Undimmed: The Eight Awarenesses for Freedom from Unwanted Habits

by Cecily Mak, Yung Pueblo (Foreword By)

When Cecily Mak decided to take a break from drinking, the most common response she got was “Oh, I didn’t know you had a problem.” A problem? She was not an addict, or even committing to sobriety. She had simply realized that alcohol helped her avoid difficult feelings—but that it dimmed the good parts of her life along with the bad. She wanted to live her life with clarity, not avoid it.

Many of us are taught to believe that escapist and addictive behaviors are fine as long as they are not “problems” or wholesale addictions. But this binary mindset robs us of a more present life and our ability to make changes before the behavior becomes an unshakeable habit. What you use to dim your life may not be a substance—it might even be something healthy, like exercise, food, or work. And every dimmer exists on a spectrum from use, to heavy use, to potential abuse or worse. It’s not about what you do, but how and why you do it. While leaving her unwanted habits behind, Mak developed the Eight Awarenesses—a set of principles we can use for inspiration and guidance on the path to embodying a clear life. Each one serves as an invitation to explore a deeper understanding of ourselves and our choices, and the empowerment that comes with choosing to live a life undimmed.

Undimmed is an invitation to choose freedom from the habits that dim our lives and to embrace the full spectrum of experiences that life has to offer.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Nima Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This particular work appears to be a personal memoir presented within the framework of a self-help book. While the eight steps outlined may not be entirely novel, their presentation and the accompanying advice render them more practical and accessible. I found the concept of "time is a precious currency" most resonant with me.

Thank you #Netgalley and #MacmillanAudio for this ARC.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Undimmed: The Eight Awarenesses for Freedom from Unwanted Habits by Cecily Mak - 4 stars

This is the publisher's blurb on the book:

"When Cecily Mak decided to take a break from drinking, the most common response she got was “Oh, I didn’t know you had a problem.” A problem? She was not an addict, or even committing to sobriety. She had simply realized that alcohol helped her avoid difficult feelings—but that it dimmed the good parts of her life along with the bad. She wanted to live her life with clarity, not avoid it.

Many of us are taught to believe that escapist and addictive behaviors are fine as long as they are not “problems” or wholesale addictions. But this binary mindset robs us of a more present life and our ability to make changes before the behavior becomes an unshakeable habit. What you use to dim your life may not be a substance—it might even be something healthy, like exercise, food, or work. And every dimmer exists on a spectrum from use, to heavy use, to potential abuse or worse. It’s not about what you do, but how and why you do it. While leaving her unwanted habits behind, Mak developed the Eight Awarenesses—a set of principles we can use for inspiration and guidance on the path to embodying a clear life. Each one serves as an invitation to explore a deeper understanding of ourselves and our choices, and the empowerment that comes with choosing to live a life undimmed.

Undimmed is an invitation to choose freedom from the habits that dim our lives and to embrace the full spectrum of experiences that life has to offer."

Here are my thoughts on the book:

Mak does a good job of presenting how much your life can change by making a personal choice to eliminate a habit that is "dimming" your life, i.e. preventing you from being fully present in other areas of your life. The goal is to have a more purposeful life based on your priorities and personal values. By eliminating a chosen habit from our life (any habit), we gain more time and energy to pursue other things more in keeping with what we currently value.

The book is divided into Four Parts which focus on different individual tenets which she calls agreements:

Part I: Choice. You have a choice to disengage from a/the Dimmer(s) in your life, and you have a choice to re-engange with it/them in the future.

1) My life is better clear.

2) I choose what I consume.

Part II: Inner. Exploring yourself beneath the dimmers. What discomfort might you be trying to escape by using a dimmer?

3) My intuition defines my priorities.

4) My trauma is not my identity.

Part III: Outer. Relating to others; healing or releasing unhealthy relationships.

5) Forgiveness and letting go are on the path to liberation.

6) I do not judge or impose my orientations upon others.

Part IV: Beyond. How we interact with the world. Aligning discretionary time with your true life priorities as well as supporting others on this path.

7) Time is our most precious currency.

8) I seek ways to support others.

This is a very readable and thought provoking book. As I read it, I was easily able to identify some things in my own life that I intend to spend less time on in the future so that I have more time to pursue activities that interest me and will place my life in better alignment with my goals and desires. Very helpful and well done!

My thanks to the author and to Flatiron Books for giving me access to a DRC of the book via NetGalley. Publication is 1/6/26. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little hard for me to review this book, because it isn't just your typical self-help book, but also quite memoir-heavy as well, and I always find it challenging to rate someone's lived experience. We learn about the author's past and present struggles, her family's issues, her past traumas, her mother's alcoholism, and much more, and then we learn how it all ties into her decision to "undim" her life by cutting out unwanted habits.

The author herself admits that this is her own take on Alcoholics Anonymous's famous "Twelve Steps," and this really could have been called her "Eight Awarenesses for People Who Don't Think They're an Addict or Have a Problem." There's not a lot of brand new or eye-opening information here, but it was presented well, and I think that it will definitely resonate with a lot of readers, especially those in the Gen X and Millennial generations.

Personally, I really clicked with the audiobook (though I did find it to be quite a bit repetitive at times), and I found myself thinking about a lot of the "dimming" behaviors that I partake in and changes I'd like to make in my own life.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for providing me with a printed ARC and for NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

[Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part memoir, part self help. I found the memoir part easy to relate to - I experienced similar experiences as this author when I gave up drinking and the strange fall out that can happen. I liked the concept of learning the ways we dim ourselves and what are some ways we can learn to not. I don’t think there was anything revolutionary written, however it was accessible and interesting and a nice reminder of how important reflection is as we grow and change and learn. I will probably read this one again to remind myself of some of the important take aways.
The narration was great, really enjoyed the audiobook listen.

[Murphy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This was well written and raw. Gives insight into the layers of crutches.

[Kristina Tutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this ALC audiobook from libro.fm and I’m glad I gave it a listen. Memoir mixed with self help. While I didn’t agree with every take, it was a quick read and made me think.