READ Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker
Holly Whitaker holding a copy of Quit Like A Woman
Even if you have no intentions to quit drinking right now, this book is seriously worth a read! There is a lot to be said about the effects alcohol has on us and the things we tend to not even bat an eye at because our society is drenched in booze. Holly Whitaker dives into alcohol and sobriety as a feminist issue, telling her own story of her recovery and experiences through the process of figuring out what works for her while realizing the male-centric scructures of AA (Note: Whitaker is the founder and CEO of Tempest, a human-centered, personal recovery program tailored to the unique needs of women and other historically underrepresented folks in recovery) This self help-memoir is a national bestseller for a reason.
From the Publisher:
We live in a world obsessed with drinking. We drink at baby showers and work events, brunch and book club, graduations and funerals. Yet no one ever questions alcohol’s ubiquity—in fact, the only thing ever questioned is why someone doesn’t drink. It is a qualifier for belonging and if you don’t imbibe, you are considered an anomaly. As a society, we are obsessed with health and wellness, yet we uphold alcohol as some kind of magic elixir, though it is anything but.
When Holly Whitaker decided to seek help after one too many benders, she embarked on a journey that led not only to her own sobriety, but revealed the insidious role alcohol plays in our society and in the lives of women in particular. What’s more, she could not ignore the ways that alcohol companies were targeting women, just as the tobacco industry had successfully done generations before. Fueled by her own emerging feminism, she also realized that the predominant systems of recovery are archaic, patriarchal, and ineffective for the unique needs of women and other historically oppressed people—who don’t need to lose their egos and surrender to a male concept of God, as the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous state, but who need to cultivate a deeper understanding of their own identities and take control of their lives. When Holly found an alternate way out of her own addiction, she felt a calling to create a sober community with resources for anyone questioning their relationship with drinking, so that they might find their way as well. Her resultant feminine-centric recovery program focuses on getting at the root causes that lead people to overindulge and provides the tools necessary to break the cycle of addiction, showing us what is possible when we remove alcohol and destroy our belief system around it.
Written in a relatable voice that is honest and witty, Quit Like a Woman is at once a groundbreaking look at drinking culture and a road map to cutting out alcohol in order to live our best lives without the crutch of intoxication. You will never look at drinking the same way again.
Get it Here
WATCH: Why Did You Kill Me?
Netflix’s newest true crime documentary explores the 2006 murder of Crystal Theobald, the 24 year old who was accidentally killed by gang members in Riverside, California. The documentary unfolds the timeline of the tragic case. The twist? The young men involved in the murder were found through the method of catfishing on social media. Crystal’s mother, Belinda, and (at the time) 14-year-old cousin Jaime created fake profiles on MySpace to get answers and it worked.
The 2021 American documentary film directed and produced by Fredrick Munk is intense and investigative, but if true crime is your thing, you’re going to want to stream it.
Watch on Netflix
LISTEN TO: Ian Sweet
Jilian Medford goes by Ian Sweet. The indie rock musician from LA released her newest album ‘Show Me How You Disappear’ last month with Polyvinyl Record Co. and it is one of our favorite indie pop albums at the moment (we currently have her top song ‘Sword’ on repeat!)
‘Show Me How You Disappear’ is described as the sound of someone coming apart and putting themselves back together. Medford has expressed this album was written in a moment that was ultimately a transformative healing process of unresolved trauma after going to an outpatient therapy program for anxiety. The record is her coming to terms with the past, self accepting and self forgiving and as a listener, you will really be able to hear the raw feelings in each song.
Check out the official short film for the album above in which she performs a selection of the tracks, including “Dumb Driver,” “Get Better,” “Power,” and “I See Everything”.
IG: @ian_sweeeeet
Listen Here:
