This Book Changed My Life
Hi Unwasted!
My resistance initially to reading the Vale book came from the fact that I found the Carr Quit Drinking book - which a lot of people here seemed to say was very similar - not very helpful, even though Carr's smoking book really helped me quit smoking. I think for me it just felt like too much of a rehash of the smoking book with 'cigarettes' replaced with 'alcohol'.
While it's true that the Vale book has a lot that is similar in terms of content and tone there is something about the things he's saying, and how he says it, that is really resonating with me in a way Carr's book didn't. I think maybe I'm just particularly receptive to his line of thinking at the moment because I've been working on changing my attitude to drinking in a lot of the ways he talks about, so it's a great reinforcement. I gobbled through almost half of it in a night
I also love reading books about people who's found happy sobriety and books about recovery in general and find it very helpful. I also was very moved by Caroline Knapp's 'Drinking a Love Story'. Your posts have helped me so much too, so if there are any other books you've found really useful I'd love to hear about them.
AA doesn't sit well with me either for a lot of reasons but I am contemplating going if only to meet some people IRL dealing with similar struggles. That alone could be worth it though I really can't see myself buying into the whole 12-Step thing for a number of reasons. I think that's fine too though. It's fabulous it works for so many people but it's not necessarily for everyone. I also think it's hugely problematic that it's the ONE solution that's almost universally proposed to people with drinking problems. There needs to be more than a one-size-fits-all model so I'm glad to see some other organisations springing up though here at least they still seem fairly limited.
Unwasted;1327670 wrote: Hi Lilly,
Glad you bought the books. I've also read Unwasted, and yes, it wa the inspiration for my screen name here. I've found that reading books by people who had a problem with drinking and are now sober helps me immeasureably. Between that and MWO, I've been sober for almost 7 months now. I went to AA a few times, but eventually stopped. It just wasn't "me" but I found it helpful for a short time.
Good luck with the books. The Vale book isn't necessarily a cure all, but it did help me change my thinking and stop glamorizing alcohol. I finally saw it for what it is after reading the book.
xx,
UN
Glad you bought the books. I've also read Unwasted, and yes, it wa the inspiration for my screen name here. I've found that reading books by people who had a problem with drinking and are now sober helps me immeasureably. Between that and MWO, I've been sober for almost 7 months now. I went to AA a few times, but eventually stopped. It just wasn't "me" but I found it helpful for a short time.
Good luck with the books. The Vale book isn't necessarily a cure all, but it did help me change my thinking and stop glamorizing alcohol. I finally saw it for what it is after reading the book.
xx,
UN
My resistance initially to reading the Vale book came from the fact that I found the Carr Quit Drinking book - which a lot of people here seemed to say was very similar - not very helpful, even though Carr's smoking book really helped me quit smoking. I think for me it just felt like too much of a rehash of the smoking book with 'cigarettes' replaced with 'alcohol'.
While it's true that the Vale book has a lot that is similar in terms of content and tone there is something about the things he's saying, and how he says it, that is really resonating with me in a way Carr's book didn't. I think maybe I'm just particularly receptive to his line of thinking at the moment because I've been working on changing my attitude to drinking in a lot of the ways he talks about, so it's a great reinforcement. I gobbled through almost half of it in a night
I also love reading books about people who's found happy sobriety and books about recovery in general and find it very helpful. I also was very moved by Caroline Knapp's 'Drinking a Love Story'. Your posts have helped me so much too, so if there are any other books you've found really useful I'd love to hear about them.
AA doesn't sit well with me either for a lot of reasons but I am contemplating going if only to meet some people IRL dealing with similar struggles. That alone could be worth it though I really can't see myself buying into the whole 12-Step thing for a number of reasons. I think that's fine too though. It's fabulous it works for so many people but it's not necessarily for everyone. I also think it's hugely problematic that it's the ONE solution that's almost universally proposed to people with drinking problems. There needs to be more than a one-size-fits-all model so I'm glad to see some other organisations springing up though here at least they still seem fairly limited.
I also have mine hidden away though - what does that say?
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