29 Best Books About Alcohol Recovery

This is more than a cookbook – it’s a captivating read and a gorgeous coffee table book to peruse over and over again. Plus, it’s sure to impress your guests at your next dinner party. I am not sure I’d be sober today if it weren’t for Tired of Thinking About Drinking. Belle’s consistent messaging on our faulty thinking led to a major mindset shift for me.

• If you’re looking for more sobriety resources, check out Monument’s therapist-moderated alcohol support groups and anonymous online forum.
• The book discusses drug policies, substance use treatment, and the root causes of substance use.
• Reading a few chapters of a recovery-related book each day can help weave your sobriety or moderation goals into your everyday life.

Science Daily: Mind & Brain

As a wildly famous celebrity, he struggled with more than just alcohol. But it’s easy to resonate with his emotions surrounding addiction, no matter your vice. The Sober Diaries follows the narrative of author Clare Pool’s journey in quitting drinking.

Recovery by Russell Brand

John Barleycorn is an autobiographical novel by Jack London dealing with his enjoyment of drinking and struggles with alcoholism. The title is taken from the British folksong “John Barleycorn”. In addition to numerous reference works and self-help books, there are many memoirs and novels dealing with the pervasive and nondiscriminatory disease of addiction.

Drunk Mom by Jowita Bydlowska

• Maybe you enjoyed a successful Dry January, so you’re questioning alcohol’s role in your life.
• As you embark on a sobriety or moderation journey, building a toolkit to keep you motivated and inspired can help you reach your goals.
• She further educates the reader with research and a better understanding of the psychology and physiology that drive female addiction with humor and exceptional insight.
• Nobody in my real life could meet that need, so I turned—as I always do when I need comfort, encouragement, or inspiration—to books.

This powerful book narrates his ups and downs, setbacks, and unimaginable challenges in recovery. Ultimately, Augusten tells the story of how his most difficult experiences led him to getting clean and helping others. Dry is a heartbreaking memoir of Augusten Burrough’s story of addiction, beginning with an intervention organized by his coworkers and boss and his first bout of sobriety.

“The Sober Lush: A Hedonist’s Guide to Living a Decadent, Adventurous, Soulful Life–Alcohol Free”

Winning career accolades by day and drinking at night, Knapp brings you to the netherworld of alcohol use disorder. This is one of the best memoirs on alcohol recovery in my opinion. She highlights not only her relationship to alcohol, but also key takeaways from her many attempts to get sober. Reading her book is like sharing a cup of coffee with your wise best friend. She’s brilliant in writing and shares many actionable tips and strategies. Beck is a loving husband, father, and respected business owner who drinks two bottles of wine a night.

The 15 most powerful memoirs about addiction and recovery

• Dave [Jamison’s ex-boyfriend], the biggest character, was generous.
• Lewis provides a description of life in recovery that I relate to myself; that sober life is not a life of deprivation, but one of fulfillment, continued growth, and personal development.
• I very consciously looked to Karr for inspiration in how to write candidly yet lovingly about an imperfect family.
• Now, instead of piloting Brenton Island’s daily lifeline to the glitzy docks of Newport, Rhode Island, James spends his days beached, bitter, and bored.
• Most people can have one or two cocktails at a work event, or a glass of wine with dinner.
• She offers generous vulnerability in her lessons and encourages you to find your gift within.

But seriously, I hope at least one of these memoirs speaks to you. Beyond the camaraderie of knowing you’re not alone, these books offer practical guidance about the road to sobriety (or your road to changing your relationship with drugs and alcohol). You are not alone, you are not broken, and there is help.

The books I picked & why

Ann Dowsett Johnston combines in-depth research and her own story of recovery in this important book about the relationship between women and alcohol. Drink brings to light the increase in DUIs, “drunkorexia” (limiting eating to get drunker), and other health problems best alcoholic memoirs among young women in the United States. Cupcake Brown was 11 when she was orphaned and placed into foster care. She grew up with a tragic journey, running away and becoming exposed to alcohol, drugs, and sex at a young age, and leaning on those vices to get by.

Dependency is startlingly unlike any other memoir about addiction—that I know of, at least. Next you’ve chosen to recommend Tove Ditlevsen’s Dependency, the third book in her Copenhagen Trilogy. It was first published in Danish in the 1970s, but has only recently been translated into English by Tiina Nunnally and Michael Favela Goldman.

This book is for everyone, but learning to ‘tame the inner dragon’ is especially helpful to people in recovery. This book offers a collection of elegant, complex, and sophisticated recipes that prove there’s so much more to zero proof beverages than overly sweet ‘mocktails’. Bainbridge combines unique ingredients with detailed preparation to create thoughtful and flavorful non-alcoholic beverages.

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray

Admitting you have a problem — not to mention actually getting sober — is no small feat. There’s no award for “Most Sobriety Memoirs Read,” so read them for yourself — let their wisdom be its own award (I can feel your eye rolls. I’m sorry.). The last thing Laura McKowen wanted to be was sober. Shortly after accepting she had a problem with alcohol, she thought a lot about how some people are lucky enough to be able to drink normally without it controlling their life. Clare Pooley left her position at one of the world’s largest advertising agencies to focus on raising her three children.