Three Things on Tuesday: Quit Lit
Does anyone really like Tuesdays? Oh and some further thoughts on imbibing.
Happy Tuesday! I need to think of a better greeting, because no one is ever particularly happy it’s Tuesday. Tuesday is arguably the worst day of the week, right? It’s the day that nothing really interesting ever happens. No one has plans for a Tuesday. And if someone does make plans that involve you on a Tuesday then you almost certainly hope they’ll cancel them. Okay, I’m going to work on this intro and report back next week.
As I mentioned in Friday’s newsletter, I’ve been doing a bout of not drinking, which has been really refreshing and restorative. Every time that I take an extended break from alcohol I try to read a book or two about why alcohol isn’t that great for you (because let’s be honest, it’s not) and use the time to expand my understanding around the psychology of why we drink and why alcohol plays such a huge role in society at large.
I love wine and I cannot wait to have a martini on my birthday, but, like all things in life, I think it’s worth understanding what is motivating us to do the things we’re doing so that we can make the smartest, most informed choice for ourselves at any given time. I find that reading books about sobriety while not drinking helps me better understand the choices that I’m making when I do have alcohol as a regular part of my life.
[Please note: It bears repeating that I am not preaching complete sobriety here. I don’t have any opinion on what is right for anyone except for myself, but if your actions are bringing harm to yourself or others, then there are a number of incredible free resources to help you get started on a new path. Here’s a great place to begin and here’s a great facebook group filled with a community of non drinkers ready to support you.]
Books on drinking, otherwise known as Quit Lit, pretty much fall into two categories:
Extremely confronting: think “drinking will kill you and you need to stop right now before the poison destroys your life”
Moderation / Freedom of choice: think “listen alcohol isn’t great for you, here’s why, choose your own adventure, see if this works into your life still”
I tend to gravitate more towards the second category where the books are meant to help you question what’s good and what’s not by way of educating you, but both approaches serve a purpose depending on what you’re hoping to learn. If you’re looking for a gentle exploration into some introspective work on your relationship with alcohol, mindfulness and wellness in general, then here are three books I’ve really enjoyed:
1: Not Drinking Tonight: A Guide to Creating a Sober Life You Love by Amanda White
The author Amanda White is a therapist that specializes in women's mental health and the book is written from the perspective of three of her patients that all have varying reasons and life circumstances that form the basis of their relationships with alcohol. Interspersed between their experiences are Amanda’s own stories of drinking, what she was drinking to avoid dealing with and why she ultimately decided that drinking wasn’t for her. This book is not about not drinking, it’s more about why we drink in the first place. I found Not Drinking Tonight to be non-judgmental, calm and incredibly informative. If you’re looking to understand the science and psychology of alcohol as told by a professional with a compassionate voice, then start here.
2: Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington
A #quitlit classic. Former party girl Ruby Warrington realized that perhaps alcohol no longer served her in the way it once did and she set out to figure out why. This is a book as much about wellness and lifestyle as it is about why we drink at all and what role alcohol plays in our peer to peer socialization. This is a great non-judgemental (but secretly quite confronting!) book for anyone with an active lifestyle who isn’t sure how not drinking can work into their existing social life. This book takes the stigma out of not drinking and makes it feel cool and mature to say that you’re curiously exploring your sobriety. Loved it.
3: The Unexpected Joy of being sober by Catherine Gray
One woman’s memoir about her lifelong journey with alcohol. I love a first hand account of someone’s experience with drinking, I think we all probably do, feels almost voyeuristic if we’re being honest. The story is a bit typical: the author Catherine partied too much, had trouble dating, got sober, found out her life was better sober and encountered a broad range of life experiences that she otherwise wouldn’t have. There is no giant cliffhanger here, but you fall in love with her journey and are excited to see it progress. You’ll learn a lot of helpful practices worth incorporating into your life whether you’re trying to moderate, quit entirely or not make any changes at all. Listen as an audiobook, her British accent is lovely.
Have a great rest of your Tuesday!
Libby
p.s. if you enjoyed this post, I’d love if you’d share it with someone new who you think might enjoy it also.