Under the Influence cover art

Under the Influence

Reclaiming My Childhood

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Under the Influence

By: Zachary Phillips
Narrated by: Zachary Phillips
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $9.99

Buy Now for $9.99

About this listen

A personal and brutally honest account of the destructive dynamic that a drug-affected and mentally ill father can have on his child.

Through Under the Influence, Zachary gives us a sacred peek into his once shattered mind, teaching us that, even against all the odds, a broken mind can not only be healed, but can go on to flourish, inspiring others along the way.

From the author: "Under the Influence is the story of my childhood. It provides an insight in to the reality of being the son of an addict, paranoid schizophrenic, chronic hoarder and drug dealer.

"For as long as I knew him, my dad dealt. Every day, a procession of desperate, malnourished and volatile addicts would visit our house looking to score. From a child's perspective, they seemed to have only one goal - acquiring their next high. Growing up in this environment had a profound impact on my life and world view.

"I never felt safe."

©2017 Zachary Phillips (P)2017 Zachary Phillips Dysfunctional Families Dysfunctional Relationships Parenting & Families Personal Development Relationships
All stars
Most relevant  
Zachary Phillips allows us a - often heartbreaking - window in to his life, growing up in amongst the chaos and uncertainty of his father’s drug addiction. It is such a raw and poignant account, made even more powerful hearing Zachary read it aloud.

Zachary’s inherent strength and tenacity are palpable throughout. He has done incredibly well to go on to be a mental health advocate and champion for his own healing and growth - and that of others!

Raw and Poignant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
we all have our adverse challenges in life. all effecting us differently and uniquely. it's great to hear people's raw honest stories and living environments growing up because it makes you not feel alone and gives you hope for flipping your own situation from lost and confused to understanding and healing.
great listen. hit close to home.

close to home

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Provided me with a strong insight on mental illnesses and the effect that a single drug affected parent can have on a child. It was very emotional towards the end which left me with deep thoughts about myself and my own family.

Excellent story telling, as it was fairly short. I managed to finish the whole audio book without any breaks and was engaged all the way through.

Emotional and thought provoking.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well written and honest - engaging the whole way through, Zac tells the story of his childhood - covering the most traumatic and embarrassing moments with some dark humor thrown in for good measure.

He provides a role model for those who have gone through trauma and a method of recovery - writing.

Well worth the read

If you have gone through trauma - this book will help you to recover

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.