Higher and Higher

Eight years in the making. Three thousand copies sold before Allen & Unwin picked it up. Described as ‘Lao-Tzu meets Hunter S. Thompson.’ This is the book that started a recovery revolution.

Higher and Higher is part memoir, part revelation. It traces Jost’s own journey from teenage drug use in Germany through the hippie dream, psychedelics, speed addiction, anarchy and alcoholism — and out the other side into a completely different understanding of what it means to feel good.

But this isn’t just one man’s story. Woven throughout are case histories from Jost’s years of working at the frontline of addiction recovery, revealing why drugs do what they do, what they’re really giving you, and how to get that feeling back without them.

Readers pick it up and don’t put it down. It’s raw, funny, uncomfortable in places, and unlike any other book in the addiction space. There’s no judgement, no labels, no twelve steps. Just a deeply honest account of the human need to feel good — and a path to actually getting there.

Published by Allen & Unwin. Also published internationally in Serbian.

What you’ll discover:

• Why marijuana makes you paranoid or gives you the munchies — and whether it really leads to harder drugs
• What’s actually happening in your body and mind on speed, acid, ecstasy, and heroin
• Why total strangers bond on ecstasy and why acid trips can go either way
• Whether drugs can genuinely enhance spirituality — and what happens when they stop working
• Why some meds make depression worse
• A completely different framework for understanding addiction and what recovery actually looks like

Where to buy:

📘 Paperback $34.99  Buy Direct (ships from Australia) Also available on Amazon and online bookstores but we often have stock when they don’t.

📱 Ebook — available on Amazon Kindle and other ebook platforms.

What readers are saying:

★★★★★ “Your book literally saved my life. I was on all drugs, addicted on heroin and methadone, struggling for years. Until I read your book I refused to go to rehab. Now I am sober, my healing has begun. Your book is my Bible.”

★★★★★ “I used to smoke crystal meth. I read your book and now I’m a yoga teacher. Just want you to know that you and yoga helped change my life.”

★★★★★ “For the last 20 years I thought I was an addict. Thanks to you I realise I’m not an addict, that I have free choice. Your book expanded my mind.”

★★★★★ “To my knowledge no other book has been able to truly describe what drugs actually do to us, why they are so popular, and most importantly how we can feel just as good without them.”

★★★★★ “One of the most powerful, real, relevant, and thought-provoking books I have picked up in some time.” — The Art of Healing

HIGHER AND HIGHER FAQS

Q: Is this a self-help book or a memoir? A: Both. It reads like a page-turning memoir — many people finish it in one sitting — but woven through the story are case histories and  a completely new framework for understanding why people use drugs and what it actually takes to feel that good without them.

Q: Do I need to have a drug history to get something from this book? A: No. Readers consistently say it changed how they think about addiction, pleasure, and what it means to feel good — whether or not they’ve ever used drugs. It’s also widely recommended by parents, partners, and health professionals who want to understand the drug experience from the inside from a professional who understands both sides of the story.

Q: Is this book judgemental about drug use? A: The opposite. One of the most common things readers say is that it’s the first book on drugs that doesn’t judge. Jost treats drug use as a natural human impulse to feel something extraordinary and offers a unique new way forward that doesn’t involve guilt, shame, or labels.

Q: What’s the connection between Higher and Higher and Jost’s other addiction books? A: Higher and Higher is the beginning of the story, the memoir that traces Jost’s own journey and his discovery and development of a new approach to recovery.  Drug Repair That Works is the second part that goes into psychosis from a new angle and the harder drugs. It combines Jost’s own experiences of that world and a fresh way forward. The Rebel’s Guide to Recovery is the most current and radical, laying out a complete lifestyle-based recovery program.