7 Novels That Capture the Pain and Chaos of Alcoholism Literary Hub

best alcohol recovery books

Frey recounts his journey through rehab, as both an alcoholic and a crack cocaine addict. Although this book was first released as a memoir, Frey later admitted that many of the instances described within A Million Little Pieces never happened. Regardless, his representation of the lack of control that addicts experience on their journey to rock-bottom struck a chord with millions of readers.

Love Your Sober Year: A Seasonal Guide to Alcohol-Free Living by Kate Baily & Mandy Manners

best alcohol recovery books

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.

best alcohol recovery books

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober: Discovering a Happy, Healthy, Wealthy Alcohol-Free Life by Catherine Gray

This is one of the best memoirs on alcohol recovery in my opinion. She highlights not only her relationship to alcohol, but also key takeaways from her many attempts to get sober. Reading her book is like sharing a cup of coffee with your wise best friend. She’s brilliant in writing and shares many actionable tips and strategies.

Here are some of the best books related to drug and alcohol use disorders.

These insights can introduce a whole new dimension of healing while on a sobriety or moderation journey. Cat Marnell’s “How to Murder Your Life” is a story about Cat Marnell, a girl from a wealthy and strict family, who becomes a beauty editor in New York City. She tells about all these issues and how her addiction destroyed the life she was building before. “Alcohol can affect your mental health and influence feelings of stress, low mood and anxiety. Stopping drinking for a time will help to relieve these feelings, improving your mood and reducing anxiety.” When you quit drinking for a year or more, you’ll find that you have the energy to move forward and tackle new projects. This book can supply you with the internal resolve and concrete strategies you’ll need to make progress in all aspects of your life.

  1. This is an up-close and personal point of view about what it is like to have a child going through this.
  2. At best, going to bed with a bottle of wine will make you wake up feeling dry-mouthed and stupid.
  3. I first read this book in high school, and revisited it after I quit drinking.

Ever the feminist, she found that women and other oppressed people don’t need the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous, but a deeper understanding of their own identities. Quit Like a Woman is her informative and relatable guidebook to breaking an addiction to alcohol. This book serves as a guide for anyone starting their journey with a 30 day sobriety challenge. The Dry Challenge can be especially helpful for delirium tremens people who drink socially, and are looking to take a structured step back to re-evaluate their habits. This book offers inspiration for alcohol-free drinks and activities, and tangible tips on how to navigate a month (or beyond!) without alcohol. Although this book was published what might seem ages ago, there is so much valuable information for those who are just beginning their new life, a sober life.

Novels That Capture the Pain and Chaos of Alcoholism

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.

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 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.

Customers find the book’s content great, helpful, and positive for recovery. They say it helps reprogram your inner perception, and is useful for any behavior one might want to change. Readers also say it sparks excellent discussions and is an interesting read with new ideas.

At best, going to bed with a bottle of wine will make you wake up feeling dry-mouthed and stupid. Going to bed with a book will tire your eyes naturally, ease your subconscious tension, and fill your mind with endless possibilities. The artist discusses his journey, including his descent into drug use and finding light through the darkness.

By the time I found this book, I already knew from experience that supplements can repair your brain after you quit drinking. Her masterpiece provided me with a wealth of new information and a blueprint for further supplementation. When I stopped drinking alcohol, I was desperate to know the stories of other people who’d also taken this road less traveled.

The book helps one understand addiction as an illness and explains why we should not judge those suffering from addiction. It gives ways that one can help that person and still stay, unless there is an abusive relationship and one is in danger. There are many articles and videos on alcohol addiction recovery. Yet, there is something about books that makes us think deeper and get more heroin withdrawal insights into the addiction problem and how to recover from addiction. We put together a list of some of the best alcohol addiction recovery books for both those who are recovering from the addiction and close to them people. If you’re looking for something to assist you in your journey to an alcohol-free life, there are many helpful books out there to help you give up booze.

Whether your goal is to improve your financial situation or not, this book can help you discover the life that you actually want to live. Napoleon Hill spent two decades studying the great industrialists, learning firsthand from the likes of Andrew Carnegie, and compiling information about the mental habits that lead to success in any arena. If your goal is to become unshakeable in your daily life, this book is a great place to start. It contains millennia of accumulated Eastern wisdom that has either been forgotten or repackaged as stunted cliches. I picked up this book because I knew that Tony Robbins was a mega-successful self-help guru, which led me to believe that he had to be a con man of sorts.

This is a great read for building your self-esteem back up from the ashes of addiction. I often say that recovery from addiction requires effort in two primary areas – biochemical and cognitive. Allen Carr’s bestseller is a powerful tool for reframing the internal assumptions many people hold about alcohol. This book reads like a long hypnosis session for the person who needs the power of conviction behind his or her efforts to quit drinking. 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. Her increasingly dysfunctional relationship with alcohol had to stop, but after decades of social drinking, she was terrified of what that might mean.

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 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.

After finishing A Happier Hour, the bar was set high for future reads (no pun intended). Weller has a relatable story for any high-achiever who finds themselves with boozy, foggy evenings that turn into hangovers the next morning. Written gallbladder and alcohol consumption with raw vulnerability, the pages of this book are filled with an honest look at her own relationship to alcohol. It got me thinking the one thing I never wanted to be true… maybe it is the alcohol that’s making me so miserable?

At around 100 pages, this is the shortest book that I will have to re-read because of Jung’s deep, aphoristic style. Jung was concerned about the ease with which individuals slip into groupthink instead of forming their own authentic identities. In fact, I just returned from a trip overseas in which the bartender and I bonded over free non-alcoholic cocktails and had a delightful hour-long conversation about kratom. Since mainstream recovery culture preaches an implicit ethic of self-denial, I found that it was important to find fresh sources for resurrecting my own positive sense of self.

Alcohol addiction is primarily a biochemical disorder, one reinforced by neural pathways linking alcohol to desired states of mind. As a “disorder,” it shares a collection of common symptoms, including cravings and withdrawal for people who are physically dependent on alcohol. Dr. Linus Pauling was the only scientist to have won two unshared Nobel Prizes, and this book is easily the most useful nutritional guide that I have read. While this book is not explicitly about recovering from drinking, the information is very relevant for people who want to repair their brains and bodies after conquering acute withdrawal. All of these books contain pieces of the puzzle, in one form or another, for transcending addiction and living the most promising life that you can possibly live.

Unlike 7 Weeks to Sobriety, this book answers some questions about why the addiction treatment industry tends to ignore nutrition. No matter where you are on your journey to recovery, it helps to have stories from peer groups who understand what you are going through. This is also helpful for friends and family members as they support you through the recovery process. Cupcake Brown was 11 when she was orphaned and placed into foster care.

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