He appears in print four times a week as a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, and has published six books to date, but never was the name Neil Steinberg been so notorious as in September 2005 when he was arrested for domestic abuse and forced into rehab for alcoholism. Now, three years after “a very public meltdown,” Steinberg is celebrating the release of his latest book, “Drunkard: A Hard Drinking Life,” and practicing a sober lifestyle. Born of notes taken throughout the process, “Drunkard” is a first-person account chronicling Steinberg’s journey from rehab, to AA, to relapse and finally to recovery. “[Drinking] is wonderful if you can. But some people can’t, and I’d like to think that this book would be helpful for those who have to start to conceptualize what their lives are like,” Steinberg says. The columnist discusses “Drunkard” June 18 at the Webster Place Barnes & Noble.
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