Are you on a journey towards living sober after experiencing addiction? Or, perhaps you’re just thinking about cutting back on your drinking?
In any case, a great way to delve into the world of sober living and learn more about what it involves is through books!
There is a huge range of fantastic sober books out there that offer a variety of perspectives and conversations surrounding sobriety.
However, knowing where to start can be overwhelming!
That’s why in this article we’ll take a look at some of our favorite books on sobriety and what each has to offer. That way, finding your next great read will be that much easier.
The Best Sober Living Books of 2024: A Summary
- This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness by Annie Grace
- The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober: The Sunday Times Bestseller by Catherine Gray
- Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, and Limitless Presence Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol by Ruby Warrington
- Alcohol and You: How to Control and Stop Drinking by Lewis David
- The Sober Lush: A Hedonist’s Guide to Living a Decadent, Adventurous, Soulful Life–Alcohol-Free by Amanda E. Ward and Jardine Libaire
- Journeys: Inspirational Stories of Recovery from Alcohol Addiction Using a Breakthrough Scientific Method by Claudia Christian
- Drinking Games: A Memoir by Sarah Levy
- Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
- Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker
- Not Drinking Tonight: A Guide to Creating a Sober Life You Love by Amanda E. White
- The Sober Diaries: How One Woman Stopped Drinking and Started Living by Clare Pooley
- A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic by Mariko Kikuchi
- My Alcoholic Escape from Reality by Nagata Kabi
- Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
- Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola
- Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery by Erica C. Barnett
1. This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness by Annie Grace
This Naked Mind by Annie Grace is an illuminating and eye-opening read. This book focuses on highlighting the reasons why people continue to drink through the lens of societal, cultural, neurological, and psychological factors.
Along the way Annie also shares her personal story of alcohol use disorder, offering an intimate touch that keeps the book engaging.
This Naked Mind is a must-read for anyone looking to reduce or stop their drinking. This book offers support and insight and shows that life without alcohol is not deprivation or boredom!
2. The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober: The Sunday Times Bestseller by Catherine Gray
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober is another captivating read that examines why people drink and what keeps them going.
However, this book also takes a look at life after drinking and what you can expect from sober life.
Catherine also tells her personal story of lifelong drinking that led her to hit rock bottom before choosing to live sober.
She also shares plenty of useful advice for those wanting to follow in her footsteps. Engaging, funny, and witty, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober is insightful and entertaining while steering clear of becoming preachy or cliched.
3. Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, and Limitless Presence Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol by Ruby Warrington
For those who drink regularly but have considered letting go of alcohol for one reason or another, here’s the perfect book for you!
In Sober Curious, Ruby shows us how our lives will be enhanced (not deprived) by giving up alcohol.
In this book, you’ll learn all about the harm that alcohol has on your physical and mental health and see that your best life is one that is lived sober.
Sober Curious is an informative read, and a book that anyone will likely benefit from reading.
4. Alcohol and You: How to Control and Stop Drinking by Lewis David
Alcohol and You takes a more practical approach, offering advice for individuals wanting to cut back or stop their drinking.
Lewis is a qualified therapist, and in this book, he outlines how to self-assess whether or not you have a drinking problem.
He then takes you through the most effective ways to reduce or stop your drinking as evidenced by science.
For those wanting an informative book that offers sound advice to stop drinking (as well as ways to deal with cravings and stay motivated), then this book is for you.
5. The Sober Lush: A Hedonist’s Guide to Living a Decadent, Adventurous, Soulful Life–Alcohol-Free by Amanda E. Ward and Jardine Libaire
Are you well on your path to a sober life and looking for a different kind of inspiration?
Instead of practical advice or conversations about whether to give up drinking, The Sober Lush takes a different approach.
Authors Amanda and Jardine are on a mission to live sober lives as exciting, spontaneous, and fun-filled as one with alcohol in it.
In this book they let you know how to achieve this (such as sober bars), offering inspiration and ideas to ensure you find plenty of joy and excitement while living in sobriety.
6. Journeys: Inspirational Stories of Recovery from Alcohol Addiction Using a Breakthrough Scientific Method by Claudia Christian
From an author with a TED talk on alcohol addiction recovery that’s acquired over 2 million views worldwide comes Journeys: Inspirational Stories of Recovery.
This book is a powerful look at stories of individuals that Claudia has seen recover from alcohol addiction using a specific treatment called The Sinclair Method.
Ranging from stay-at-home moms to doctors, these stories are bound to inspire. For those looking for motivation or who are curious about The Sinclair Method, don’t skip this one.
7. Drinking Games: A Memoir by Sarah Levy
Drinking Games is a poignant and captivating memoir about alcohol abuse.
In this book, Sarah takes us through her story of a young woman with a successful career and a buzzing social life – but also with an increasingly problematic relationship with alcohol.
Drinking Games is honest, vulnerable, and doesn’t shy away from exploring darker moments.
In the end, however, this book shows how sobriety can change your life and let your true self shine through.
This is the perfect choice for those wanting to feel as though they are not alone in their journey and struggle.
8. Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
Another gripping memoir about alcohol addiction is Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Kanpp.
Caroline takes us on a journey through her twenty-year addiction to alcohol, outlining her ongoing battles.
Dark at times (but also inspirational), this book takes you through the emotions, destruction, deception, and heartbreak of the author’s alcohol use disorder.
Drinking: A Love Story is an informative book for those wanting a full experience of the life of someone in the full grip of alcohol addiction.
9. Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker
Quit Like a Woman takes a look at the experience of alcohol abuse and recovery from the perspective of women!
It examines the ways that the alcohol industry targets women and questions why alcohol is accepted as such a fundamental part of life and socializing.
While seeking help for her own experience of alcohol abuse, the author of this book found that the treatment options were geared towards men and didn’t meet women’s needs.
As a result, she has created her own recovery community to meet women’s needs of discovering their identities and deepening their understanding of why they drink.
Quit Like a Woman is a must-read for anyone interested in women’s experience of alcohol recovery.
10. Not Drinking Tonight: A Guide to Creating a Sober Life You Love by Amanda E. White
Are you looking for a book that will help you understand yourself and your drinking better?
Look no further than Not Drinking Tonight by Amanda E. White!
Amanda is a qualified therapist who has been sober for over eight years after realizing alcohol wasn’t adding anything beneficial to her life.
Not Drinking Tonight is a self-help book developed by Amanda that helps the reader understand their relationship with alcohol and unlocks deeper issues that may be lying under the surface.
This informative book shows you how to change your relationship with alcohol and how to live a happier life without it.
For those who are interested in examining their own behavior, this is the one for you.
11. The Sober Diaries: How One Woman Stopped Drinking and Started Living by Clare Pooley
The Sober Diaries by Clare Pooley follows one year in the author’s life.
Clare had a successful career, but decided to leave her job in order to raise her family. However, she soon found herself drinking over a bottle of wine per day.
This memoir follows Clare’s decision to quit alcohol (alongside the news of a cancer diagnosis) to one year later becoming alcohol and cancer-free.
In this memoir, we see the author turn her life upside down and come out the other side of addiction. This is a heartwarming read, and will no doubt leave you feeling positive and hopeful.
12. A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic by Mariko Kikuchi
For something a bit different there’s A Life Turned Upside Down, by Mariko Kikuchi.
This is a graphic novel that documents Mariko’s upbringing with an alcoholic father. In this novel, we see Mariko’s struggle with her father’s illness and her own reactions and emotions.
A Life Turned Upside Down has also been adapted into a critically acclaimed film in Japan.
This book is perfect for those wanting to explore or gain some insight into the experiences of family members or loved ones of those struggling with alcohol addiction.
13. My Alcoholic Escape from Reality by Nagata Kabi
My Alcoholic Escape from Reality is another graphic novel, this time by author Nagata Kabi.
This novel takes an autobiographical look at Nagata’s experience of falling deep into alcohol addiction.
This novel also documents the author’s battle with pancreatitis, and the resulting struggle of the author to deal with her reality after no longer being able to drink.
While difficult at times, this book is highly gripping. My Alcoholic Escape From Reality also grapples with how family members respond to the illness of addiction.
Nagata’s novel is a must-read for those who aren’t afraid to examine the very real consequences of alcoholism.
14. Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
For a male perspective on recovering from alcohol addiction, you can’t pass up Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs!
This memoir is a riveting and honest look at the path from addiction to recovery. Augusten did everything he could to hide his out-of-control drinking but eventually was forced into rehab by his employers.
Augusten then documents his tale of rehab, and the resulting journey to sobriety once he was released.
While not always smooth sailing, Dry: A Memoir is an engaging read that will surely be a familiar story for those struggling with alcohol addiction.
15. Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget is a memoir by Sarah Hepola that documents how life can spin out of control from alcohol.
A successful career woman, Sarah saw no issue with her nights of heavy drinking. She was living an exciting life and enjoying herself to the fullest!
However, eventually the long blackouts and bad decisions she didn’t remember making crept up on her. T
his is the story of a woman’s realization that she needs to change and the path to gaining sobriety. A funny and honest read, Blackout is a page-turner that will have you gripped.
16. Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery by Erica C. Barnett
If you’re someone who has struggled with relapses in their recovery, this book might be for you.
Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery documents the author’s long struggle with alcohol since the age of 13, complete with blackouts and destructive relationships.
Having tried rehab countless times to only relapse again, in this book Erica addresses the inadequacies of recovery services available in the United States and the scale of the problem of alcohol addiction.
Erica’s story shows how sobriety is often not an easy or direct path and is fraught with difficulties. However, this book is one of hope and is bound to resonate with many.
Sources
- https://thisnakedmind.com/this-naked-mind/
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Unexpected-Joy-Being-Sober-alcohol-free/dp/1912023385
- https://www.rubywarrington.com/books/sober-curious/
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Alcohol-You-Control-Drinking-Addiction/dp/1521016100
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Sober-Lush-Hedonists-Adventurous-Life-Alcohol/dp/0593084829
- https://www.amazon.com/Journeys-Inspirational-Addiction-Breakthrough-Scientific/dp/064828316X
- https://www.sarahllevy.com/book
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Drinking-Caroline-Knapp/dp/0385315546
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Quit-Like-Woman-Radical-Obsessed/dp/1984825054
- https://amandaewhite.com/book
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Sober-Diaries-stopped-drinking-started/dp/1473661870
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Life-Turned-Upside-Down-Alcoholic/dp/1648275966
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Alcoholic-Escape-Reality-Nagata-Kabi/dp/1645059995
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Dry-Augusten-Burroughs/dp/125003440X
- https://sarahhepola.com/title/blackout/
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Quitter-Memoir-Drinking-Relapse-Recovery/dp/0525522328
