Books and Booze

 

As a recovering alcoholic who also happens to be an author, let me just say: there’s no greater plot twist than deciding to give up the very thing that inspired half your metaphors and most of your questionable life choices. The Columbia Tribune’s recent article, “Let These Books Guide Your Sober Curiosity,” dives headfirst into the growing movement of sober curiosity, a trend that asks, “What if you just... didn’t drink?”—a revolutionary concept for those of us who used to consider a bottle of wine a “necessary writing tool.” Spoiler alert: it’s not.

The article highlights a collection of books designed to help people reexamine their relationship with alcohol. Titles like “Quit Like a Woman” by Holly Whitaker and “We Are the Luckiest” by Laura McKowen are touted as guides for the sober-curious and the fully sober alike. These aren’t your standard self-help drivel; they’re raw, poignant explorations of what happens when you trade your happy-hour escapism for, well, actual self-awareness. Or as I like to call it, “the terrifying part of sobriety no one warns you about.”

Let’s be honest: alcohol is the world’s most socially acceptable coping mechanism. It’s the WD-40 of awkward interactions and the duct tape of existential dread. Need to loosen up at a party? Have a drink. Stressed from work? Wine o’clock. Trying to write a book but find yourself paralyzed by imposter syndrome? Whiskey, neat. My relationship with alcohol was less of a casual fling and more of a toxic marriage—one where the fights were messy, but the makeups were intoxicating (literally).

The books in this article are a refreshing antidote to the glossy, Instagram-perfect version of sobriety. They’re not about replacing cocktails with kale smoothies or trading your wine glass for a mason jar full of herbal tea. They’re about digging deep into the why of drinking. Why do we reach for that glass in the first place? What are we running from? And more importantly, what happens when we stop running and start facing ourselves?

“Sober curious” is a phrase that sounds almost whimsical, like you’re dipping a toe into sobriety without committing to the full plunge. It’s an enticing concept for those who want to explore life without alcohol but aren’t ready to slap a capital “A” on their chest. And hey, more power to them. But for people like me, whose drinking wasn’t a passing flirtation but a full-blown love affair gone wrong, curiosity wasn’t enough. I needed a restraining order.

Reading books like those featured in the article can feel like having a heart-to-heart with someone who’s been through the fire and lived to tell the tale. They’re not preaching or judging; they’re sharing their stories with the kind of brutal honesty that makes you laugh, cry, and, occasionally, wince in recognition. It’s like finding a map in a dark forest, with scribbled notes in the margins: “Watch out for the cliff over here,” or, “You’re not lost; keep going.”

As an author, I’ve always found solace in stories—both writing and reading them. Sobriety, it turns out, is its own kind of narrative. It’s a messy, nonlinear tale with plot twists you never saw coming and character development that would make even the harshest critic nod in approval. There are moments of triumph (like realizing you can survive a party without a drink in hand) and moments of despair (like realizing you’ll actually have to feel your feelings now). But ultimately, it’s a story worth telling.

So if you’re sober-curious, sober-serious, or somewhere in between, these books are a great place to start. They’re not just about quitting drinking; they’re about rediscovering yourself in the process. And trust me, that’s a story worth writing.

For more on these transformative reads, check out the full article here: Let These Books Guide Your Sober Curiosity.