Author Elizabeth Wurtzel shared her experiences of drug addiction, shoplifting and depression to students and community members Monday night in the Wisconsin Union Theater as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series.
Wurtzel is the author of three books, \Prozac Nation,"" ""Bitch"" and ""More, Now, Again,"" which are used in women's studies classes.
""I have a very normal story, unfortunately it's very typical,"" Wurtzel said.
She chose to read passages from her most recent book ""More, Now, Again,"" which told of her life while addicted to prescription Ritalin. Wurtzel said she would snort approximately 40 pills per day.
""I crush up my pills and snort them like dust. They are my sugar. They are the sweetness in the days that have none,"" Wurtzel read from a passage of the book.
""It really was an amazingly desperate place to be,"" she commented.
The book went on to describe when she was arrested for shoplifting a silver bracelet from Saks Fifth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Her tale of hours in a jail cell and crying for her innocence, while requesting reading material and her Ritalin pills gave readers a humorous look into her admittedly awful experience.
This experience has also led her to recently apply to law school.
Wurtzel's most known work, ""Prozac Nation"" describes her experience with depression, which started around the age of 11. Some members of the audience thanked her for her story, saying they could relate.
""She humanizes [depression],"" UW-Madison sophomore Emily Glinert said.
""['Prozac Nation] just reminds people 'It's not just me',"" Wurtzel said.
UW-Madison sophomore Dana Stack said she never read Wurtzel's books but was impressed by her storytelling.
""What really struck me was how relatable and approachable what she talked about was,"" Stack said.
When asked specifically about her own depression, Wurtzel said she is still on medication.
""It never really goes away, it just gets better,"" she said.
Many members of the audience that asked questions said they were also depressives. One asked Wurtzel for a phrase or saying that helps her get through it. Wurtzel responded with a phrase she learned while recovering from drug addiction.
""Don't give up five minutes before the miracle happens,"" she said.
