She dispels the cultural myth that alcohol is a vital part of life and demonstrates how regaining control over alcohol is not only essential to personal happiness and fulfilment but also to ending the heartache experienced by millions as a result of second-hand drinking.

However for many individuals the relationship with alcohol (as with other drugs) is very complex; it’s frequently used to numb anxiety, depression, grief and so on, and giving up may leave us very exposed other fronts. Because I came to the book as someone who drinks a bit too much but not way too much, hoping it might help reduce my intake from around 25 units a week to 14, I found this irksome.

She explored some moderation management programs, and then immediately assumed that all participants are still consumed by drinking even worse than before because of how they're keeping track of it. One of the book’s main points is that people have trouble stopping or even recognizing their drinking has become a problem because we live in a culture in which the majority of the population drinks, and where drinking is celebrated. the majority of drinkers believe they drink because they want to, they enjoy it, and they choose to do it.

If you feel that alcohol has overtaken your life, you want to make a change, and AA isn’t an appealing option to you, I highly recommend This Naked Mind. I don’t think I’m ready to give up alcohol 100%, that seems like a decision with far too much permanence and weight, but I’m definitely doing January alcohol free, and maybe longer into 2019.

She equates alcohol with the ethanol found in gasoline, and claims that drano mixed with enough sugar and milk would taste just like Bailey's. Poised, driven, and ambitious, Annie Grace was just 26 when named vice president of a multinational company. After another drunken Saturday night that left me passed out in the City, I decided I needed help but didn’t fancy any big commitment like joining AA. com for additional resources and next steps or sign up for Annie's weekly newsletter at thisnakedmind. At one point, she blames alcohol entirely for the increased rates of sexual assaults on college campuses but then devotes a good chunk of one chapter to exploring why college students aren't drinking.