I no longer had control over alcohol and often pleaded with myself to stop. I would regularly pour away left over alcohol late at night, promising myself that tomorrow would be different. Yet, I would buy more on my way home as I laughed with myself/ at myself realising that I was never going to stop. My biggest takeaway was that I’m now very conscious of drinking alcohol: avoiding it mostly and feeling great about it, but when I do drink, enjoying the hell out of it!

I have now listened to the book 5 times and I continue to listen to 10-15 minutes every day. I never did finish the hard copy because I preferred the Audible book. Her voice is very reassuring, empathic and encouraging. It's like having 1-2-1 sessions with an old friend who knows all of your secrets (around alcohol) but still loves you and wants to help. Casey struggled with his drinking for years. He rode the moderation rollercoaster a few times and finally decided the time had come for [...] I never got really drunk and didn't drink in front of the kids, but the same time every night I would crave alcohol. If I went without it, I couldn't think of anything else. I thought I needed wine to relax, but in reality I was addicted so I had withdrawals if I didn't get my alcohol on time. The relaxation was not true relaxation, but a relief from withdrawal. In any given moment, the more you focus on one aspect of your experience, the less you notice everything else.” These marketers know that the most effective sale is an emotional sale, one that plays on your deepest fears, your ultimate concerns. Alcohol advertisements sell an end to loneliness, claiming that drinking provides friendship and romance. They appeal to your need for freedom by saying drinking will make you unique, brave, bold, or courageous. They promise fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness. All these messages speak to your conscious and unconscious minds."

This is an inspiring and groundbreaking must-read. I am forever inspired and changed.” — Kate S., Los Angeles, California So far as I could see, this book is for normal people who want to stop drinking. This is not for actual alcoholics who still have problems living life on life's terms once you remove the alcohol. It does not provide tips on how to cope with stress or serious personal issues. She doesn't even suggest therapy. I believe (and the science says!) that a positive approach is far more effective than a negative approach. Scare tactics & willpower don’t work over the long term and true, lasting change comes from positive desire.

First of all, let me preface this review by saying that if this book helps even one person stay sober, then it is a good book whether I got something out of it or not. Different ideas work for different people. The intro started out very open minded and fine; this is an experiment, draw your own conclusions, you don't have to stop drinking forever, no stigma, etc.I had high hopes for this read, but was somewhat let down. To preface, I didn’t see myself as having a problem with alcohol, however, since I did enjoy it regularly, I wanted to read this book as a way to become more aware of my relationship to the drug. Reading this did bring some awareness to my drinking habits, and ultimately changed my attitude towards alcohol, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. Still, in part thanks to this book, I’ve decided to give alcohol a rest for a month, so on the other hand maybe I would recommend it. Vale goes on to say, “When you stop putting a poison like alcohol in your body, it literally breathes a sigh of relief.”171”

Alcohol is the only drug you have to justify NOT using to everyone". Paraphrase from the book, but it hit home. When you see scotch, do you picture a guy in a suit or in his chair in his den? When you picture Bud Light, do you picture football games, tailgating, or camping? When you picture red wine, do you picture it at a romantic white cloth dinner or some other type of relaxing atmosphere? If you want to be sophisticated and are wearing a suit, you can't go get a case of Bud Light--that projects the wrong image! Scratching an itch is pleasurable, but you would never purposely sit in poison ivy just to scratch your ass.” So you want to drink less without quitting drinking alcohol altogether! You’re in the right place and you’re not alone! Thank goodness we [...]We've all been there. The clinking glasses, the laughter, those warm, fuzzy feelings - there's something undeniably enticing about the social ritual of [...] Understand your true reasons for drinking - you'll be surprised as they are far less conscious than you might think She lumps everyone who drinks at all into being misinformed and just trying to fit in with society. What is alcohol really giving you in your life besides ranging hangovers, feeling like shit in the morning and not having any energy to work out?"