Alcohol consumption and sales went up by upwards of 70 to 75% in 2020. This spun a lot of Americans out of control. As we dive into 2021, many people are looking for solutions. Check out the recommended reading by KKW if you are exploring reducing or eliminating your alcohol consumption this year.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The founder of a female-focused recovery program offers a radical new path to sobriety.
“You don’t know how much you need this book, or maybe you do. Either way, it will save your life.”—Melissa Hartwig Urban, Whole30 co-founder and CEO
We live in a world obsessed with drinking. We drink at baby showers and work events, brunch and book club, graduations and funerals. Yet no one ever questions alcohol’s ubiquity—in fact, the only thing ever questioned is why someone doesn’t drink. It is a qualifier for belonging and if you don’t imbibe, you are considered an anomaly. As a society, we are obsessed with health and wellness, yet we uphold alcohol as some kind of magic elixir, though it is anything but.
When Holly Whitaker decided to seek help after one too many benders, she embarked on a journey that led not only to her own sobriety, but revealed the insidious role alcohol plays in our society and in the lives of women in particular. What’s more, she could not ignore the ways that alcohol companies were targeting women, just as the tobacco industry had successfully done generations before. Fueled by her own emerging feminism, she also realized that the predominant systems of recovery are archaic, patriarchal, and ineffective for the unique needs of women and other historically oppressed people—who don’t need to lose their egos and surrender to a male concept of God, as the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous state, but who need to cultivate a deeper understanding of their own identities and take control of their lives. When Holly found an alternate way out of her own addiction, she felt a calling to create a sober community with resources for anyone questioning their relationship with drinking, so that they might find their way as well. Her resultant feminine-centric recovery program focuses on getting at the root causes that lead people to overindulge and provides the tools necessary to break the cycle of addiction, showing us what is possible when we remove alcohol and destroy our belief system around it.
Written in a relatable voice that is honest and witty, Quit Like a Woman is at once a groundbreaking look at drinking culture and a road map to cutting out alcohol in order to live our best lives without the crutch of intoxication. You will never look at drinking the same way again.
“An unflinching examination of how our drinking culture hurts women and a gorgeous memoir of how one woman healed herself. It will change your relationship with alcohol—and it has the power to change your relationship with your entire life.”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and founder of Together Rising
“A funny, fast-paced, and bracingly candid dispatch from the realm of the self-actualized, but Holly Whitaker is no polished model of self-help evangelism, nor is her memoir-manifesto selling a one-size-fits-all solution. Her story is a messy human one and all the more convincing that sobriety is a feminist issue.”—Melissa Febos, author of Whip Smart and Abandon Me
“As a culture, we have a weird and often dysfunctional relationship with alcohol. This thoughtful, moving book will help a lot of people get to a healthier place.”—Johann Hari, author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections
“Holly Whitaker is a genius: brilliantly clever, fearless, snort-out-loud funny.”—Catherine Gray, author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober
“Brave and revolutionary, Whitaker has written a compulsively readable book about creating a life you don’t want to escape. Funny, insightful, and candid, it is a must-read for anyone embarking on the adventure of abandoning alcohol.”—Ann Dowsett Johnston, author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol
“A vital, timely, and intriguing analysis of women and alcohol . . . Whitaker cuts to the quick of the issues, skillfully using gripping anecdotes and well-researched insights to educate, liberate, and provide real hope and tangible steps for anyone looking to quit like a woman.”—Annie Grace, author of This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life
“Raw, vulnerable, and unapologetic. Holly Whitaker brings these ingredients together for a fresh and needed perspective as well as a great read.”—Jud Brewer, MD, PhD, author of The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love—Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits
“Following in the footsteps of titles such as Rachel Hollis’s Girl, Wash Your Face, Whitaker aims her first book at modern, urban women—specifically those who are concerned that they might have a problem with alcohol. Part self-help, part recovery memoir, this personal account provides useful and inspiring techniques for addiction recovery.”—Library Journal
“In this blending of memoir and advocacy for an alcohol-free lifestyle, Whitaker . . . offer[s] inspiration to others in need of guidance or permission to find their own paths.”—Booklist
Fiona Beckett is the author of more than 10 books including Fiona Beckett's Cheese Course and Food, Wine & Friends (Cico) and How to Match Food and Wine (Mitchell Beazley). She is the wine writer for the Guardian and her Matching Food and Wine website has followers around the world, with 230k unique users a month, 17k registered subscribers and a social media reach of over 130k across all channels.
Fiona outlines the rise of teetotalism and the health benefits of including alcohol-free days as part of a healthy lifestyle.
This beautiful and inspiring book includes tips and recipes for flavoring waters, creating rhubarb bellinis and marmalade bucks fizz, as well as delicious cardamom syrups, rooibos tea punch and root beer floats.
Whether you wish to create a watermelon cooler or an alcohol-free fruit punch to get a party started or simply wish to make a pair of herb-flavored spritzes for a Friday night in, this book proves that 'no-lo' drinks are every bit as interesting as alcohol. Learn how to create flavorsome, delicious drinks so that anyone can join in a party or celebration. Sections include water, drinks made with nonalcoholic wine, drinking vinegars and shrubs, syrups and cordials, alcohol-free and low-alcohol cocktails, wines, beers and spirits.
My wife and I are social drinkers that will have a glass of wine or a beer with dinner. Our cocktail consumption is limited to special weekends or gatherings with friends. We recently decided to go "cold turkey" for a while and stop drinking entirely. What we missed most was those weekend evenings when we'd start off with a fun cocktail.
I will say I am very picky about things being "authentic". When I eat vegetarian, I don't eat "meat substitutes - I go full veg and focus on authentic vegetarian cuisine from places like India and Thailand. I'm the same way with drinks - I CANNOT STAND "fake beer" or "fake wine" and anything that tries to make a "virgin" version of any sort of cocktail ("virgin manhattan, anyone...? yeccch!).
This book has a completely different approach - all the recipes are very unique and delicious on their own - they aren't trying to mimic a "real" drink. The combinations are interesting and flavorful and I would not hesitate to serve many of them to guests at a party because they are so unique.
Are you tired of thinking about drinking?
Hands up if you believe any of the following about drinking alcohol to be true:
I can’t have fun without alcohol.
Imagine going to a party without drinking!
It makes me feel less anxious or depressed.
Alcohol helps me sleep.
I can’t relax without it.
It makes me entertaining to be around.
It fits the lifestyle of my boozy friends.
I like the taste of alcohol; it’s cool and sophisticated.
I’m not confident enough to talk to new people without it.
It helps me deal with all the problems life throws my way.
It stops me worrying about how much I’m drinking (ironic, I know).
If you find yourself nodding at even one of these statements, then I know how you feel. I was a heavy daily drinker for over twenty years. I too used to believe that I couldn’t live without alcohol, and that once I’d had a few drinks I was funny to be around (hilarious in fact).
Are you too fed up with the routine of drinking, and want to make a change and improve your life? Or you may simply be curious about how an alcohol-free life might look for you. Could it be better? Happier? Calmer? More peaceful?
I also want to reassure you that alcohol addiction is never a person’s fault, and that there’s no need to blame yourself for finding it hard to give up. It honestly isn’t as difficult as you might think, and this book will provide the support, tactics and advice you need as you progress on your sober journey.
The Sober Survival Guide is unique in that it is split into two parts. The first is designed to set you up for success and put you in a place where you can find freedom from alcohol and stop drinking if that’s what you want. The first part of the book contains essential information for when you’re in the early stages of controlling your drinking.
The second part serves as a handbook as you move forward into an alcohol-free life and is where this book comes into its own. As you read it you’ll see I’ve used my own experiences and those of the people I’ve worked with to help ensure you’re ready for the challenges, fears, and questions that will come up in the years after quitting drinking. You’ll learn how to handle the work Christmas party without a glass of bubbly in hand, the joys of sober holidays, what to do when you stop drinking but your partner won’t, and a whole lot more. With this part you can dip in and out, picking the chapters that address the problems you’re facing that day or week.
This unique quit-alcohol book also shares my own stories and personal accounts that helped me learn (sometimes the hard way), so, as well as providing vital tools and tactics will also leave you with a smile on your face and provide you with a fun and enjoyable read. Part memoir, part sober guide and 100% alcohol free - The Sober Survival Guide is perfect for anyone looking to free themselves from the grip of alcohol.
Simon Chapple is the founder of Be Sober one of the largest online 'quit drinking' communities, he's also a speaker, sobriety YouTuber and works as a Certified Alcohol Coach with This Naked Mind helping people change their relationship with alcohol. He's helped thousands of people quit drinking and has made it his life mission to spread the word about the benefits an alcohol-free life brings.
Join Simon and the alcohol-free revolution on Instagram by searching besoberandquit to discover more.
This is a must read for those wishing to leave alcohol in the dust. This is a book that can be reread and I loved the clear, concise writing style. I highly recommend this book
This was a beneficial self-help book for alcoholics and well as non-alcoholics. There are helpful worksheets at the end of each chapter.
They provide mindful techniques for cravings. I found the techniques good when I applied them to food cravings, as well.
A series of humorous, thought-provoking real-life adventures, following one man’s travels from Alcohol World to Sober Land. Armed only with a sense of the ridiculous, he is forced at every turn to overcome those silent foes, anxiety and depression, and finally discover a more compassionate place to live. From discovering magic pajamas to the Lehman like collapse of his dignity in a desperately upmarket town in the south of France, caring for his permanently sozzled mother, to the finding of solace in sober socials.
I am three-quarters of the way into this book, having owned it for about 48 hours, and felt compelled to review. I've struggled to put it down. My workload is suffering. Curse you, Eastwood!
I've not yet come across a book which has helped me to see sober living within the 'normal' alcohol world as a form of protective bubble. There's nothing quite like seeing descriptions of the scrapes you used to get into to make you profoundly relieved you're no longer in the same trap. This hilarious, supportive and frank book is perfect for anyone in that grey area of drinking, where you're deeply uncomfortable about how much of your life is affected by alcohol, yet you'd still feel a fraud at an AA meeting. I'm sixteen months alcohol-free at the point of reading this. Had it been available at the start of my journey, I know for sure that it would've given me a tail wind while stepping into the scary unknown.
Are you worried you might be drinking too much? Fed up of hangovers, hangxiety and feeling below par? Bored of booze culture at home, at work, as a parent? Do you have a sneaking suspicion that alcohol might be standing between you and your best life?
Are you wondering if there's another way?
This is a very helpful and inspiring book for anyone, but especially moms of young kids, who is questioning their drinking, worried about what living sober might be like, and looking for guidance from someone who is non-judgmental, practical and positive. Julia's book is well written, easy to relate to and full of practical advice and honest, entertaining stories of the surprising reality that you can live a happy life completely free from alcohol, even if it has been a huge part of your life for many years.