for people. I do believe, however, that adolescents will understand Elephants... & Tigers.... I know I would have. It would have helped me a great deal."
Charles feels passionate about his writing. "I can't even think of it as work," he says. "In fact, when I meet people for the first time, and they ask me what I do, I usually just say that I'm retired."
