Name Austin Coats | ||
Austin Lee Coats (born October 9, 1984) is an American writer from Fort Smith, AR. He graduated from Greenwood High School in 2003 and attended the University of Arkansas. His debut memoir Spoons are for Stirring Coffee (Amazon Digital Services, Inc.; Sept. 30, 2012) is a firsthand account of his recovery from substance abuse and addiction. He wrote the first chapter of this memoir while homeless in Delray Beach, FL in 2008. Knowing he wasn't ready to turn his life around, and knowing there was more destruction ahead, Austin put the pen down while his story played out. Three years later, after getting clean and sober, he picked the pen back up and finished the final 14 chapters of Spoons Are For Stirring Coffee.
Contents
Early life
Coats grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas with one older sibling. His parents raised him in a Christian home; his mother an independent sales consultant for Arbonne International, his father the owner of a local construction company. He attended elementary school in Fort Smith, AR before moving to Greenwood, AR to finish his education and pursue a football career within Greenwood's widely known successful athletics program. After several shoulder injuries followed by subsequent operations, his football career ended and his pain medication addiction began. He graduated from high school in 2003 and attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR.
Recovery
Austin Coats spent ten years in active addiction to opiates. He sought treatment on 4 separate occasions in three different states. His first and second attempt at getting sober was in Delray Beach, FL and spent a year living in the area following the second attempt. His third try at a sober life was back in Arkansas in 2009. Finally, in 2010, he found sobriety for good under the shadow of the Colorado Rocky Mountains in Fort Collins, CO. After living in Colorado for a year, he returned home and continues to live a sober life. He is actively involved in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. With a year clean and sober under his belt, he finished the final 14 chapters of Spoons are for Stirring Coffee. It took him a year's time to write the book. He is writing a second literary piece and delivers inspirational messages through speaking engagements.
Writing career
Coats has been acclaimed for his unique, detail-driven writing style, his brilliant and hilarious metaphorical use, and an unfailing ability to make the reader feel visually and emotionally present in the story. NY Times Bestselling Author James Frey said "Spoons Are For Stirring Coffee will have you hooked from beginning to end. A beautiful look at how Coats beat the odds. Entertaining, frightening, and enlightening." Editor-In-Chief Joe Mack of Currentland Magazine also gave a rave review of Austin's memoir: "Austin Coats' book is full of tragedy and reality, but it's also full of hope and courage, and in many regards is the heartwarming tale of being reunited with himself, with the man he wants to be. Coats' composition presents a unique tone - elements of Ernest Hemmingway and William S. Burroughs clash in matters of both substance and subtle beauty - yet, Spoons is loaded with dynamic dialogue that will have you scrolling through its pages quickly." The review was published in the December, 2012 issue of Currentland Magazine as a full-page spread.