The Impact of Quit Lit

Before I really considered myself sober curious, I unintentionally stumbled upon some memoirs written by women who had struggled with alcoholism. Reading stories of strong, successful women who had let alcohol consume their lives was really eye-opening for me. The most incredible part was that it was invisible. From the outside, many of these women looked to be nothing but successful.

These memoirs read like cautionary tales for me - what could happen if I let go of control. However, they can also have a surprising effect in the opposite direction. It can make you feel like YOU don’t have a problem. You read about the blacking out, throwing up, and driving drunk and think wow, I'm not doing that, so I must not have a problem. If it’s not negatively impacting my life in big ways, why would I need to change?

Alcohol is SO powerful. It can absolutely consume you and destroy your life, like most drugs. If you're like me, you've often heard that little voice in your head that's questioning whether alcohol is good for you. It can be really hard to know when it's really a problem for you, or for another person. The negative effects of alcohol are so normalized that it's hard to identify your own line.

While I believe that a few of the quit lit books I’ve read steered me in the wrong direction, two of them were crucial in my sober curious journey. The most powerful book I read was This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. Annie Grace did a wonderful job of explaining the psychology behind our desire to drink, and really highlighted society’s normalization of alcohol. It’s so easy to question yourself, and think that you must be crazy if you’re questioning alcohol. This book confirms that you're not crazy, and is the wake up call you didn’t know you needed. 

The other book I highly recommend is Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker. This book also highlights society’s obsession with drinking, and the limitations of recovery programs and AA. It was like a breath of fresh air, all fired up with feminism. Full of realness and humor, it was an enjoyable and inspiring read. 

There have been a number of new books published in the last few years as the sobriety/ sober curious movement grows. I have them on my list, and will be updating once I read them. If reading is your thing, I highly recommend picking up some quit lit that speaks your language. I really took to the brutal honesty and humor in these two books - it made them both more enjoyable and more effective.