Colos: A Sister's Story of Addiction and Grief Paperback – March 29, 2026

Colos is a nonfiction memoir about addiction, grief, and the quiet damage caused by absence.Written after the death of the author’s brother, this book explores how family abandonment, unresolved trauma, and substance use intersect over time. The drug known as Colorado, often shortened to Colos, becomes both a literal substance and a symbol of how danger is minimized through language.This memoir traces a family shaped by a father who left, a mother who stayed, and siblings who learned to survive in different ways. Addiction is presented not as spectacle or moral failure, but as something that exploits instability, exhaustion, and silence. The narrative examines love that hardens into boundaries, faith that persists without certainty, and grief that does not resolve neatly.Unlike traditional addiction memoirs, Colos does not offer a redemption arc or easy conclusions. It focuses instead on lived experience, accountability, and the emotional cost of trying when the ground beneath a person cannot hold. The writing is deliberate, restrained, and unflinching in its refusal to soften language where clarity is required.This book will resonate with readers searching for nonfiction about addiction, sibling loss, parental abandonment, and complicated grief. It is for those who want honesty rather than inspiration, and truth rather than comfort. Read more