Horrified and enthralled, we see the world through Clegg’s increasingly despairing gaze—and a part of us longs as much as he does for another fix to provide some relief from the horror. Although both are worth reading, it’s the first I find myself returning to, marvelling at its ability to conjure the insanity of addiction from inside its diabolical reality. They encourage you to embrace the sober “Irish exit,” leaving the party early to enjoy a starlit stroll home. It includes recipes for zero-proof cocktails for all seasons and has tips for navigating the dating scene while completely sober. If you’re feeling down about “missing out” on life if you cut back on alcohol or got sober, read this book. Ward and Libaire show you how to get intoxicated, but with life instead of alcohol.
Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker
Quit Like a Woman is a sobriety drug addiction treatment book that delves into the toxic culture of alcohol in society—and specifically, its impact on women. In the book, Holly Whitaker speaks on the irony of a world that glorifies alcohol yet looks down on people who get sick from using it. Dry is a heartbreaking memoir of Augusten Burrough’s story of addiction, beginning with an intervention organized by his coworkers and boss and his first bout of sobriety. Whether you drink often, are newly sober, or anywhere in between, it can be deeply inspiring to hear a story from someone who’s experienced exactly what you’re going through. I chose Atlas of the Heart because it touches on the important theme of second chances.
Memoirs About Alcoholism
The Sober Diaries follows the narrative of author Clare Pool’s journey in quitting drinking. The book covers her whole first-year experience of sobriety, as well as the unexpected challenges she faced along the way. Blackout by Sarah Hepola is a brutally honest quit lit memoir of living through blackout after blackout—something that many alcoholic memoirs who’ve struggled with heavy alcohol use can relate to. For more books about alcoholism and addiction, check out this list of 100 must-read books about addiction. Survival Math is an incredible look at race and class, gangs and guns, addiction and masculinity. Mitchell S. Jackson frames the narrative around his own experiences and those of his family and community.
“The Sober Lush: A Hedonist’s Guide to Living a Decadent, Adventurous, Soulful Life–Alcohol Free”
Dove “Birdie” Randolph is doing her best to be a perfect daughter. She’s focusing on her schoolwork and is on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then she falls for Booker, and her aunt Charlene—who has been in and out of treatment for alcoholism for decades—moves into the apartment above her family’s hair salon. The Revolution of Birdie Randolph is a beautiful look at the effects of alcoholism on friends and family members in the touching way only Brandy Colbert can master.
- For anyone hiding in the shadows of shame, this book is a guiding light.
- But though our world-views are in some ways profoundly different, few books have enriched me as a reader and a person more than hers.
- Written with courage and candor this book leaves you ready to push against a society suggesting alcohol is the solution to women’s problems.
- Holly Whitaker, in her own path to recovery, discovered the insidious ways the alcohol industry targets women and the patriarchal methods of recovery.
Tired of Thinking about Drinking: Take My 100 Day Sober Challenge by Belle Roberson
Finally, at the behest of his coworkers and boss, he ends up in a rehab that specifically caters to gay and lesbian patients. Once his 30 days are up, he has to figure out how to return to his New York City lifestyle sans alcohol. Burroughs’ story is one of triumph and loss, professional success and personal failure, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ finding your way to sobriety, falling into relapse, and starting all over again.
Plus, you’ll get to read beautiful writing, and expand your worldview and perspectives. If you’re looking for more sobriety resources, check out Monument’s therapist-moderated alcohol support groups and anonymous online forum. This book serves as a guide for anyone starting their journey with a 30 day sobriety challenge.
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Maté
This ethical dimension (or an aesthetic impurity) is a distinctive aspect of addiction memoir as a literary form. Although she makes faltering progress in building a simulacrum of grown-up life, her relationship with alcohol—“I had an appetite for drink, a taste for it, a talent”—steadily overtakes everything. By the end of her drinking she is reduced to crouching on a stairwell outside her apartment, glugging whisky with her one-year-old son and failing marriage inside. But even more than how it captures the bleakness of alcoholism, what I most value in this book is how she narrates her recovery with such brutal honesty. This is no joyful, linear skip towards sobriety and redemption.