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There are many resources available to help you reach your goal to stop drinking. Among them, literature supporting recovery from alcohol abuse, often referred to as “quit lit,” is a popular choice for informative support within the recovery community.
To assist you in establishing resources to promote your sober goals, we have established a list of the best quit lit books and books about alcoholism that explain the science behind alcohol abuse and why addiction is so difficult to kick.
Before we dive into sobriety books, let’s address how alcohol use disorder relates to mental health in the first place.
Contents
Substance use disorders and mental illness frequently present together, or “co-occur.” To date, one of the most common co-occurring substance use disorders is alcohol use disorder (AUD).
At Port St. Lucie Hospital, we are committed to treating the co-occurring substance use disorders that accompany mental illness. Through our dual diagnosis program, we address any addiction-related issues in tandem with mental health. This way, each disorder can be analyzed separately as well as together, and an understanding of their relationship can be determined.
If you are facing a co-occurring mental health condition with alcohol use disorder, recovery might seem like an uphill battle. However, in conjunction with rehab, supplying yourself with supplemental resources like sober books and other quit lit can help you stay on target.
Below is a list of books to enrich your recovery experience by helping you understand your relationship with alcohol. Some are newer, while others have stood the test of time and continue to provide value. As you will discover, one of the themes across these books is the surprising joy found in sober lifestyles. In the end, sobriety is often described as a privilege rather than a chore.
Ultimately, the best books on quitting alcohol are determined by the readers. Therefore, if one piece of quit lit doesn’t resonate with you, try another!
Alcohol Explained by William Porter takes a science-based approach to discussing alcohol addiction. Porter breaks down the chemistry behind alcoholism in an easy to understand format that includes psychological and physiological components to addiction. Ultimately, Alcohol Explained helps you understand your relationship with alcohol consumption and why so many continue to drink despite wishes to quit.
Annie Grace, the author of This Naked Mind, uses a blend of science and personal experiences to reveal reasons for alcohol addiction. She touches upon not only psychological elements of addiction, but also cultural and social expectations that contribute to alcohol abuse.
Annie Grace also wrote The Alcohol Experiment. In this piece of quit lit, the reader is challenged to quit drinking alcohol for 30 days to re-evaluate their assumptions about alcohol. During the 30-day journey, Grace offers insight into addiction, includes exercises for mindfulness, and discusses how to recognize destructive habits connected to drinking.
While not an addiction-specific book, The Power of the Habit by Charles Duhigg can still be considered one of the best quit drinking books because of its analysis of how habits are responsible for behavior. In this book, Duhigg describes the “cue, routine, reward” loop that drives habitual actions that can lead to behavioral addiction. Duhigg explains that once these habits are recognized and replaced, new routines can form. This theory extends to alcohol use.
In We Are the Luckiest, author Laura McKowen emphasizes appreciating the gift of sobriety instead of lamenting the loss of casual alcohol use. While based on her own sobriety journey, McKowen’s candidness has connected with thousands of readers thus far who have credited the book with helping them face getting sober.
In Alcohol and You, a professional therapist (Lewis David) describes scientifically supported methods of reducing or eliminating alcohol intake. These include how to recognize an alcohol use disorder and how to shift your mindset about quitting alcohol. Readers appreciated the non-judgmental and empowering nature of advice that addresses many different patterns of drinking.
Clare Pooley intertwines personal victories, research, and answers to FAQs about quitting alcohol in her memoir, The Sober Diaries. In a light-hearted manner, Pooley addresses the culture that supports alcohol abuse and describes her journey to sobriety. Readers appreciated her ability to intertwine humor into her accounts of recovery.
When choosing quit lit, if you find yourself gravitating towards addiction memoirs, there are many to choose from. Here are a few more to consider:
At Port St. Lucie Hospital, we specialize in individualized, holistic therapies that address the whole person. Our programs extend beyond mental illness treatment to detox and dual diagnosis, which combines addiction treatment with mental health therapies.
In addition to these services, the Port St. Lucie hospital also offers adult and senior mental health programs, and a partial hospitalization program. Each of these programs will be tailored to individual patient needs and recovery goals.
We welcome you to our facility. From dual diagnosis to support groups to individual therapy treatment options, we are here to fight the battle with you. Reach out to us online today, or call us at (772) 335-0400.
This post was last modified on November 6, 2024 12:36 pm
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