According to the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism, “Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. It encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism.” Explore the complex and poignant world of alcoholism through this carefully curated book list. From gripping memoirs detailing personal struggles to insightful guides offering support and understanding, this collection offers a diverse range of perspectives on the topic.
If you or a friend/family member is struggling, please seek help and know you’re not alone. Please call 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for immediate assistance.
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
Funny and candid, this memoir is based on the author’s one-woman show that describes her life. Growing up with celebrity parents, her early success in “Star Wars”, and her battle with addiction are just a few of the topics covered in this book. Fisher’s razor-sharp observations almost beg to be read aloud, as she recounts her bizarre reality.
What is Alcoholics Anonymous?: a path from addiction to recovery by Marc Galanter, MD
With over two million members worldwide, it’s hard to believe that Alcoholics Anonymous remains a mystery to most people. Written by a psychiatrist and educator in the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, this title provides a through and accessible overview of this misunderstood recovery movement.
The Recovering: intoxication and its aftermath by Leslie Jamison
Part memoir part literary criticism, this title covers the authors booze-sodden 20s and her struggles with recovery. Interwoven are profiles of alcoholic writers – like Raymond Carver, John Berryman, and Jean Rhys – that examine the fraught link between drinking (and not drinking) and literary creativity.
The Urge: our history of addiction by Carl Erik Fisher
If you’re not a fan of history books, fear not. This is a well-researched and compelling book that focuses mainly on when the U.S. began viewing addiction as a disease and the religious temperance movements that came before that idea. Interspersed in this history are views of the past and present treatment systems available in the U.S., and Fisher’s struggle with alcohol and Adderall addiction while he was a physician in Columbia’s psychiatry residency program.
Lit: a memoir by Mary Karr
Lit follow’s Mary Karr’s descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness and her astonishing resurrection. After her hardscrabble upbringing in Texas, she longs for a solid family seems to be answered when she marries her husband and gives birth to a son. Plagued by her past, she drinks herself into the same numbness that almost consumed her mother. With relentless honestly, and unflinching self-scrutiny, this is a truly electrifying story of how to grow up.
Alcoholics Anonymous: the story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism
This is what folks in recovery circles call the Big Book. This is the fourth edition of this text, which includes contemporary (this organization was founded in 1935) sharing for newcomers seeking recovery from alcoholism. There’s some information about the groups’ founding, but it’s mostly the steps the organization recommends to reach sobriety.
*Please note, while this organization is the most well-known support group there are plenty of other organizations that take different approaches to reaching sobriety.*
Dry by Augusten Burroughs
He’s just an ordinary guy. Twentysomething, wears a suit, works in advertising. That is until two drinks turn to twelve. He could only hide so much for so long, and at the insistence of his employers he goes to rehab. After experiencing group therapy, harsh florescent lights, and paper hospital slippers he starts to examine himself and makes some headway. His story of life before, during, and after rehab are as funny and heartbreaking as they are true.
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate, MD
Winner of the BC and Yukon Book Prize in 2009, this book is an exploration of the reasons behind our overly addictive society and what we can do to fix it. It’s based on Mate’s two decades of experience as a medical doctor working with people with addiction in Vancouver’s skid row. Mate makes the case for compassionate care while arguing against the current methods of treatment and the criminal justice policies that perpetuate the War on Drugs.