Tag Archives: Drug Use & Abuse

This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of both recreational drug use and drug abuse.

See also Overdose and Alcohol consumption. For drug addiction, see Substance addiction and Alcoholism. For involuntary drug use, see Drugging

The Woods, Vol. 2: The Swarm by James Tynion IV

The Woods, Vol. 2: The Swarm by James Tynion IV & illustrated by Michael Dialynas

On October 16, 2013, 437 students, 52 teachers, and 24 additional staff from Bay Point Preparatory High School in suburban Milwaukee, WI vanished without a trace. Countless light years away, far outside the bounds of the charted universe, 513 people find themselves in the middle of an ancient, primordial wilderness. Where are they? Why are they there?

Catch a glimpse of Bay Point Preparatory High School before the fateful events of October 16, 2013 in this new story arc. On opening night of the school’s rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the lives of the students and faculty crossed paths in an almost premonitory way, seeding the various horrors to come.

Collects The Woods #5-8

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Coming out themes
  • Parental abuse
  • Anxiety
  • Recreational drug use (smoking)
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Dead bodies
  • Physical injuries
  • Knife violence
  • Strangulation
  • Kidnapping & hostage situation
  • Animal attack
  • Bullying
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Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale

Small Town Hearts by Lilie Vale

Fresh out of high school, Babe Vogel should be thrilled to have the whole summer at her fingertips. She loves living in her lighthouse home in the sleepy Maine beach town of Oar’s Rest and being a barista at the Busy Bean, but she’s totally freaking out about how her life will change when her two best friends go to college in the fall. And when a reckless kiss causes all three of them to break up, she may lose them a lot sooner. On top of that, her ex-girlfriend is back in town, bringing with her a slew of memories, both good and bad.

And then there’s Levi Keller, the cute artist who’s spending all his free time at the coffee shop where she works. Levi’s from out of town, and even though Babe knows better than to fall for a tourist who will leave when summer ends, she can’t stop herself from wanting to know him. Can Babe keep her distance, or will she break the one rule she’s always had – to never fall for a summer boy?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Fatshaming
  • Dubious consent scenario*
  • Recreational drug use (off-page)
  • Alcohol consumption (on-page)
  • Bullying

*Note: Two characters under the influence of alcohol consent to have sex with each other.

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Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness

Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness

Before he stole our hearts as the grooming and self-care expert on Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, Jonathan was growing up in a small Midwestern town that didn’t understand why he was so…over the top. From choreographed carpet figure skating routines to the unavoidable fact that he was Just. So. Gay., Jonathan was an easy target and endured years of judgement, ridicule and trauma—yet none of it crushed his uniquely effervescent spirit.

Over the Top uncovers the pain and passion it took to end up becoming the model of self-love and acceptance that Jonathan is today. In this revelatory, raw, and rambunctious memoir, Jonathan shares never-before-told secrets and reveals sides of himself that the public has never seen. JVN fans may think they know the man behind the stiletto heels, the crop tops, and the iconic sayings, but there’s much more to him than meets the Queer Eye.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Homomisia & homomisic slurs
  • Child sexual abuse
  • Cheating
  • Drug use
  • Substance addiction
  • Sex addiction
  • Disordered eating
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Cancer
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a grandparent
  • Death of a step-parent
  • Bullying
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Saga, Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga, Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated Fiona Staples

Finally reunited with her ever-expanding family, Hazel travels to a war-torn comet that Wreath and Landfall have been battling over for ages. New friendships are forged and others are lost forever in this action-packed volume about families, combat, and the refugee experience.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language (r word)
  • Racism
  • Transmisia
  • Trauma & nightmares
  • Attempted suicide & self-sacrifice
  • Drug abuse & recreational drug use
  • Graphic blood & gore depiction
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Gun violence
  • Explosion
  • Strangulation
  • Hostage situation
  • War & military violence (theme)
  • Animal death
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Saga, Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga, Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated Fiona Staples

After a dramatic time jump, Hazel begins the most exciting adventure of her life: kindergarten. Meanwhile, her starcrossed family learns hard lessons of their own.

Collecting: Saga 31-36

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language (r word)
  • Homomisia & homomisic slurs
  • Transmisia
  • Outing
  • Misgendering
  • Rape mentioned
  • Forced sex work mentioned
  • Child abuse
  • Substance addiction
  • Hallucinations
  • Self-harm mentioned
  • Recreational drug use
  • Overdose mentioned
  • Pregnancy
  • Graphic blood & gore depiction
  • Physical injuries, including serious injury of a loved one
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a sister
  • Death of a girlfriend
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Explosion
  • Kidnapping
  • Fire
  • Blackmail
  • Imprisonment
  • War & military violence (theme)
  • Animal death
  • Hunting
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Saga, Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga, Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated Fiona Staples

Multiple storylines collide in this cosmos-spanning new volume. While Gwendolyn and Lying Cat risk everything to find a cure for The Will, Marko makes an uneasy alliance with Prince Robot IV to find their missing children, who are trapped on a strange world with terrifying new enemies.

Collecting: Saga 25-30

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language
  • Racism
  • Misogyny
  • Intimate partner violence
  • Grey-area cheating
  • Substance addiction
  • Hallucinations mentioned
  • Drug abuse & recreational drug use
  • Overdose
  • Abortion mentioned
  • Graphic blood & gore depiction
  • Physical injuries
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a child
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Kidnapping & captivity
  • Fire
  • Plane crash
  • Imprisonment
  • War themes & military violence (theme)
  • Animal death
  • Animal torture recounted
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Saga, Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga, Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated Fiona Staples

Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. As they visit a strange new world and encounter even more adversaries, baby Hazel finally becomes a toddler, while her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana struggle to stay on their feet.

Collecting: Saga 19-24

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language
  • Racism
  • Misogyny
  • Dubious consent scenario*
  • Intimate partner violence
  • Grey-area cheating
  • Substance addiction
  • Hallucinations mentioned
  • Drug abuse & recreational drug use
  • Graphic childbirth
  • Graphic blood & gore depiction
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a son
  • Death of a mother & wife
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Kidnapping
  • Fire
  • War themes & military violence (theme)
  • Animal death

*Note: Sex scene with a protagonist under the influence of recreational drugs.

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Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard book cover

Everyone has something to hide, especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna. Spencer covets her sister’s boyfriend. Aria’s fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily’s crushing on the new girl at school. Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful. But they’ve all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished. How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and the dirty secrets they’ve kept. And guess what? I’m telling.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Fatphobia &body shaming
  • Misogyny, slut-shaming, ableism & racism
  • Homophobia & lesbophobia
  • Child emotional abuse & neglect
  • Teacher-student relationship
  • Sexual harassment
  • Infidelity
  • Eating disorders (bulimia), including disordered food thoughts, binging, and purging (on-page) and discussions of weight loss
  • Self-harm mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption & recreational drug use
  • Murder
  • Stalking & blackmail (theme)
  • Car accident
  • Bullying

Saga, Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga, Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated Fiona Staples

Searching for their literary hero, new parents Marko and Alana travel to a cosmic lighthouse on the planet Quietus, while the couple’s multiple pursuers finally close in on their targets.

Collecting: Saga 13-18.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language
  • Racism
  • Misogyny
  • Dubious consent scenario*
  • Intimate partner violence
  • Grey-area cheating
  • Substance addiction
  • Hallucinations mentioned
  • Drug abuse & recreational drug use
  • Graphic childbirth
  • Graphic blood & gore depiction
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a son
  • Death of a mother & wife
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Kidnapping
  • Fire
  • War themes & military violence (theme)
  • Animal death

*Note: Sex scene with a protagonist under the influence of recreational drugs.

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Flawless by Sara Shepard

Flawless by Sara Shepard book cover

Spencer stole her sister’s boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya . . . as much more than a friend. And Hanna’s obsession with looking flawless is literally making her sick. But the most horrible secret of all is something so scandalous it could destroy their perfect little lives. And someone named “A” is threatening to do just that. At first they thought A was Alison, their friend who vanished three years ago . . . but then Alison turned up dead. So could A be Melissa, Spencer’s ultra-competitive sister? Or Maya, who wants… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Fatphobia & body shaming
  • Ableism, racism & misogyny
  • Lesbophobia & outing mentioned
  • Sexual assault/attempted rape & incestuous child sexual abuse
  • Eating disorder (bulimia), including discussions of bingeing &purging
  • Panic attack
  • Suicide & self-harm
  • Alcohol consumption & recreational drug use
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a friend
  • Fire
  • Blackmail & stalking (theme)
  • Car accident mentioned
  • Bullying