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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
medium-paced
This was written so well.
It made me sad, all throughout reading this, to know she later died of lung cancer.
It made me sad, all throughout reading this, to know she later died of lung cancer.
“...I was living badly, just plain living wrong.”
“The shape of addiction is circular. When you drink to deal with feelings like that, it’s impossible to get over them.”
“that yearning for something, something outside the self that will provide relief and solace and well-being.”
“The drink stunts you, prevents you from walking through the kinds of fearful life experiences that bring you from point A to point B on the maturity scale...”
“...alcohol has the insidious dual effect of deadening the discomfort and also preventing us from ever really overcoming it...”
“liquor numbs the real feelings and the real fears and the real doubts; it deprives you of the courage it takes to be honest.”
“The shape of addiction is circular. When you drink to deal with feelings like that, it’s impossible to get over them.”
“that yearning for something, something outside the self that will provide relief and solace and well-being.”
“The drink stunts you, prevents you from walking through the kinds of fearful life experiences that bring you from point A to point B on the maturity scale...”
“...alcohol has the insidious dual effect of deadening the discomfort and also preventing us from ever really overcoming it...”
“liquor numbs the real feelings and the real fears and the real doubts; it deprives you of the courage it takes to be honest.”
I'm sorta sorry I'm borrowing this one. I think I'd like to read it again at some point. Poignant without getting too sappy, and insightful for all of us, drinkers or not.
I cannot explain just how wonderful this book is. Caroline Knapp writes so honestly and poetically about her relationship with alcohol. On paper, Caroline Knapp is a successful middle class woman with everything going for her. She also has depression and a reliance on alcohol.
It's a heartbreaking but optimistic read, one I can honestly say has stayed with me since I first read it, and one that I return to. I would recommend this to anyone who's every known someone with an alcohol problem, or anyone who's questioned their own dependency. Which I think is everyone at some point. There aren't any answers in the book but you their is a story which might help you gain a deeper understanding, and offer some hope.
It's a heartbreaking but optimistic read, one I can honestly say has stayed with me since I first read it, and one that I return to. I would recommend this to anyone who's every known someone with an alcohol problem, or anyone who's questioned their own dependency. Which I think is everyone at some point. There aren't any answers in the book but you their is a story which might help you gain a deeper understanding, and offer some hope.
I started reading this book not knowing this was about alcoholism despite the title. I myself have slight addiction problem to social media, have been off twitter for several months to deal with the addiction, so it was interesting to see the similarity of alcohol addiction to my twitter addiction. The numbing effect of both addictions, wanting something that "lacks" in your life and thinking it will solve your problem when you have it, the anxiety that comes from that want all sounded familiar. It was a little sad to read the last few chapters where she sounded hopeful and happy about her new sober life as I knew she eventually passed away from lung cancer only 7 years after her decision to be sober. But even though for a relatively short period of time, I was glad to read how she broke free from her dad's pattern and left something meaningful for the world to see.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Emotional read, incredibly reflective of the complexities of drinking in society. Made me take a step back and look at my relationship with many levels of coping mechanisms
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Rape, Toxic relationship, Alcohol
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism