Some people are inspired by the reading of other people's struggles and how they are able to overcome them.
Some people are inspired by reading tomes of poetry that most people may not understand.
There are dozens of different reasons to read a book. Some people read to educate themselves, others to inspire themselves. Some people read out of boredom, other people read because they find it genuinely entertaining.
I don't read war books because I have no interest them. I do, however, read autobiographies with quite some regularity because I like to see how people relate the stories of themselves.
So if I find a bass player/song writer who found himself riding the wave of rock and roll and all it's excesses, became addicted to heroin, died twice, and finally realized that it had to stop to be inspirational, then it's only because something in his tale caused me to identify with his plight and his ability to overcome it inspired me.
You don't have to be someone to be emulated or worshipped to be inspiring... sometimes the most inspiring thing in my day is the light in my son's eyes as he discovers simple joy in something quite ordinary.
So continue to feel you need to call me out, bash me, harass me, whatever. I won't make threats about how "if you keep harassing me I'll report you and you'll get your account taken away" because that seems petty and childish for an internet forum. Obviously the story was inspiring and moving to other people, because they've said as much in this thread. Until you've read the book, you honestly cannot judge it's contents.
It's not about him being a hero... more of an inspiration and a cautionary tale of what NOT to do... but knowing that even when you're down at rock bottom you can still pull yourself up and be something.
I can only handle one book about an addict and think that any read after that would be boring. This recommended book actually has an extremely high rating and am looking forward to reading it.