Every October is National Book Month. If you love reading as much as we do, you’ll be excited to hear our staff’s top Sober-October reads and expand your love for reading. As the weather gets colder, there’s no better time to curl up with a great book and a lukewarm cup of coffee or tea, especially for the Recovery Community.
Check out our staff’s picks of recovery community books they are eager to read this month:
The Book of Boundaries by Melissa Urban
From the beloved co-founder of the Whole30, this practical guide to setting limits for yourself and others will change your life.
Are you someone who struggles to say no and constantly feels like you are being taken advantage of? Are you exhausted, overwhelmed, and tired of taking on everyone’s tasks and placing their needs before your own? If your answer was yes to any of the questions above, then it sounds like you need to learn how to establish some boundaries, and this book will help you do just that! Melissa does an excellent job at explaining how to establish boundaries that will help you establish limits on how you choose to utilize your time and energy and help to improve your overall mental health. If you’re going to say yes to anything, then say yes to this book!
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray
The idea of sobriety can be scary. Some people have never attended a bbq, wedding, or holiday sober. So the concept of alcoholism recovery can be debilitating because they have no idea what life is like when you stop drinking. This book sheds some insight into how fun life can be without booze. Having zero hangovers gives you time to live rather than exist and provides insight into what alcohol does to our brains and bodies. Regardless if you recently completed alcohol rehab, are sober curious, or are a casual drinker, you will get something out of this book.
We Are The Luckiest by Laura McKowen
Laura McKowen emphasizes that if you are lucky enough to be allowed to recover, then you are considered one of the lucky ones. This book explains the personal discoveries of sobriety, such as the difference between living rather than just existing. No one ever feels lucky to be addicted to anything but that addiction can lead to gratitude for having the opportunity to recover from the grips of addiction and lead a purposeful life. We are the luckiest to get the opportunity to read this fantastic book!
Recovery 2.0 by Tommy Rosen
Rosen tells the raw tale of his recovery experience. This book assists with strengthening your recovery on so many levels. It takes the traditional principles of the twelve steps and modernizes them to be applied to drugs, alcohol, money, technology, and people. He allows the reader to become comfortable with their addiction and choice to be sober to experience a happier and healthier life.
Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
This book is hard to put down. Burroughs provides detail throughout this memoir that makes the reader feel like they are with him through it all. His writing allows the reader to imagine his inner monologue concerning himself and the others he encounters. Burroughs writes in a relatable manner. Many cliffhangers make it challenging to put this book down because he leaves you wanting to know what happens next. You may have also already read “Running With Scissors, “Burroughs’s first memoir. Either way, this book leaves you wanting more.
Group by Christie Tate
Excellent read about the benefits that group therapy can have on your life. This book explains that sometimes it’s difficult to admit what’s wrong in your life, and talking to strangers about it can be even more terrifying. However, this book shows what it means to connect with other individuals, express your emotions and fears and work towards a common goal. For anyone looking into attending AA, NA, or another type of support group, this book is an excellent way to help build up the courage to attend.
Quit Like A Woman by Holly Whitaker
If you are a woman debating the role of alcohol in your life and want to explore all the aspects of potentially removing it, we highly recommend this book to you. The connection alcohol culture has over our society is powerful. Whitaker is not afraid to question alcohol’s role in our lives and challenge everyone to view it from a different perspective. If you’re unsure why you’ve been drinking and are ready to do something about it, pick up this book!
Good Morning Monster by Catherine Gildiner
Catherine Gildiner provides a fascinating look at the therapeutic psychological practice in this memoir that describes she worked with five clients, all with severe emotional trauma that forced them to become superheroes to survive their early lives. Gildiner charts her course, beginning with her first patient, as human nature teaches her the things she didn’t learn in her formalized education. Gildiner begins to modify her approach to adapt to the client’s specific needs and writes about their transformation and her own. The reader meets five of Gildiner’s most challenging cases in this compilation. She expertly grapples with diverse and complex topics such as child abuse, neglect, abandonment, gender-based violence, sexual abuse, and trauma. This book uncovers the inner process of patients and psychologists. Easy for anyone to relate to. A must-read!
The Sober Lush by Jardine Libaire & Amanda Eyre Ward
This book tells the tale about what happens once you get sober – how to engage life in a more saturated way. This book offers many great ideas and is very well written. The authors make you feel you’ve known them for years and should’ve taken their advice decades ago. This book discusses more on what you can do with your life now that you’re in recovery versus discussing the times you were in active addiction. Start with this book if you’ve already completed alcohol detox or alcohol treatment and are ready to be part of the recovery community.
Blackout by Sarah Hepola
This book discusses a young woman’s descent into alcohol dependency and all the obstacles she faces along the way. Hepola uses humor wit to provide an insight into alcoholism and the struggle with her inner demons. A candid biography was written by a talented author and an excellent depiction of what alcoholism can lead to as well as a reflection on how the aftermath of it feels.
If you are struggling with alcohol dependency or are curious about sobriety, check out any of the above reads. Avatar Residential Detox Center offers alcohol detox programs, 30/60/90 inpatient residential treatment programs, and individual and group therapy. Contact our team at (973)-774-7222 to learn more about how we can assist you on your recovery journey!
