9 Memoirs About Recovering from Trauma

Unwilling to call himself an alcoholic, he tries everything to curb his drinking without success. Determined to get clean, Beck develops a unique approach to sobriety that changes the trajectory of his life. Part memoir and part how-to, many former drinkers credit Alcohol Lied to Me with helping them to finally beat the bottle. They encourage you to embrace the sober “Irish exit,” leaving the party early to enjoy a starlit stroll home.

  • She worked as a line cook in her family’s diner and eventually became a professional chef herself, opening the world-renowned restaurant The Lost Kitchen.
  • When I worked in beauty, Cat was a beauty editor at Lucky and xoJane.com, so I knew of her.
  • Subtitled “Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget,” Hepola’s debut memoir is a vulnerable story about refocusing her attention from finding her next drink to learning how to love herself without liquid enhancements.
  • Whether you’re looking for personal stories of struggle and triumph or seeking guidance on how to support a loved one battling alcoholism, these 20 best books about Alcoholics offer a wealth of insight and inspiration.
  • A car accident, the slow and painful unraveling of her marriage, a stay in a mental hospital and an eventual spiritual awakening finally free Karr from the substance that nearly took her life.
  • I know I’ve already touched on the importance of books in my recovery journey, but let me explain a little more.

Here Are the 20 Books on My September Reading List This Year

For more books about alcoholism and addiction, check out this list of 100 must-read books about addiction. 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 among young women in the United States.

“The Body Keeps The Score” by Bessel van der Kolk

Eventually, she goes through a series of 9-to-5 jobs that end with her living behind a Dumpster due to a descent into crack cocaine use. But in this gripping memoir, she turns it all around with the help of a family of eccentric fellow substance users and friends or strangers who come to her aid. This gripping tale is about the resilience of spirit combined with the worst of modern urban life. Cupcake survives thanks to https://erome.in/aa-meetings-brooklyn-ny-alcoholics-anonymous-near/ a furious wit and an unyielding determination and you’ll want to read her inspiring (and oftentimes frightening) tale. What happens when an ambitious young woman is keeping a secret of addiction? High-profile writer Cat Marnell answers the question in the gripping memoir of her life as she battles bulimia on top of an addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs.

best recovery memoirs

She made a huge impact on me and is someone I will always be grateful to. Caroline Knapp’s love affair with alcohol started in her early teens. She went on to drink her way through four years at an Ivy League college and an award-winning career as an editor and columnist.

“Drinking: A Love Story” by Caroline Knapp

But she prevailed, thanks to the lessons first learned on the farm and the love and support of her community. Finding Freedom, French’s remarkable new memoir, chronicles her inspiring journey. Drink is not an addiction memoir so much as an investigative look into why women, specifically, drink and despite my mindset at the time of reading it, I did find it fascinating. Although this book isn’t specifically about alcohol recovery, it has become a go-to guide in many recovery circles. (And for good reason!) Atomic Habits offers practical strategies for making meaningful changes to your habits and routines, one tiny step at a time.

Best Fall Read Aloud Books for Children That’ll Warm Little Hearts

Jerry Stahl was a writer with significant and successful screenwriting credits — Dr. Caligari, Twin Peaks, Moonlighting, and more. But despite that success, Stahl’s heroin habit began to consume him, derailing his career and destroying his health until one final, intense crisis inspired him to get clean. If you’re a GP, psychiatrist, psychologist, counsellor, or case manager looking to refer a client, we’re here to collaborate. Reach out to us via email, phone, or our online contact form, and we’ll guide you through our referral process. Discover 10 life-changing benefits of inpatient rehab, from 24/7 support and medical care to a structured environment that fosters lasting recovery.

Both memoirs underscore the notion that healing from trauma is not a linear process but a lifelong journey. Through their stories, Foo and Eger offer companionship and validation to survivors, reminding us that we are not alone in our experiences. Both workbooks provide concrete tools for managing triggers, processing traumatic memories, and rebuilding a sense of safety in one’s body and relationships. By utilizing these practical guides, survivors can take an active role in their recovery journey, fostering a sense of empowerment and progress. The journey to healing from trauma is unique to each individual, and utilizing workbooks and practical guides can provide a structured and supportive pathway.

Gothic Romance Books with All the Spooky, Dramatic Love You Can Handle

best recovery memoirs

A Broadway adaptation of the book won the Tony for Best Musical in 2015, and a movie version of the musical is reportedly Alcoholics Anonymous now in the works. I really liked this book because it focuses a lot on her spiritual crisis and how it related to her alcoholism. She is a Christian, as am I, and I often battled in my head with being a Christian and being an alcoholic. Eventually my faith brought me to my knees and I began my journey of sobriety after having a spiritual experience. Over the past several decades, books falling under the umbrella of “addiction memoir” have become omnipresent. Whether you’re well-versed in the subject or totally new to it, here are nine of the smartest and most moving examples.

The Recovering: Intoxication and its Aftermath by Leslie Jamison

  • Looking for a gripping read that delves into the world of alcoholism?
  • I found myself in disbelief that his life took some of the turns it did while at the same time rooting for him.
  • 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).
  • Nearly 30 years after her older sister was killed by an abusive ex-boyfriend in 1990, Cristina Rivera Garza traveled to Mexico to unravel the case.
  • For the first time in my life, I could relate to another person’s experience with drinking.

Deborah Jackson Taffa was born on the California Yuma reservation and grew up in Navajo territory in New Mexico, where she was encouraged to assimilate into American culture outside of the reservation. In this gripping memoir, she revisits not only her upbringing but also the long history of the mistreatment of Native populations at the hands of the American government and its promise of so-called assimilation. Daniella Mestyanek Young grew up in the Children of God cult, in which physical, emotional, and sexual abuse were the norm. She escaped as a teenager, excelled in college, and proceeded to join the military—only to find, as she describes here, that the patriarchal confines that defined her upbringing aren’t unique only to outright cults.

Best Non-Fiction Books About Alcohol Recovery

She eventually realizes a life of forgotten times and missing memories best recovery memoirs is no life at all, and she sets out to find her identity outside of drinking. Three years sober, Jowita Bydlowska celebrates the birth of her first child with a glass of champagne, and just like that, she is spiraling back into the life of drinking she thought she had escaped. Bydlowska depicts life as a new mom while under the influence with honesty and humility, discovering she can overcome the seemingly impossible for her child. Sometimes the best way to understand mental illness or addiction is through the eyes of someone who lived it. Admitting you have a problem — not to mention actually getting sober — is no small feat.

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