The ultimate QUIT-LIT(+) book list
This list will continue to be updated because so many people are finally telling their stories!
A quit-lit list with links in no particular order.
Please note that I have not read all of these books, but the ones I have listed I have either read or have heard reviews. Why not list all of them? Because honestly, I can’t keep up., which is a great thing. If I have overlooked any authors and their stories, please drop the title in the comments below so I can research and add them to the list.
Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp (1997)
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola (2016)
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober: Discovering a happy, healthy, wealthy alcohol-free life by Catherine Gray (2018)
This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness, and Change Your Life by Annie Grace (2018)
Euphoric: Ditch the Alcohol, and Gain a Happier, More Confident You by Karolina Rzadkowolska (2022)
Not Drinking Tonight: A Guide to Creating a Sober Life You Love by Amanda White (2022)
Girl Walks Out of a Bar by Lisa Smith (2016)
Lit: A Memoir by Mary Carr (2009)
Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker (2021)
Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol by Ruby Warrington (2020)
The Weight of Air: A Story About the Lies of Addiction and the Truth About Recovery by David Poses (2021)
The Miracle Morning for Addiction Recovery: Letting Go of Who You’ve Been for Who You Can Become by Hal Elrod
Party Girl by Anna David (2008, rereleased in 2021)
The Sober Lush: A Hedonist’s Guide to Living a Decadent, Adventurous, Soulful Life — Alcohol-Free by Amanda Eyre Ward and Jardine Libaire (2020)
High Achiever: The Incredible True Story of One Addict’s Double Life by Tiffany Jenkins (2019)
Highlight Real: Finding Honesty & Recovery Beyond the Filtered Life by Emily Lynn Paulson (2019)
My Fair Junkie: A Memoir of Getting Dirty and Staying Clean by Amy Dresner (2018)
How To Get Successful by F*cking Up Your Life: Essays on Addiction and Recovery by Anna David (2019)
Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnston (2014)
Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari (2016)
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by MD Gabor Mate and Peter Levine Ph.D. (2010)
We are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life by Laura McKowen (2020)
Recovery by Russell Brand (2019)
Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing your Messy, Beautiful Life by Glennon Doyle (2014)
Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road to Self Love and Miracles by Gabrielle Bernstein (2011)
A Happier Hour by Rebecca Weller (2016)
Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas (2006)
Nothing Good Can Come of This: Essays by Kristi Coulter (2018)
The Sober Diaries: How One Woman Stopped Drinking and Started Living by Clare Pooley (2017)
Her Best-Kept Secret: Why Women Drink and How They Can Regain Control by Gabrielle Glaser (2014)
Sober Stick Figure: A Memoir by Amber Tozer (2016)
Tired of Thinking About Drinking: Take My 100 Day Sober Challenge by Belle Robertson (2016)
Mrs. D is Going Without: A Memoir by Lotta Dan (2014)
The Ember Ever There: Poems on Change, Grief, Growth, Recovery, and Rediscovery by Jean McCarthy (2020)
The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath by Leslie Jamison (2018)
Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs (2003)
Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction by Elizabeth Vargus (2016)
The Sober Girl Society Handbook: An Empowering Guide to Living Hangover Free by Millie Gooch (2021)
Refuge Recovery: A Buddist Path to Recovering From Addiction by Noah Levine
Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life by Tommy Rosen
Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary Way of Understanding Addiction by Maia Szalavitz (2016)
Good Morning, Destroyer of Men’s Souls: A Memoir of Women, Addiction, and Love by Nina Renata Aron
How To Murder Your Life: A Memoir by Cat Marnell (2017)
Sunshine Warm Sober: Unexpected Sober Joy that Lasts by Catherine Gray (2021)
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie (1986)
The Language of Letting Go: Daily Meditations on Codependency by Melody Beattie (1990)
Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without Booze by Tawny Lara (2023)
Unbottled Potential: Breakup with Alcohol and Break Through to Your Best Life by Amanda Kuda (2023)
Push Off From Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety (and Everything Else) by Laura Mckowen (2023)
Much love always,
XX Mia