Carrie Fisher, Augusten Burroughs, Leslie Jamison: 15 great recovery memoirs

best alcoholic memoirs

Having said that, I did—while reading Ditlevsen’s Dependency—occasionally need to put the book down and take a few deep breaths. Even the second time around I found it so viscerally powerful that at times I was overwhelmed. It was every bit as gruelling and heartbreaking as the truth required it to be. And I can’t think of a better compliment to a writer of addiction memoir – or, indeed, any writer – than that. Clegg’s manic spiral is related in a relentless present tense, in a prose that’s sparse and detached—and lit up by little flares of lyricism to conjure each hit.

Could Ozempic and similar drugs be used to treat substance use disorders?

best alcoholic memoirs

Tom Holland is the latest star to break into the non-alcoholic spirits space, two years into his sobriety journey. The new non-alcoholic beer, playfully called Bero, launched Wednesday morning and is now available to shop online. King is a writer, lawyer and NPR contributor whose memoir chronicles her decades-long downward spiral into alcoholism, from her small New England hometown to seedy restaurants where she waitressed and cockroach-ridden lofts where she lived. Eventually saved by her family, King writes with equal parts sensitivity and humor about redemption and compassion for others. From her excessive drinking and smoking to disordered eating and falling for the wrong men, Caroline Knapp is seemingly attracted to anything and everything that isn’t good for her. She drinks to cope with life’s difficulties, like the death of her parents, but it’s only after twenty years of dependency that she sees how the “cure” to her stress and anxiety is the real problem.

best alcoholic memoirs

Ubisoft Has Little Choice in Potential Tencent Acquisition

This book functions as daily devotional with reflective meditations and modern day translations on how to improve your mental health. This book is for everyone, but learning to ‘tame the inner dragon’ is especially helpful to people in recovery. Although this book isn’t specifically about alcohol recovery, it has become a go-to guide in many recovery circles.

The Sober Diaries by Clare Pool

Quit Like a Woman takes a groundbreaking look at America’s obsession with best alcoholic memoirs alcohol. It explores how society’s perception and targeted marketing campaigns keeps groups of people down while simultaneously putting money into “Big Alcohol’s” pockets. Whitaker’s book offers a road map of non-traditional options for recovery. It is well-researched, educational, informative, and at times mind-blowing. This is a must read for anyone passionate about exploring their relationship with alcohol and the role a patriarchal system has played in rising rates of unhealthy substance use in America.

“This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life”

best alcoholic memoirs

Divorce, abandonment, foreclosure and a mass shooting… Mishka Shubaly had plenty of reasons to wallow in drink and drugs, and he does so with wild abandon in I Swear I’ll Make It Up to You. His first full-length memoir follows him from a seemingly endless rock bottom to a passion for running that leads him out of a life of self-destruction and chaos. It’s an inspiring and, at times, unbelievable tale told with unflinching honesty and a heavy dose of self-deprecation. Stefanie Wilder-Taylor has https://ecosoberhouse.com/ always had a complicated relationship with alcohol.

by Mary Karr

Told in the present tense (another rarity in autobiography), the result is a stunningly immersive and intimate story. We seem to experience Ditlevsen’s life with her, moment by vivid moment. Meanwhile successful writing always surprises and challenges us, perhaps by defying the conventions of the form to which it belongs or simply by refreshing them in some way. These pages are filled with the teachings of ancient Stoics such as Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus. Stoicism is an ancient philosophy that believes self-control, courage, justice, and wisdom are the keys to happiness.

  • And she had an almost miraculous ability to portray her broken family with wit and love, without ever flinching from pain.
  • From Sober Sexpert Tawny Lara comes a cheeky, lighthearted, judgement-free handbook.
  • We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

Drunk Mom by Jowita Bydlowska

best alcoholic memoirs

She grew up with a tragic journey, running away and becoming exposed to alcohol, drugs, and sex at a young age, and leaning on those vices to get by. A Piece of Cake is her gripping tale of crashing down to the bottom and crawling back to the top. Take our short alcohol quiz to learn where you fall on the drinking spectrum and if you might benefit from quitting or cutting back on alcohol.