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A review by leighnonymous
Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
4.0
It's difficult for me to put into words exactly how I felt about this book. In the interest of the raw honesty inspired by this book, I admit picking it up to gauge whether or not I had a drinking problem, myself. Without a doubt, no. Reading the story of Caroline - her horrible low points and even more horrible lower points - made me feel as if I was watching a friend deteriorate from the inside out. Hers is not a pretty story; given the premature death of the author eight years after this book was published, I felt devastated that she'd bravely gone through what she had only to be taken by another insidious evil. (Speaking of which, the author uses "insidious" entirely too often). The tragedies she had to face, independent of her alcohol use, overwhelmed me. I was reminded of the unfortunate life of Johannes Kepler.
Going into this book, I wanted proof that alcoholism was merely the lack of self-discipline and the result of weak willpower; I was wrong. Forgive the crudeness, but the best analogy for alcoholism (or mental illness or anorexia, etc.) was a blunt comparison to diarrhea: try controlling that. It's out of your hands, it's controlled by your body.
The rock-bottom stories of some of her fellow alcoholics appalled me, in particular the miscarrying woman with a hangover, wrapping her skirt between her bloody legs to go into the liquor store first thing in the morning. (No, even that did not prompt her to seek help).
She makes a valid and logical argument against the "Moderation Movement," which I still advocate. She points out that those seeking help have already tried moderation, themselves, many times. If they could moderate themselves, they wouldn't be alcoholics. Oddly, this and the author's anorexia helped my own moderation with drinking: spacing out the time one consumes a drink (or food) helps one not drink (or eat) so much. I finished the last parts of the book with a drink beside me, sipping it over the course of an hour. And I felt just fine. I took inventory and realized that one drink was enough for me.
Fortunately, I am not an alcoholic, but I think I have a pretty good grasp on what they go through and it breaks my heart. The book certainly made me view the people struggling with alcoholism in a different way; it fulfilled its purpose.
The book's only drawback was its unabashed advocacy of AA. I realize this organization helps most people but the author didn't seem to truly and fairly explain the alternatives. But this is the author's story, ultimately, and she's simply relaying what helped her and what could help others like her.
Going into this book, I wanted proof that alcoholism was merely the lack of self-discipline and the result of weak willpower; I was wrong. Forgive the crudeness, but the best analogy for alcoholism (or mental illness or anorexia, etc.) was a blunt comparison to diarrhea: try controlling that. It's out of your hands, it's controlled by your body.
The rock-bottom stories of some of her fellow alcoholics appalled me, in particular the miscarrying woman with a hangover, wrapping her skirt between her bloody legs to go into the liquor store first thing in the morning. (No, even that did not prompt her to seek help).
She makes a valid and logical argument against the "Moderation Movement," which I still advocate. She points out that those seeking help have already tried moderation, themselves, many times. If they could moderate themselves, they wouldn't be alcoholics. Oddly, this and the author's anorexia helped my own moderation with drinking: spacing out the time one consumes a drink (or food) helps one not drink (or eat) so much. I finished the last parts of the book with a drink beside me, sipping it over the course of an hour. And I felt just fine. I took inventory and realized that one drink was enough for me.
Fortunately, I am not an alcoholic, but I think I have a pretty good grasp on what they go through and it breaks my heart. The book certainly made me view the people struggling with alcoholism in a different way; it fulfilled its purpose.
The book's only drawback was its unabashed advocacy of AA. I realize this organization helps most people but the author didn't seem to truly and fairly explain the alternatives. But this is the author's story, ultimately, and she's simply relaying what helped her and what could help others like her.