This article was originally published on Audible.com.
When I quit drinking almost six years ago, the alcohol-free landscape was pretty ... dry. Life without booze felt like an ascetic feat of abstinence and 12-step programs, not a cool lifestyle option. Instead of shops and bars overflowing with artisanal elixirs, eight kinds of hop water, and mock mezcal, there were a few dusty bottles of syrupy fake wine on the lowest shelf in the liquor store and, if you were lucky, a lone nonalcoholic beer on tap. Book publishing followed a similar trajectory. We did have addiction memoirs—wild stories of the drunken descent and rock-bottom landing before the requisite rehab-and-recovery arc—but just a few classic manuals on the science and psychology of alcohol, and practically nothing for someone considering a temporary break.
These days, you don’t have to hit bottom to quit drinking—you don’t even have to quit. To be “sober curious” could mean embracing sobriety during Dry January or Sober October, being more mindful about alcohol consumption, or digging into the growing genre of “quit lit” for a peek at life on the other side. Many of these titles are strangely powerful—as for myself, after more than a decade of wondering and worrying, I finally quit drinking after one audiobook. In fact, I quit before I even finished the book. (Thanks again, Annie Grace.)
Audio is an ideal medium for the topic. Author-narrated memoirs feel especially intimate, like a friend confiding over coffee. Most important, listening can be a powerful way to replace the voice in your head with a new one—one that’s nonjudgmental, informed, and interesting. These audiobooks are edifying for a range of stages and goals, whether you listen with a sparkling seltzer or cold beer in hand. And who knows? One might be the magic bullet for you. Note: If you think you might have a dependency on alcohol, it’s important to consult with a doctor as stopping on your own can be dangerous or even fatal. Remember, you don’t have to go it alone.
Non-fiction listens for the sober-curious
Holly Whitaker is a pioneer of sober storytelling, having founded the recovery communities Tempest and Hip Sobriety before releasing her bestselling audiobook Quit Like a Woman. Now, her new month-long guide, 30 Days to a New Relationship with Alcohol, brings you a daily 5- to 10-minute reflection to help change your relationship with alcohol, based on Whitaker's personal experience and grounded in the latest research.
Like Alan Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol, a classic in its own right, Annie Grace's This Naked Mind works by speaking to your subconscious mind, helping to change your inner attitude toward alcohol for good. The effect is that you no longer rely on willpower to succeed as quitting becomes a joyful, positive, and judgment-free change that comes from within.
it's always inspiring to hear firsthand stories from those who've been there before, and luckily, there are a lot of sober celebrities sharing how giving up alcohol has changed their lives for the better. One of the most outspoken is Chrissy Teigen, whose new podcast explores a spectrum of well-being topics (i.e., not just sobriety) with some of the world's leading experts and thinkers. Self-Conscious with Chrissy Teigen provides an inspiring and engaging environment for listeners to expand their self-awareness and gain the insights and practical tools they need to lead healthier, happier, and more productive lives.
Meditator Diego Perez, better known to his many fans as Yung Pueblo, narrates this uplifting, healing audiobook borne of personal experience with drug addiction, anxiety, and fear. Following his impactful curriculum has helped listeners dial into their intuitions, heal the root causes of trauma and addiction, and feel lighter and more fulfilled.
Australian sobriety and "grey area drinking" coach Sarah Rusbatch narrates her guide to creating a rich life without alcohol. Digging deep into alcohol's cultural hold to disentangle it from preexisting notions of reward and social connection, Rusbatch explores how booze negatively impacts our physical and mental well-being in ways we often don't realize. In a culture captivated with drinking, Beyond Booze offers a powerful and joyful alternative.
The best parts of AA, at least for me, were the colorful anecdotes and lovely people. Drunks tell a great story, even when the alcohol is gone. Mishka Shubaly’s Cold Turkey functions as a hybrid memoir and how-to manual, teeming with messy details and hard-won wisdom. It’s a great listen for anyone looking to recover outside of a traditional 12-step program.
Catherine Gray takes a three-pronged approach to helping reduce or eliminate alcohol, combining personal experience with factual reporting and expert input. An Amazon customer writes, “Catherine gives an incredible performance, weaving memories into lessons, lessons into science, science into faith. Being almost a week sober and listening to this book helped me push past those first few rough days. I feel so much less alone.”
Intelligent and effective, Alcohol Lied to Me is one of the best-rated sobriety books, as countless five-star reviews attest. Is it Craig Beck’s pleasing British accent? His self-deprecating (and also British) humor? While these are part of the charm, the simple fact is that, for some, it just works. Listener Melissa says, “I truly believe this book saved my life,” while Jen says, “The author was so nonjudgmental and kind in his delivery. He was funny, incredibly interesting, and educational. I felt supported when listening to him, and the shame I feel as an alcoholic actually started to dissipate. It was really quite incredible.”
This isn’t the first time the Hungarian-Canadian psychologist and physician Gabor Maté has written about addiction—his In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts is considered canon. But this 2022 instant bestseller, narrated by his son Daniel Maté, makes the bold, persuasive argument that our modern society breeds addiction—and points to a path for healing.
Memoirs on alcohol addiction and recovery
This is the recovery memoir of Running with Scissors phenomenon Augusten Burroughs, and also his best. Burroughs writes with a kind of raw vulnerability and honesty that knocks you sideways, or as listener Jennifer says, “leaves you wanting to order seltzer and smoke a pack of Marlboro reds on a stoop with him telling stories.“ The author narrates himself, as if we’d have it any other way.
Author and podcast host Laura McKowen voices her own story of addiction, recovery, and redemption in this bestselling memoir that is beloved in sobriety circles. Listener Lu calls it “a gem and a keeper.” McKowen’s 2023 follow-up Push Off from Here continues the journey with nine foundational building blocks for folks at any stage of sobriety.
Sarah Hepola’s deep, funny memoir is especially good for those who black out when drinking. Her “diving board” analogy helped me tremendously: some of us hang out on the board for years, trying to figure out how to get in the water. This book has helped a LOT of people jump—and then find out that the water's fine.
Another self-narrated memoir, Sarah Levy’s Drinking Games stands out for its intimacy, introspection, and interrogation into how ingrained alcohol is in the lives of 20-somethings, and how freeing it can be to opt out. Listener Sarah says she “would recommend to anyone who knows deep down they want to stop drinking, but needs the inspiration (instead of something bad) to push them to do so.”
Caroline Knapp’s pioneering memoir, read by star narrator Gabra Zackman, is packed with insights on alcohol dependence from a woman’s perspective, crossover addictions like food and alcohol, and her own candid road to recovery. Despite the title, it has the effect of making you want to put your drink down, not pick one up.
People who imbibe a LOT of recovery memoirs agree that Quitter is one of the best. Reporter Erica C. Barnett, channeled here by accomplished narrator Jean Ann Douglas, takes listeners through the highs, lows, and hard-won insights of her alcohol addiction in this harrowing but invaluable audiobook.
Former 20/20 anchor Elizabeth Vargas’s memoir is a modern classic for a reason. Recovering not only from alcohol abuse but also panic attacks and anxiety, Vargas explores how these issues had been deeply interconnected since childhood in this award-winning transformational listen, which she narrates herself.
An absolutely wild memoir of drug addiction, fashion magazines, New York nightlife, and self-sabotage, Cat Marnell’s How to Murder Your Life has a shimmering, sneakily genius voice at its center. While it’s not about alcohol specifically, listener Tammy says, “Every addict can relate to this. I felt every word and hope you are still on your recovery journey.”
