Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide

In this surprising and moving memoir, the legendary rapper and cofounder of Run-DMC speaks out as never before about his battles with depression and overcoming thoughts of suicide.As one of the founding members of the celebrated and influential rap group Run-DMC, Darryl DMC McDaniels seemed to have it all: talent, money, fame, prestige. Yet while his music was hitting number one on the Billboard charts, a feat most musicians only dream of, McDaniels’s achievements were shrouded by his private struggles with alcohol and an anxiety fueled by the need to please others. As Run-DMC’s success grew, overwhelming McDaniels all the more, his relationship with alcohol shifted: from being a crutch that helped him perform to a means of escape from a life that had become unbearable. McDaniels was forced to make an abrupt lifestyle change when he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and his doctor told him flatly, “You drink, you die.” It was at this crossroad that the famed rapper finally chose life. In his quest to recover, he found what he’d been desperate for—a love, for his future wife, and, at long last, for himself.Throughout this riveting account, McDaniels speaks openly about his emotional and psychological struggles: feelings of isolation, loneliness, and of not being true to oneself. In recounting his own story, he shares essential information on how to seek help and find meaning during life’s challenging times. An absorbing look at how inner suffering can plague even the most successful of individuals, Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide offers inspiration and insight and a path toward the contentment McDaniels himself fought so hard to obtain.