Maura grew up in a world that was ruled by alcohol. It led her to vow early on that she would never find [...] There are some strong associations between alcohol and different types of cancer; ultimately alcohol is a poison. the majority of drinkers believe they drink because they want to, they enjoy it, and they choose to do it.”

It's up to you if you want to quit alcohol, moderate, or remain the same. C'mon, this information won't hurt you. It will help you. I wanted to give this book five stars but I have a huge problem with the way Annie Grace framed alcohol as it affects college rape incidents. I found her comments tantamount to saying 'those boys regret what they did! They didn't want to rape before the nasty alcohol got there. See how horrible alcohol is?' I recently listened to the audiobook on Annie Grace’s ‘This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol: find freedom, discover happiness and change your life.’ For reasons I almost don’t need to explain, on starting the book I did not add it to my currently reading list on Goodreads. This is despite the fact that I ALWAYS add whatever book I’m reading to Goodreads, even if it’s embarrassing. I’ve added self help books aplenty this year, and although I’ve felt a little awkward admitting to reading them, I always added the damn book. Because ultimately I’m not ashamed to be striving for personal growth, even if it means adding books on depression and anxiety. (That adding books on anxiety to my reading list causes me anxiety is an irony that is not lost on me.) But this was different. In adding this book, I was admitting that I didn’t have full control over my relationship with alcohol, and that’s something massive, or that’s what society has always told me anyway. Alcohol dependency has such a stigma attached to it that we don’t want to let on even to ourselves that we think we might have a problem in controlling it. If I publicly admitted to reading this book, then it felt like I was publicly admitting to having a problem.Addiction begins with the hope that something ‘out there’ can instantly fill up the emptiness inside.” —Jean Kilbourne” It's because alcohol is highly addictive, changes the chemical components like dopamine in your brain and over time, you become more and more addicted to it. It's really hard to stay a moderate drinker.

As the leaves change color and the air turns crisp, September arrives with a refreshing promise of renewal and self-discovery. It's a month [...] Throughout life we often find ourselves in perplexing situations, wondering why we do things we don't want to do. One of the most [...] I also found it jarring that the author describes herself as ‘a moderate drinker’ but says she was drinking ‘two bottles of wine a night’ prior to stopping, which isn’t my definition of ‘moderate’ - far from it! Nor was I convinced that she is a hoot sober. Grace may well be great company and funny (she claims to be both), but here perhaps the book might have benefited from more ‘show’ and less ‘tell’ - as it stands the writing isn't witty. In particular there is no irony and as a Brit I longed for some. It's written in such a way that you get the benefits of this thinking (meaning, the changes to your unconsciousness in how you think about the effects of alcohol - something you have been mislead about since birth) by just reading. The author has been inspired in this method by Dr Sarno (who is the author to read if you have any chronic pain; spoiler: it might be caused by your brain!).Join us on a journey of self-discovery, where we delve into the question many of us have asked at some point: "Is it [...] The author details her own negative experiences with alcohol which fueled her desire to give it up, relates facts about the damage it does to the body and brain, and argues that the way we consume alcohol doesn’t make sense when compared with the way we consume any other food or drink. She’s adamant and persuasive, and I’m right there with her and her anger toward alcohol and the damage it does. Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that Annie’s method works. I can also tell you that it only works if you are 100% committed to making a change. To this end, she cleverly adds a caveat at the beginning of Chapter 22: The Secret to Happily and Easily Drinking Less, warning the reader that skipping ahead to this chapter will not be effective if you haven’t done the work outlined in previous chapters. She’s right. There is no easy way out, but if you do the work, you can succeed. 75% of people who recover from alcohol dependence do so without seeking professional help