Quitter
A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery
Erica C. Barnett
- "Barnett's
- prose
- style
- is
- brassy
- and
- cleareyed,
- with
- echoes
- of
- Anne
- Lamott."
- --Beth
- Macy,
- The
- New
- York
- Times
- Book
- Review"Emotionally
- devastating
- and
- self-aware,
- this
- cautionary
- tale
- about
- substance
- abuse
- is
- a
- worthy
- heir
- to
- Cat
- Marnell's
- How
- to
- Murder
- Your
- Life."
- --Publishers
- Weekly
- (starred
- review)A
- startlingly
- frank
- memoir
- of
- one
- woman's
- struggles
- with
- alcoholism
- and
- recovery,
- with
- essential
- new
- insights
- into
- addiction
- and
- treatmentErica
- C.
- Barnett
- had
- her
- first
- sip
- of
- alcohol
- when
- she
- was
- thirteen,
- and
- she
- quickly
- developed
- a
- taste
- for
- drinking
- to
- oblivion
- with
- her
- friends.
- In
- her
- late
- twenties,
- her
- addiction
- became
- inescapable.
- Volatile
- relationships,
- blackouts,
- and
- unsuccessful
- stints
- in
- detox
- defined
- her
- life,
- with
- the
- vodka
- bottles
- she
- hid
- throughout
- her
- apartment
- and
- offices
- acting
- as
- both
- her
- tormentors
- and
- closest
- friends.By
- the
- time
- she
- was
- in
- her
- late
- thirties,
- Erica
- Barnett
- had
- run
- the
- gauntlet
- of
- alcoholism.
- She
- had
- recovered
- and
- relapsed
- time
- and
- again,
- but
- after
- each
- new
- program
- or
- detox
- center
- would
- find
- herself
- far
- from
- rehabilitated.
- "Rock
- bottom,"
- Barnett
- writes,
- "is
- a
- lie."
- It
- is
- always
- possible,
- she
- learned,
- to
- go
- lower
- than
- your
- lowest
- point.
- She
- found
- that
- the
- terms
- other
- alcoholics
- used
- to
- describe
- the
- trajectory
- of
- their
- addiction--"rock
- bottom"
- and
- "moment
- of
- clarity"--and
- the
- mottos
- touted
- by
- Alcoholics
- Anonymous,
- such
- as
- "let
- go
- and
- let
- God"
- and
- "you're
- only
- as
- sick
- as
- your
- secrets"--didn't
- correspond
- to
- her
- experience
- and
- could
- actually
- be
- detrimental.With
- remarkably
- brave
- and
- vulnerable
- writing,
- Barnett
- expands
- on
- her
- personal
- story
- to
- confront
- the
- dire
- state
- of
- addiction
- in
- America,
- the
- rise
- of
- alcoholism
- in
- American
- women
- in
- the
- last
- century,
- and
- the
- lack
- of
- rehabilitation
- options
- available
- to
- addicts.
- At
- a
- time
- when
- opioid
- addiction
- is
- a
- national
- epidemic
- and
- one
- in
- twelve
- Americans
- suffers
- from
- alcohol
- abuse
- disorder,
- Quitter
- is
- essential
- reading
- for
- our
- age
- and
- an
- ultimately
- hopeful
- story
- of
- Barnett's
- own
- hard-fought
- path
- to sobriety.
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