Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker

Book Review

Just a girl standing in the snow asking you to read this book…

I purchased Quit Like a Woman at the end of January as I prepared to start Dry February (I contemplated Dry January, but due to the precarious start of the year - and what the author deems “Trump Fatigue Syndrome” - I decided it was only rational to reschedule... plus, February is a shorter month 😅🤷🏼‍♀️).

In this revelatory memoir, Holly Whitaker details her journey to recovery and explains why our reliance on drinking is very much a product of the “imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy.” If this sounds like a book about feminism, that’s because it is.

A few interesting facts I learned (or was reminded of) while reading this book:

—Alcohol is made from ethanol, which is the same substance used to make jet fuel... kind of crazy to think we elect to ingest such a substance for fun 😬

—70% of American adults drink and the alcohol industry (which is a 1.5 trillion dollar industry) is made up almost entirely of 16 companies - all run by men

—90% of sexual assaults on college campuses involve alcohol

—The alcohol industry is the only drug company that isn’t in any way held liable for the deaths caused by their products. Rather than blame those responsible for creating/selling the drug, the individuals who use and/or abuse the substance are deemed the problem.

While AA is the gold standard in recovery, it was founded for and by white men. As such, Holly found it didn’t serve her needs. Her journey to sobriety - which included creating new routines, regular meditation, reading books, therapy and more - led her to found her own recovery program, called Tempest.

While there were some points I didn’t 100% agree with, I love that the author doesn’t preach a one-size-fits-all model for recovery. I DEFINITELY recommend this one to anyone recovering from addiction; however, even if that’s not you, this is still a worthwhile read. If you need some encouragement to cut back on your quarantine drinking (like me), this will give you the motivation you need! While I don’t plan to ditch booze for good, this book certainly has made me much more aware of what I’m putting in my body.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5