Book Review: The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober

“The first time I got drunk, I’d felt like I finally unzipped my wrong skin and slipped into a slinky new one, “writes Catherine Gray. In her new book, The Unexpected Joy Of Being Sober, Gray describes her journey from fake friends, hungover mornings, and failed moderation attempts to finally finding her way to sobriety and the many joys that come with it. Yet early on Gray is unconvinced. She writes, “Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t want to not drink. My day did not look like that. But I didn’t want to drink either. The world in sobriety is much brighter, louder, rawer, and scarier that Gray imagines. She writes, “Withdrawal is gnarly. It can be actually painful. Physically addicted alcoholics, like I was, can expect nausea, a total loss of appetite, burning skin, screaming nerves, a piston-pounding headache and absolute constant panic,” writes Gray Seeing an addiction counselor early on, Gray was forced to meet her denial head on. “When I showed up for my first session, I was so angry with the world, and by extension him, that I was practically waving a gun in his face,” writes Gray. For Gray, exercise soon became a relief. She writes, “In a way, dedicated drinkers have many of the same qualities as athletes. A tolerance for physical pain, a monolithic stubbornness, an all-or-nothing leaning towards the extreme.” Yet Gray also discovers something interesting: Her happiness is her own responsibility. This becomes poignantly clear to her after a day of ...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Addictions Alcoholism Book Reviews Disorders General Happiness Memory and Perception Mindfulness Motivation and Inspiration Neuroscience Personal Stories Psychology Psychotherapy Self-Esteem Self-Help Treatment addiction co Source Type: news