![]() Moreover, the tools she describes are only available to wealthy women that don’t have children (or at least have live-in nannies that could support the many hours of daily life Whitaker suggests need to go into supporting sobriety). ![]() Most of what Whitaker describes as “tools for recovery” are only available to women with significant financial resources. Unfortunately, I think where Whitaker misses the mark could keep people from her deeper messages. I’m sure the basic premise of finding your own path and not feeling ashamed is a transformative concept for many. And, as Claire talks about her recent blog post, shame can be a barrier to making healthy choices ( Kelly McGonigal does some amazing work around habit change and dealing with shame. She also want to eliminate the shame aspect of addiction. ![]() This is a basic premise of a mindfulness meditation practice: yes, there is a road map, but how you practice must resonate with you and actually work in your day-to-day life. According to Whitaker, unlike AA’s one-size-fits-all approach, everyone’s road to sobriety must be deeply rooted in the needs and experiences of the individual. What really resonated for me is Whitaker’s basic premise that in order to “break the cycle of addiction” you need to get to the root causes of your addictions and develop routines and habits to build a life that that she describes as a life “I don’t want, or need, to escape from.” I’ve been thinking a lot about all of my habits and routines (not just drinking) and wondering what habits are “getting in the way of me living my best life” (as Whitaker describes it)? Looking at habits and routines this way is deeply rooted in mindfulness as a way of rewiring our brain to stop, slow down, and make healthier choices.Īnother theme of QLAW is that there is no “right way” to sobriety. She’s also funny and brash which makes it an interesting read in and of itself. And she relies on mindfulness and meditation to support her sobriety. Part memoir, part self-help, Whitaker wants to dispel myths about alcohol (what she describes as “Big Alcohol”) she offers a critical analysis of how Alcoholics Anonymous often fails women and proposes a completely different approach to sobriety. Whitaker offers a totally new approach to thinking about sobriety. Nevertheless, I can unequivocally say that, like Claire, I found QLAW to be “mind-blowing” despite its flaws (more on that below). To be clear: a sober life is not something I’ve ever considered and it’s not something I’m considering even after reading QLAW. So, when Claire told me she was reading QLAW and that it was “mind-blowing” I thought it was time I actually read the book. ![]() On top of that, like so many working women, with the pressure of juggling work and homeschool and dealing with the general stressors of life in a pandemic, I’ve found myself looking forward to happy hour a little too much at times. It’s at least in part due to the fact that I’ve been giving a lot of thought in recent years about how much our work and social lives revolve around happy hour and what Whitaker describes as “a world obsessed with drinking.” And, it’s no secret that lawyers have high rates of problematic drinking. I honestly don’t remember when or how I started following Quit Like A Woman (often shortened to “QLAW”) author Holly Whitaker on social media. ![]()
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