She takes us through her journey of recovery in this moving, inspiring story about giving up something you think you love to live the life you truly want. Have you noticed that our world is increasingly obsessed with drinking? Work events, brunch, baby showers, book club, hair salons—the list of where to find booze is endless. Holly Whitaker, in her own path to recovery, discovered the insidious ways the alcohol industry targets women and the patriarchal methods of recovery.
Parched: A Memoir by Heather King
Although one may accomplish a lot of things, they will still not be living to their full potential if they do not let go of all the standards the society dictates us. This is a book not only for addicts but every person who deep down has a feeling of inadequacy and how to recover from that state. This author has a different approach to help stop drinking from what they teach in a 12-step program. Many people appreciate this new approach to dealing with alcohol addiction, especially if other approaches were not very effective. This book is written by a neuroscientist who is in recovery, which gives this book a perfect balance of science and story.
Alcohol and You: How to Control and Stop Drinking by Lewis David
His descriptions perfectly capture the out of control life of a youth growing up with addiction, yet his story ultimately yields hope for the future. As you can see, I began with books about the effects of ayahuasca on mental health and quality of life in naïve users biochemical basis of drunkenness. As the supplements kicked in and my mind became sharper, I moved on to guides that offered specific strategies for improving my health and quality of life.
Allen Carr’s Stop Drinking Now: The Original Easyway Method
The following are a smattering of the books about alcoholism I’ve found meaningful. The story follows Carr’s unbelievable arc through addiction, recovery, cancer, and life as a single parent to come to an understanding of what those dark years meant. From graduating cum laude from law school despite her excessive drinking to languishing in dive bars, King presents a clear-eyed look at her past and what brought her out of the haze of addiction.
This is a fantastic read whenever you feel unsure of what to focus on or simply overwhelmed by negativity. With intensity and repetition, I’ve also turned certain yoga poses into automatic initiators of a rush of feel-good chemicals. Ahead, see the 15 stories of struggle, failure, recovery, and grace that have moved us the most. We provide a healthy environment uniquely suited to facilitate your growth and healing.
- Healing Neen provides a personal look into the connection between incarceration, substance use, and trauma.
- 20) A Happier Hour by Rebecca WellerAt 39 years of age – and a health coach, no less – Weller knew better than to drink several bottles of wine each week.
- Whitaker’s book offers a road map of non-traditional options for recovery.
- It contains millennia of accumulated Eastern wisdom that has either been forgotten or repackaged as stunted cliches.
Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction by Elizabeth Vargas
The book discusses drug policies, substance use treatment, and the root causes of substance use. More than anything, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts provides a voice of kind generosity and understanding to anyone who is looking to learn more for themselves or a loved one. Written by a cognitive neuroscientist with former substance use struggles, Marc Lewis emphasizes the habitual reward loop in the brain that can cause a substance use disorder to develop. This book also examines the brain’s ability to create new neural pathways and lose the desire to use substances. Lewis provides a description of life in recovery that I relate to myself; that sober life is not a life of deprivation, but one of fulfillment, continued growth, and personal development. One of the first of its kind, Drink opens our eyes to the connection between drinking, trauma and the impossible quest to ‘have it all’ that many women experience.
I am, probably, by way of my history, more attuned to picking up on it than others. Often, when we think of books about addiction and specifically alcoholism (in my case), we think of important, tell-all works of steve harwell in hospice nonfiction. Memoirs like Sarah Hepola’s Blackout, Augusten Burroughs’ Dry, and Drunk Mom by Jowita Bydlowska are recent, searing examples of first person accounts of being drunk and then, eventually, being sober.
This book offers a collection of elegant, complex, and sophisticated recipes that prove there’s so much more to zero proof beverages than overly sweet ‘mocktails’. Bainbridge combines unique ingredients with detailed preparation to create thoughtful and flavorful non-alcoholic beverages. This is more than a cookbook – it’s a captivating read and a gorgeous coffee table book to peruse over and over again. Plus, it’s sure to impress your guests at your next dinner party. For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. In return for a donation, you’ll get an ad-free reading experience, exclusive editors’ picks, book giveaways, and our coveted Joan Didion Lit Hub tote bag.
To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes. A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Finally, I sought out publications that helped me to better understand the human condition, including my own. But in my case, these texts helped me to transcend addiction once and for all. The good news is that regardless of the “root causes”, anyone with this disorder can decide to take control of their biochemistry, psychology, social influences, and spiritual development. It is a disorder that can be permanently resolved using the Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual model of recovery.
This is an up-close and personal point of view about what it is like to have a child going through this. The struggle she has, the decisions she has to make, the heartstrings that get pulled on, the other siblings, and how to balance all that in. If you are a parent or a close person of someone struggling, this book should be really helpful.
Take back control of your life and start on the road to recovery now. It can also help you take control of your biochemistry so that you can leave physical cravings in the past. The key message of this book is that you have the power to transform your thought processes and your life. I did not totally understand the value (and safety) of high doses of vitamin C until I read this book. I’ve since found from experience that the common cold is no match for 10 grams of liposomal vitamin C!
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. Weaving together poems, historical documents, and photos, this is an essential book about, among many other things, alcoholism and survival. I recently came to terms with my own problematic relationship with alcohol, and my one solace has been in books. I’ve dug into memoir after memoir, tiptoed into the hard science books, and enjoyed the fiction from afar.
She provides actionable steps for anyone looking to drink less or none at all. A great starter book for anyone looking to begin changing their relationship with alcohol. This is a self-help book by a licensed therapist that braids together anonymized client stories, personal narrative, psychological tools, and brain research.
Customers find the book’s content great, helpful, and positive for recovery. They say it helps reprogram your inner perception, and is useful eco sober house review for any behavior one might want to change. Readers also say it sparks excellent discussions and is an interesting read with new ideas.
Through reading this book I came to better understand myself, my body’s physical reactions, and my mental health. It’s a tough book to read due to the descriptions of horrific traumas people have experienced, however it’s inspirational in its message of hope. Van der Kolk describes our inner resilience to manage the worst of life’s circumstances with our innate survival instinct. We can survive and even thrive despite the traumas we have endured. The tension between on the wagon/off the wagon is often good fodder for literature. Early sobriety forces, like giving birth, a quick and complete break with a former life in order to make way for a new, sometimes ambiguously desired one.
I read this book before I became a personal trainer, and it brought my physique to the next level. It also contains more useful information than any official personal training textbook I’ve read. This is an excellent starting book for anyone who’s serious about getting fit. Mainstream recovery programs have very little to say about personal achievement.