Designed to be an accompaniment to The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, the autobiography of Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx co-written by Sixx and Ian Gittens that details his severe heroin addiction in 1987, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack is a concept album that captures Sixx's basic story of his life during that time, although the album can stand alone. The story begins with the reasons for Sixx starting his diary, followed by his first (albeit temporary) abstinence from heroin, his relapse and mental and physical decline, his near-fatal overdose and out-of-body experience, and finally, his emotional recovery, which eventually led to long-term sobriety. The 13 tracks on the album each correspond to one month of his diary, which he kept from December 1986 to December 1987. Most of the tracks feature spoken word featuring Sixx himself reading some lines from the book.