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A review by koreanlinda
Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
I am an addict. I am mostly addicted to mobile games, social media, and videos. I also have a mild binge-eating disorder.
I loved and hated reading this book. I loved it for Caroline Knapp's writing style. It flowed so well that my eyes just slid across the page. At the same time, I hated reading it because I was angry toward Knapp and myself. Reading her story reminded me of my own failure in "controlling" my behavior. My habit of blaming myself for my addiction and deeming myself a failure showed up through my attitude toward Knapp. For most of the book, I silently yelled at her over and over, "You are a stupid idiot. You deserve all the suffering you have." Such blame made me deeply sad because Knapp is not an idiot. Neither am I. She doesn't deserve any pain. Neither do I.
My self-loathing takes root in my childhood experience of repeatedly being beaten. I was scolded, yelled at, and punished with hands or weapons. Such experience planted the idea that I am eternally inadequate and deserving of punishment.
I am thankful to Knapp for writing this book. I learned a lot about alcoholism. Overall it seems much more painful than screen addiction. Screen addiction messes up your brain, but alcohol messes up your whole body.
Knapp talks about how our society is inundated with alcohol. It could be true, if not more, with screens, too. Everyone carries one or more devices. I use devices for work and personal tasks. I can't imagine living without a device. I wish there were better regulations on addictive content online. I also wish there was better awareness and education on screen addiction.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in February 2025
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
I loved and hated reading this book. I loved it for Caroline Knapp's writing style. It flowed so well that my eyes just slid across the page. At the same time, I hated reading it because I was angry toward Knapp and myself. Reading her story reminded me of my own failure in "controlling" my behavior. My habit of blaming myself for my addiction and deeming myself a failure showed up through my attitude toward Knapp. For most of the book, I silently yelled at her over and over, "You are a stupid idiot. You deserve all the suffering you have." Such blame made me deeply sad because Knapp is not an idiot. Neither am I. She doesn't deserve any pain. Neither do I.
My self-loathing takes root in my childhood experience of repeatedly being beaten. I was scolded, yelled at, and punished with hands or weapons. Such experience planted the idea that I am eternally inadequate and deserving of punishment.
I am thankful to Knapp for writing this book. I learned a lot about alcoholism. Overall it seems much more painful than screen addiction. Screen addiction messes up your brain, but alcohol messes up your whole body.
Knapp talks about how our society is inundated with alcohol. It could be true, if not more, with screens, too. Everyone carries one or more devices. I use devices for work and personal tasks. I can't imagine living without a device. I wish there were better regulations on addictive content online. I also wish there was better awareness and education on screen addiction.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in February 2025
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Vomit, Alcohol
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence