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Woman of Substances
Journalist Jenny Valentish investigates the female experience of drugs and alcohol, using her own story to light the way. Her travels around Australia take her to treatment facilities and AA groups. Mining the expertise of leading researchers, she explores the early predictors of addiction, such as childhood trauma and temperament, and teenage impulsivity. Drawing on neuroscience, she explains why other self-destructive behaviours – such as eating disorders, compulsive buying and high-risk sex – are interchangeable with problematic substance use. Valentish follows the pathways that women, in particular, take into addiction – and out again. Woman of Substances is an insightful, rigorous and brutally honest read.
309 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2017
71 people are currently reading
803 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Valentish
11 books35 followersJournalist Jenny Valentish is best known for her deep dives into the human psyche.
The Introvert’s Guide to Leaving the House (Affirm Press) is a more introspective successor to Everything Harder Than Everyone Else (Black Inc), which explored the fine line between hedonism and endurance, and her mea culpa memoir Woman of Substances (Black Inc) which was nominated for a Walkley. She has also written a novel, Cherry Bomb (Allen and Unwin), about a DUI girl band, and co-edited an anthology called Your Mother Would Be Proud (Allen and Unwin).
She writes for the Guardian, the ABC and The Age, and teaches memoir and journalism as a guest lecturer at universities, for literary events, and through her own workshops.
Her preferred form of social media is Instagram, with the handle JennyValentish_Public.
The Introvert’s Guide to Leaving the House (Affirm Press) is a more introspective successor to Everything Harder Than Everyone Else (Black Inc), which explored the fine line between hedonism and endurance, and her mea culpa memoir Woman of Substances (Black Inc) which was nominated for a Walkley. She has also written a novel, Cherry Bomb (Allen and Unwin), about a DUI girl band, and co-edited an anthology called Your Mother Would Be Proud (Allen and Unwin).
She writes for the Guardian, the ABC and The Age, and teaches memoir and journalism as a guest lecturer at universities, for literary events, and through her own workshops.
Her preferred form of social media is Instagram, with the handle JennyValentish_Public.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
May 29, 2018
“After the honeymoon period of quitting comes the period of ‘maintenance,’ otherwise known as the rest of your life.’ During this period . . . your mind will be constantly trying to convince you to do impulsive things you will regret.”
There is so much good information in this nonfiction book that I took pages and pages of notes and bookmarked what seemed like every other page. (I read this as an ebook.)
Because more men than women seek treatment for substance abuse, the majority of addiction research has been on men. That’s part of the reason this is an important book. Valentish discusses her own chaotic alcohol and drug use as well as the specific challenges women face with substance use and access to help.
Women who battle addiction overwhelmingly have been molested as children and/or raped as women and are much more likely to face domestic violence. In the same way that drug tests exclude women because of our pesky menstrual cycles and possibility of pregnancy (which means what is a good drug dose for men may be disastrous to women), ignoring the gendered differences in the way a woman’s body reacts to drugs and alcohol makes it harder for her to receive appropriate treatment. For example, women have more fat than men, which means drugs and alcohol aren’t as diluted. Blood flows through muscle, but not so much fat. So a woman might get behind the wheel of her car feeling fine and not realizing how much alcohol is still lingering in her blood.
I was interested to read that an exhaustive study of 68 studies of alcohol use and abuse in 36 different countries concluded that men and women drink at the same rates and women may in fact represent more problem drinkers than men. I’d always read that ten percent of the population battled substance issues, and of those, ten percent were women. It turns out that women seek treatment less often than men, in part because they are worried about having their children taken away from them. There aren’t inpatient treatment facilities that can also accommodate children, so single mothers are screwed. If they do outpatient, they still have to arrange childcare. Of course, as with every else, it’s harder for women of color and poor women to find assistance, and they are more likely to have their children taken from them.
Addiction results from a complex set of reasons including trauma as a child. Genetics plays a big role, as does learned behavior (drinking gave me solace before, so I’ll try it again).
One of the other interesting things in the book was how a mother’s mental state while pregnant can imprint itself on the fetus’s ability to deal with stress later in life. A stressed-out pregnant mom is flooded with cortisol. This can lead an infant to be born with anxiety and she may grow up to self-medicate with drugs and/or alcohol (growing up could be as young as ten or twelve years old when they discover the joys of oblivion through drugs including alcohol).
For a child that has a home life that is sometimes nurturing and sometimes neglectful, she may become teenager/adult that learns to self sooth by overeating and/or binging on alcohol. Both of those things cause a rush of dopamine. In the short term, it works. So she does it again. If she’s an addict, she’ll do it again and again to disastrous results.
Valentish is a British woman who has lived in Australia for many years, and those countries have a different language for treatment than America.
In America, we have people identify themselves as alcoholic and insist that the only solution is total abstinence. For some, cutting back can work, possibly with the help of a drug like Naltrexone, which interferes with the way your brain processes minimizing the pleasant effects of this chemical. Instead of feeling happy, relaxed or buzzed when you drink after taking naltrexone, you may feel nothing. Also, for drug addicts, they probably can never use opioids safely, but may be able to stop at a drink or two of alcohol. We think of AA and NA as the only ways to get clean and sober, but those programs don’t work for everyone. Five of the twelve steps involve God, which is problematic for people who don’t believe in God. Also, many people start drinking to excess because of social anxiety, so speaking up at meeting can be very stressful to that person.
Another interesting thing I learned was that many people who get clean and sober die because of their cigarette smoking. Being a cigarette smoker won’t get your children taken away from you, and you won’t get thrown in jail, detox, or the hospital, and you won’t get fired, so many addicts increase their smoking when they give up alcohol and other drugs.
Valentish does a fantastic job of covering addiction through the lens of gender and does not espouse a one-size fits all approach. Highly recommend.
For more reviews, please visit: http://www.theresaalan.net/blog
There is so much good information in this nonfiction book that I took pages and pages of notes and bookmarked what seemed like every other page. (I read this as an ebook.)
Because more men than women seek treatment for substance abuse, the majority of addiction research has been on men. That’s part of the reason this is an important book. Valentish discusses her own chaotic alcohol and drug use as well as the specific challenges women face with substance use and access to help.
Women who battle addiction overwhelmingly have been molested as children and/or raped as women and are much more likely to face domestic violence. In the same way that drug tests exclude women because of our pesky menstrual cycles and possibility of pregnancy (which means what is a good drug dose for men may be disastrous to women), ignoring the gendered differences in the way a woman’s body reacts to drugs and alcohol makes it harder for her to receive appropriate treatment. For example, women have more fat than men, which means drugs and alcohol aren’t as diluted. Blood flows through muscle, but not so much fat. So a woman might get behind the wheel of her car feeling fine and not realizing how much alcohol is still lingering in her blood.
I was interested to read that an exhaustive study of 68 studies of alcohol use and abuse in 36 different countries concluded that men and women drink at the same rates and women may in fact represent more problem drinkers than men. I’d always read that ten percent of the population battled substance issues, and of those, ten percent were women. It turns out that women seek treatment less often than men, in part because they are worried about having their children taken away from them. There aren’t inpatient treatment facilities that can also accommodate children, so single mothers are screwed. If they do outpatient, they still have to arrange childcare. Of course, as with every else, it’s harder for women of color and poor women to find assistance, and they are more likely to have their children taken from them.
Addiction results from a complex set of reasons including trauma as a child. Genetics plays a big role, as does learned behavior (drinking gave me solace before, so I’ll try it again).
One of the other interesting things in the book was how a mother’s mental state while pregnant can imprint itself on the fetus’s ability to deal with stress later in life. A stressed-out pregnant mom is flooded with cortisol. This can lead an infant to be born with anxiety and she may grow up to self-medicate with drugs and/or alcohol (growing up could be as young as ten or twelve years old when they discover the joys of oblivion through drugs including alcohol).
For a child that has a home life that is sometimes nurturing and sometimes neglectful, she may become teenager/adult that learns to self sooth by overeating and/or binging on alcohol. Both of those things cause a rush of dopamine. In the short term, it works. So she does it again. If she’s an addict, she’ll do it again and again to disastrous results.
Valentish is a British woman who has lived in Australia for many years, and those countries have a different language for treatment than America.
In America, we have people identify themselves as alcoholic and insist that the only solution is total abstinence. For some, cutting back can work, possibly with the help of a drug like Naltrexone, which interferes with the way your brain processes minimizing the pleasant effects of this chemical. Instead of feeling happy, relaxed or buzzed when you drink after taking naltrexone, you may feel nothing. Also, for drug addicts, they probably can never use opioids safely, but may be able to stop at a drink or two of alcohol. We think of AA and NA as the only ways to get clean and sober, but those programs don’t work for everyone. Five of the twelve steps involve God, which is problematic for people who don’t believe in God. Also, many people start drinking to excess because of social anxiety, so speaking up at meeting can be very stressful to that person.
Another interesting thing I learned was that many people who get clean and sober die because of their cigarette smoking. Being a cigarette smoker won’t get your children taken away from you, and you won’t get thrown in jail, detox, or the hospital, and you won’t get fired, so many addicts increase their smoking when they give up alcohol and other drugs.
Valentish does a fantastic job of covering addiction through the lens of gender and does not espouse a one-size fits all approach. Highly recommend.
For more reviews, please visit: http://www.theresaalan.net/blog
May 7, 2018
Woman of Substances by Jenny Valentish offers insight into substance abuse through a gendered lens. It is a memoir because Jenny’s story is the main story guiding you through the book, but it is well researched which makes it more universal.
This book was the most fascinating piece of non-fiction that I have read in a long time. The issues addressed in Woman of Substances are contemporary, relevant, and incredibly important. Valentish manages to address them in a moving yet empowering way.
To me, the best part of this book is that Jenny Valentish tells her story in such an honest and bold way. Speaking up about such a difficult subject is admirable. Speaking up about it with so much respect and a strong voice like hers is simply admirable.
The amount of research in this book contributed to strengthening the message that all individuals have their own unique way of dealing with substance abuse, but that there are indicators throughout (early) life that can indicate addictive behavior. The fact that Valentish took a gendered stance in her research is the perfect example to demonstrate that the personal differences mentioned above are more often than not accounted for in the ways we deal/treat cases of substance abuse.
The only drawback for me was that most of the research used came from Australian, American or UK research, which made me want to yell that a global approach would be even more insightful. I guess Valentish would probably agree with me on that, so this really would only make the book even more interesting.
My rating for this book is 5 out of 5 stars. This is because this book was a real eye-opener for me (as someone with no previous knowledge about substance abuse), and I think it can be for many. Also, this book is a prime example of research conducted in a highly progressive manner. Way to go!
I received a digital review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. My review is susceptible to changes in the final copy of this work.
This book was the most fascinating piece of non-fiction that I have read in a long time. The issues addressed in Woman of Substances are contemporary, relevant, and incredibly important. Valentish manages to address them in a moving yet empowering way.
To me, the best part of this book is that Jenny Valentish tells her story in such an honest and bold way. Speaking up about such a difficult subject is admirable. Speaking up about it with so much respect and a strong voice like hers is simply admirable.
The amount of research in this book contributed to strengthening the message that all individuals have their own unique way of dealing with substance abuse, but that there are indicators throughout (early) life that can indicate addictive behavior. The fact that Valentish took a gendered stance in her research is the perfect example to demonstrate that the personal differences mentioned above are more often than not accounted for in the ways we deal/treat cases of substance abuse.
The only drawback for me was that most of the research used came from Australian, American or UK research, which made me want to yell that a global approach would be even more insightful. I guess Valentish would probably agree with me on that, so this really would only make the book even more interesting.
My rating for this book is 5 out of 5 stars. This is because this book was a real eye-opener for me (as someone with no previous knowledge about substance abuse), and I think it can be for many. Also, this book is a prime example of research conducted in a highly progressive manner. Way to go!
I received a digital review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. My review is susceptible to changes in the final copy of this work.
May 7, 2018
Woman of Substances by Jenny Valentish offers insight into substance abuse through a gendered lens. It is a memoir because Jenny’s story is the main story guiding you through the book, but it is well researched which makes it more universal.
This book was the most fascinating piece of non-fiction that I have read in a long time. The issues addressed in Woman of Substances are contemporary, relevant, and incredibly important. Valentish manages to address them in a moving yet empowering way.
To me, the best part of this book is that Jenny Valentish tells her story in such an honest and bold way. Speaking up about such a difficult subject is admirable. Speaking up about it with so much respect and a strong voice like hers is simply admirable.
The amount of research in this book contributed to strengthening the message that all individuals have their own unique way of dealing with substance abuse, but that there are indicators throughout (early) life that can indicate addictive behavior. The fact that Valentish took a gendered stance in her research is the perfect example to demonstrate that the personal differences mentioned above are more often than not accounted for in the ways we deal/treat cases of substance abuse.
The only drawback for me was that most of the research used came from Australian, American or UK research, which made me want to yell that a global approach would be even more insightful. I guess Valentish would probably agree with me on that, so this really would only make the book even more interesting.
My rating for this book is 5 out of 5 stars. This is because this book was a real eye-opener for me (as someone with no previous knowledge about substance abuse), and I think it can be for many. Also, this book is a prime example of research conducted in a highly progressive manner. Way to go!
I received a digital review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. My review is susceptible to changes in the final copy of this work.
This book was the most fascinating piece of non-fiction that I have read in a long time. The issues addressed in Woman of Substances are contemporary, relevant, and incredibly important. Valentish manages to address them in a moving yet empowering way.
To me, the best part of this book is that Jenny Valentish tells her story in such an honest and bold way. Speaking up about such a difficult subject is admirable. Speaking up about it with so much respect and a strong voice like hers is simply admirable.
The amount of research in this book contributed to strengthening the message that all individuals have their own unique way of dealing with substance abuse, but that there are indicators throughout (early) life that can indicate addictive behavior. The fact that Valentish took a gendered stance in her research is the perfect example to demonstrate that the personal differences mentioned above are more often than not accounted for in the ways we deal/treat cases of substance abuse.
The only drawback for me was that most of the research used came from Australian, American or UK research, which made me want to yell that a global approach would be even more insightful. I guess Valentish would probably agree with me on that, so this really would only make the book even more interesting.
My rating for this book is 5 out of 5 stars. This is because this book was a real eye-opener for me (as someone with no previous knowledge about substance abuse), and I think it can be for many. Also, this book is a prime example of research conducted in a highly progressive manner. Way to go!
I received a digital review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. My review is susceptible to changes in the final copy of this work.
June 24, 2018
4.5 stars. A fantastic piece of research nonfiction meets honest memoir. It's inclusive, in depth and intensely readable. My only qualm is that, due to the sheer extent of the research that's included in here, it's repetitive in places. The mention of some studies could be left out and some more personal anecdotes would have worked better in their place. That's a super picky comment though. I'm truly surprised at how great this was and how fascinating and enlightening I found it.
July 26, 2023
Utterly entertaining whilst simultaneously extremely informative; this book is a memoir and a book of facts combined. Valentish' life story unravels the risks of a world where ALL of the things are only considered from a male perspective, while the fatally important female only -features are being ignored. I found myself gasping in horror by the new information but also laughing out loud to the engaging way Valentish writes. Special recommendation to the audiobook and reader Imogen Wilde; she vividly brought the book to life and kept me hooked from start to finish.
March 7, 2019
This was one of those books that I saw a reference to somewhere else, checked if we had it in the library, and borrowed on a whim to have a look at it in more detail. Cue not being able to read to focus on anything else I'm reading, and thinking about this book non stop when I wasn't reading it! Huge recommend to anyone who thinks about or has been affected by substance abuse. Valentish strikes an amazing line between personal memoir and deep critical dive into the research literature around treating substance abuse and how traditional treatment has consistently left women as an afterthought.
June 13, 2017
Most addiction memoirs are tedious but this book blew my mind. Well-researched, well-written, engaging, and realistic. Can't wait to see what else Jenny Valentish does!
December 20, 2025
I initially got this book from the library as some kind of academic ploy to impress my lecturers in my coursework (they had put it and some quotes from it in the first lecture).
Although it started that way, in the end I read this book purely because I wanted to. I found it extremely interesting. I like books like this that are educative but weaved around a personal story. If it’s purely just science and facts, in all honesty I would get bored.
The topic is obviously deeply necessary. It focuses on the complete different experiences of addiction women can have compared to men and how stereotypes and social expectations feed into this. The later chapters also talk about how this feeds into treatment plans and how as usual and in pretty much all contexts, it’s all geared to men. Surprise!!!
Anyway I have a lot of respect for the author. I love the way she told this story and included facts and professional opinions alongside her own experience. I especially liked her sense of humour. Like me, she has the tendency to refer to some of the worst moments of her life as “hilarious” and you know what sometimes it is.
Although it started that way, in the end I read this book purely because I wanted to. I found it extremely interesting. I like books like this that are educative but weaved around a personal story. If it’s purely just science and facts, in all honesty I would get bored.
The topic is obviously deeply necessary. It focuses on the complete different experiences of addiction women can have compared to men and how stereotypes and social expectations feed into this. The later chapters also talk about how this feeds into treatment plans and how as usual and in pretty much all contexts, it’s all geared to men. Surprise!!!
Anyway I have a lot of respect for the author. I love the way she told this story and included facts and professional opinions alongside her own experience. I especially liked her sense of humour. Like me, she has the tendency to refer to some of the worst moments of her life as “hilarious” and you know what sometimes it is.
June 7, 2024
very interesting insight into addiction and dependency through the lens of someone who had a variety of addictions. particularly enjoyed the chapters discussed how the tee-total doesn’t work, and how addictions can quickly replace each other.
May 12, 2020
Jenny Valentish has written a great book. It sits somewhere between a memoir and an examination of the evidence around substance use through the gendered lens of her own lived experience. The results are readable and engaging, with hypothesis backed up with expert commentary, statistics and evidence.
For the first two thirds of the book I could barely stop highlighting. My own experiences with family mirror those Valentish describes, including long car journeys “marked by the sucking of teeth, bursts of road rage and the odd hiss of ‘tedious’ or ‘bollocks’; a Mexican wave of low frustration tolerance between the two front seats.” Like Valentish, I was also kept on high alert as a kid, but also grew up with the impression that I was not “the most reliable witness”, because other narratives in my family point at overseas trips and never being hungry. Those positive things happened too, yet I constructed “an internal narrative around my beliefs” that set me as outside my family group; or as Valentish puts it “the pariah of the family”. The purpose of this narrative (for both Valentish and I) was to function as an “excuse to behave as I saw fit.”
Where my own experience diverged, was in not following the Alcoholics Anonymous model that Valentish explores in the latter third of the book, so as a consequence, I found this part of the book less compelling. It’s also written as a list rather than a narrative. That said, I have however completed 5615 levels of Cookie Jam (Candy Crush by another name) and independently arrived at the same conclusion as Valentish, that permission to deviate from abstinence reinforces it rather than troubles your desire to live (mostly) free from problematic substance use.
The big difference between this book and other addiction memoirs I have read, is the strong gender analysis. Drawing in experts like Professor Jane Ussher from Western Sydney University, and her work on women and madness, Valentish highlights the gendered nature of our addiction knowledge and programs. Why as women would we expect them to work, if, at their outset and design, they’re based upon male experience?
If you've never taken drugs this book might not speak to you, but for anyone who's stayed awake writing bad novels on speed, it's going to give you a good, long look in the mirror: “I’d give myself a day off speed after taking it because it had a tendency to keep me up until for in the morning, writing a terrible novel at the kitchen table.”
For the first two thirds of the book I could barely stop highlighting. My own experiences with family mirror those Valentish describes, including long car journeys “marked by the sucking of teeth, bursts of road rage and the odd hiss of ‘tedious’ or ‘bollocks’; a Mexican wave of low frustration tolerance between the two front seats.” Like Valentish, I was also kept on high alert as a kid, but also grew up with the impression that I was not “the most reliable witness”, because other narratives in my family point at overseas trips and never being hungry. Those positive things happened too, yet I constructed “an internal narrative around my beliefs” that set me as outside my family group; or as Valentish puts it “the pariah of the family”. The purpose of this narrative (for both Valentish and I) was to function as an “excuse to behave as I saw fit.”
Where my own experience diverged, was in not following the Alcoholics Anonymous model that Valentish explores in the latter third of the book, so as a consequence, I found this part of the book less compelling. It’s also written as a list rather than a narrative. That said, I have however completed 5615 levels of Cookie Jam (Candy Crush by another name) and independently arrived at the same conclusion as Valentish, that permission to deviate from abstinence reinforces it rather than troubles your desire to live (mostly) free from problematic substance use.
The big difference between this book and other addiction memoirs I have read, is the strong gender analysis. Drawing in experts like Professor Jane Ussher from Western Sydney University, and her work on women and madness, Valentish highlights the gendered nature of our addiction knowledge and programs. Why as women would we expect them to work, if, at their outset and design, they’re based upon male experience?
If you've never taken drugs this book might not speak to you, but for anyone who's stayed awake writing bad novels on speed, it's going to give you a good, long look in the mirror: “I’d give myself a day off speed after taking it because it had a tendency to keep me up until for in the morning, writing a terrible novel at the kitchen table.”
June 19, 2017
A neat balance of memoir and research, laying out the particular risks and systemic failings for women with substance use issues. Valentish is forthright about her own experiences, and does a good job of summarising a ridiculously complex field for a lay audience. There are inevitably times when things get simplified a bit, or one particular expert's point of view is given precedence, but this is such a hard topic to write well about and Valentish has done an admirable job.
Read
June 20, 2017Excellent book. Taught me so much about substance addiction, but also a lot about humanity and society. Valentish handles the memoir form with a kind of reckless ease that is very engaging. Perfect pepperings of self-deprecation without ever getting close to whiney. It's funny sometimes and upsetting other times. Not sure about the 'recommendations' for getting clean at the end, but probably because they're just not relevant to me. Definitely recommend reading this book.
May 10, 2017
The final essay in Leslie Jamison's The Empathy Exams was about women experiencing pain more acutely than men but, in general, receiving less pain medication and it lit a fire in me. This book is adding lots of fuel to that fire. Valentish beautifully weaves her own story of addiction and abuse with extensive research into the female experience of drugs and alcohol.
May 30, 2019
I have read a couple of drinking memoirs and this was definitely the best. Memoir combined with hard science with no trite theories or sense of ultimate redemption. For some complete sobriety is unrealistic and managing change, emotions and physical and mental health are more important. This book didn't make me want to give up drinking altogether but it did make me think about my social, cultural and historical relationship with alcohol and how I might view it in the future. Very rewarding read.
January 23, 2018
A highly effective blend of memoir and research into addiction and treatment with an urgent and sustained thesis: current services / scholarship are mostly still gender-blind or rather skewed to men, which frankly sucks. Valentish is clear eyed and compassionate and refreshingly no bullshit. I learnt a lot and even enjoyed it - ‘even’ because there are some hard truths and bracing stories in here about trauma, pain and mental illness. Her spiky humour was thus appreciated.
June 5, 2018
I wasn't a fan of the writing in this book. If felt very forced. I did feel for the author and think its amazing how far she has come on her journey, but it was hard for me to follow at some points.
June 8, 2018
Woman of Substances is a memoir-research hybrid. Valentish uses her own experience of drugs and alcohol to explore how women deal with addiction and treatment. There are two main threads in the book – firstly, Valentish examines how trauma and self-destructive behaviours – such as eating disorders and high-risk sex – complicate substance use for women.
There’s an illusion of power in being as sexually aggressive as men are allowed to be, but it can sometimes take a stupefying blood-alcohol level to override the misgivings.
Secondly, she exposes how the research into problematic substance use and the treatment of addictions has been focused on males, and the implications of that.
Valentish gives a clear and interesting analysis of research from a variety of disciplines (an additional reading list is included). I liked the science edge –
Drugs and alcohol are pain-killers. The pain that is felt might be emotional, but it’s still the anterior cingulate cortex – the area of the brain that responds to physical pain – that agitates the vagus nerve connecting the brain stem to the chest to the abdomen, manifesting distress as real pain in those regions.
Valentish looks at addiction from all angles, getting into the nitty-gritty of psychiatric disorders, genetics, the physiology of trauma, the role of hormones, and why women are pathologized more readily and more often than men.
Many of the addiction memoirs I’ve read don’t reference childhood trauma… But to flip that into reverse, it’s rare for a trauma story not to involve addiction. What I’m surprised to learn is that there’s a physiological component to trauma. Biologically, a girl who experiences it in early life will undergo significant changes in her body and brain. There’s a massive rise in the stress hormone cortisol, which triggers a whole chain of reactions. …Her biological systems are set at a sensitive threshold and she doesn’t have the usual biochemistry that lets her be resilient in the face of the next trauma and the next trauma.
She does all of this with reference to her own experiences which are honest (brutally so, at times), troubling but also relatable.
It was hard to go to bed, because – as any woman who has cut her own fringe and wound up with it getting shorter and shorter will understand – I would finish what was intended to be my last cigarette, but still have a few gulps of fortified wine left in the glass.
The strength of this book lies in the link between memoir and research – her emotion gives the science context.
My life should have been a Duran Duran video. Exotic climes, open-top Jeeps, gleaming hotel lobbies… Upon closer examination, though, it was all pubs and piss-stained raves and sitting on the toilet with my head in my hands… Quitting is one of those rare transition opportunities we sometimes have thrust upon us… A rip appears in our existence, and we can choose to leap through its flickering portal into an entirely new dimension. Or we can make do.
That said, it’s a tricky book to recommend – there might not be enough personal story in it to satisfy memoir-lovers. Equally, the personal reflections might irritate hard-core non-fiction fans. I love memoirs and I’m interested in the neuro-science behind addiction and recovery, so it hit the mark for me.
3.5/5 Insightful.
There’s an illusion of power in being as sexually aggressive as men are allowed to be, but it can sometimes take a stupefying blood-alcohol level to override the misgivings.
Secondly, she exposes how the research into problematic substance use and the treatment of addictions has been focused on males, and the implications of that.
Valentish gives a clear and interesting analysis of research from a variety of disciplines (an additional reading list is included). I liked the science edge –
Drugs and alcohol are pain-killers. The pain that is felt might be emotional, but it’s still the anterior cingulate cortex – the area of the brain that responds to physical pain – that agitates the vagus nerve connecting the brain stem to the chest to the abdomen, manifesting distress as real pain in those regions.
Valentish looks at addiction from all angles, getting into the nitty-gritty of psychiatric disorders, genetics, the physiology of trauma, the role of hormones, and why women are pathologized more readily and more often than men.
Many of the addiction memoirs I’ve read don’t reference childhood trauma… But to flip that into reverse, it’s rare for a trauma story not to involve addiction. What I’m surprised to learn is that there’s a physiological component to trauma. Biologically, a girl who experiences it in early life will undergo significant changes in her body and brain. There’s a massive rise in the stress hormone cortisol, which triggers a whole chain of reactions. …Her biological systems are set at a sensitive threshold and she doesn’t have the usual biochemistry that lets her be resilient in the face of the next trauma and the next trauma.
She does all of this with reference to her own experiences which are honest (brutally so, at times), troubling but also relatable.
It was hard to go to bed, because – as any woman who has cut her own fringe and wound up with it getting shorter and shorter will understand – I would finish what was intended to be my last cigarette, but still have a few gulps of fortified wine left in the glass.
The strength of this book lies in the link between memoir and research – her emotion gives the science context.
My life should have been a Duran Duran video. Exotic climes, open-top Jeeps, gleaming hotel lobbies… Upon closer examination, though, it was all pubs and piss-stained raves and sitting on the toilet with my head in my hands… Quitting is one of those rare transition opportunities we sometimes have thrust upon us… A rip appears in our existence, and we can choose to leap through its flickering portal into an entirely new dimension. Or we can make do.
That said, it’s a tricky book to recommend – there might not be enough personal story in it to satisfy memoir-lovers. Equally, the personal reflections might irritate hard-core non-fiction fans. I love memoirs and I’m interested in the neuro-science behind addiction and recovery, so it hit the mark for me.
3.5/5 Insightful.
January 9, 2020
Excellent combination of Valentish's memoir of addiction and non-fiction exploration of the social underpinnings of how women come to abuse substances, and how physiologically, medically, and socially women are discouraged from getting help.
Valentish does an exhaustive job of teasing out the complex strands of how girls and women come to use substances, and the intense interconnection to the patriarchy generally - self-medication from trauma, social anxiety, genetic predisposition to certain novelty seeking behaviors - and how we are geared toward particular narratives around this, slappers, flappers, party girls, ladettes, groupies. She illustrates these points with her own experiences. There is some fascinating content in this book, around the connection between anxiety and depression/eating disorders/ substance abuse, and how for many female addicts they are best considered as a confluence of the same compulsions and coping mechanisms, and attempts to treat one without considering the other is essentially playing whack-a-mole.
This book well illustrates how little the medical establishment knows about women, pharmacologically, in terms of drug interactions, and how much the recovery industry is geared around the needs and desires of men. The point Valentish makes about how AA meetings are based around sharing addiction narratives, and that for many, many female addicts their experiences of addiction is intimately entwined with with experiences of sexual abuse which is enormously triggering to the other survivors in the group is an excellent one, but this is the structure that exists for recovery. Further, women are prevented from seeking help by the risk of losing their children.
In all, an excellent and timely book, although as one would expect, there is some quite disturbing content. Recommended.
Valentish does an exhaustive job of teasing out the complex strands of how girls and women come to use substances, and the intense interconnection to the patriarchy generally - self-medication from trauma, social anxiety, genetic predisposition to certain novelty seeking behaviors - and how we are geared toward particular narratives around this, slappers, flappers, party girls, ladettes, groupies. She illustrates these points with her own experiences. There is some fascinating content in this book, around the connection between anxiety and depression/eating disorders/ substance abuse, and how for many female addicts they are best considered as a confluence of the same compulsions and coping mechanisms, and attempts to treat one without considering the other is essentially playing whack-a-mole.
This book well illustrates how little the medical establishment knows about women, pharmacologically, in terms of drug interactions, and how much the recovery industry is geared around the needs and desires of men. The point Valentish makes about how AA meetings are based around sharing addiction narratives, and that for many, many female addicts their experiences of addiction is intimately entwined with with experiences of sexual abuse which is enormously triggering to the other survivors in the group is an excellent one, but this is the structure that exists for recovery. Further, women are prevented from seeking help by the risk of losing their children.
In all, an excellent and timely book, although as one would expect, there is some quite disturbing content. Recommended.
January 20, 2018
I strongly recommend this book to anyone working with women who have a history of trauma, and/or substance misuse issues, or anyone who loves/loved someone going through that, or if you are that person yourself.
As the author points out, over 90% of women with substance misuse have a history of trauma, though a history of trauma does not automatically mean substance misuse - and Valentish discusses protective factors versus vulnerability factors in regards to that.
Valentish brilliantly weaves her own story of substance misuse and trauma through current and ongoing research, the (sexist and misogynistic) history of pathologising women with substance disorders and trauma, and evidence-based suggestions on how to improve services for women suffering addiction. She not only discusses women as those assigned female at birth, but Trans women too.
In addition to substance misuse, Valentish covers eating disorders, sex and sexuality (including why women's sexual desire often gets pathologised into "promiscuity"), mental illness and medication, and so much more. She weaves these threads together, showing the whole complex picture that makes that is 'women of substances' - a whole that has been sadly reduced for too long into an unhelpful moralistic argument. Moralistic judgments do not aid recovery and healing.
This book is by turns harrowing, funny, fascinating, and practical. Read it.
As the author points out, over 90% of women with substance misuse have a history of trauma, though a history of trauma does not automatically mean substance misuse - and Valentish discusses protective factors versus vulnerability factors in regards to that.
Valentish brilliantly weaves her own story of substance misuse and trauma through current and ongoing research, the (sexist and misogynistic) history of pathologising women with substance disorders and trauma, and evidence-based suggestions on how to improve services for women suffering addiction. She not only discusses women as those assigned female at birth, but Trans women too.
In addition to substance misuse, Valentish covers eating disorders, sex and sexuality (including why women's sexual desire often gets pathologised into "promiscuity"), mental illness and medication, and so much more. She weaves these threads together, showing the whole complex picture that makes that is 'women of substances' - a whole that has been sadly reduced for too long into an unhelpful moralistic argument. Moralistic judgments do not aid recovery and healing.
This book is by turns harrowing, funny, fascinating, and practical. Read it.
July 27, 2017
I'm going against the grain here with only giving this 3 stars. I have rounded up from 2.5.
By way of explanation. I work as a pharmacist and much of my professional life is spent working with people with drug addictions. I found the research and information in this book to be valuable to a lay person. I think it would be a good book for families and others interested in knowing what can happen from a physical, physiological and psychological stand point. This was good, solid and diverse information in easy to understand language.
My main concern with this book is that is does portray the addiction of someone who can have access to a range of healthcare solutions. Like the author, many addicts start their journey with self-medicating mental health care concerns. Unfortunately, the stigma of these mental health problems and the challenges of accessing healthcare solutions, result in a very different journey than the (on the surface) cool music journalist lifestyle shown here, especially for those in low socioeconomic communities.
This does not detract from the book, the story here is just as heartbreaking, but there is a light at the end of this tunnel and a redemption story at the end. If only all addicts had the switch to turn on this light!
By way of explanation. I work as a pharmacist and much of my professional life is spent working with people with drug addictions. I found the research and information in this book to be valuable to a lay person. I think it would be a good book for families and others interested in knowing what can happen from a physical, physiological and psychological stand point. This was good, solid and diverse information in easy to understand language.
My main concern with this book is that is does portray the addiction of someone who can have access to a range of healthcare solutions. Like the author, many addicts start their journey with self-medicating mental health care concerns. Unfortunately, the stigma of these mental health problems and the challenges of accessing healthcare solutions, result in a very different journey than the (on the surface) cool music journalist lifestyle shown here, especially for those in low socioeconomic communities.
This does not detract from the book, the story here is just as heartbreaking, but there is a light at the end of this tunnel and a redemption story at the end. If only all addicts had the switch to turn on this light!
November 13, 2021
I did not like this book at all. Yes, women have been short-changed in research and treatment. What is new? It just seemed like such a strange juxtaposition to me, to put scholarly research next to a tragic story of addiction. What bothered me most is the early sexual abuse seemed to give the author license to be completely without conscience and to lie, cheat, and steal, as well as use substances. She was a completely reprehensible human being but this is okay, in the context of the book because she is a victim of the system. I don't buy that. We always have choices and crappy circumstances do not give us the permission to be complete assholes to others. In spite of all of the problems she has with many substances, and porn and food, etc. she still comes to the completely illogical conclusion that NOW she can moderate alcohol. Alcohol is perhaps the most addictive substance of all of the substances, so this is just unlikely to happen. The one part of the story I felt was most compelling and the part which I wanted to hear more about she skipped over in a few sentences. I wanted to hear more about the adventures she had when she said yes to new experiences.
May 14, 2018
I received a copy of the ebook for "Woman of Substances" from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley!!!
I love books about alcoholism, addiction, and mental illness. I am a recovering alcoholic myself so I especially gravitate towards books on that subject written by women. This book is a little different than the typical memoir that a recovering alcoholic writes. This book DOES tell Jenny's story (her life, her addiction, her recovery, etc.) but that isn't what the meat of this book is in my opinion. This book goes into a lot of detail on issues that particularly women struggle with during the process of recovery and alcoholism. - issues that a lot of books like this don't go into such as hormonal issues that women addicts might go through. There are a lot of facts, statistics, etc. that are very interesting.
My favorite part was when she talked about her sobriety because she is very real about it. Sobriety isn't sunshine and rainbows and she was very honest in her portrayal. I especially loved how she went through every week her first year of sobriety and how she was feeling. I also had to laugh during the "a word from my sponsor" part because I could relate to that.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a lot of other books to look into, it gave me a lot of issues to look more into. I would recommend this to any woman who is struggling with addiction or has gone through it.
I love books about alcoholism, addiction, and mental illness. I am a recovering alcoholic myself so I especially gravitate towards books on that subject written by women. This book is a little different than the typical memoir that a recovering alcoholic writes. This book DOES tell Jenny's story (her life, her addiction, her recovery, etc.) but that isn't what the meat of this book is in my opinion. This book goes into a lot of detail on issues that particularly women struggle with during the process of recovery and alcoholism. - issues that a lot of books like this don't go into such as hormonal issues that women addicts might go through. There are a lot of facts, statistics, etc. that are very interesting.
My favorite part was when she talked about her sobriety because she is very real about it. Sobriety isn't sunshine and rainbows and she was very honest in her portrayal. I especially loved how she went through every week her first year of sobriety and how she was feeling. I also had to laugh during the "a word from my sponsor" part because I could relate to that.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a lot of other books to look into, it gave me a lot of issues to look more into. I would recommend this to any woman who is struggling with addiction or has gone through it.
May 21, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. I voluntary read and reviewed this book.
Earlier this year I read How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell and really loved it as both a humorous and more nuanced look at drug addiction. In this memoir, Jenny Valentish does much of the same in her interesting mix of biography, feminist analysis and scientific research. This book was so informative and original in its way of blending genres and facts through the lens of gender. Valentish describes the complications and judgments faced by female addicts and how difficult they are to overcome due to a lack of scientific legitimacy. I was shocked by some of the statistics in the book, specifically the sections on childhood and parental addiction. Overall, the book really continued my interest in reading on this subject and illuminated the particular issues of female addiction. Plus, the cover is great to boot.
Earlier this year I read How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell and really loved it as both a humorous and more nuanced look at drug addiction. In this memoir, Jenny Valentish does much of the same in her interesting mix of biography, feminist analysis and scientific research. This book was so informative and original in its way of blending genres and facts through the lens of gender. Valentish describes the complications and judgments faced by female addicts and how difficult they are to overcome due to a lack of scientific legitimacy. I was shocked by some of the statistics in the book, specifically the sections on childhood and parental addiction. Overall, the book really continued my interest in reading on this subject and illuminated the particular issues of female addiction. Plus, the cover is great to boot.
September 19, 2017
Fantastic. I first heard Jenny speak on the Conversations podcast and bought a copy when I found myself bookless at the airport. While it sags in a few points, as a complete story it not only chronicles Jenny's descent into substance abuse and the various risk factors that impact her (and countless other substance users), it's a really practical look at the factors that affect substance use in women. It's honest, helpful and very practical. Jenny has a great turn of phrase and never once comes off as the unwitting victim. She is strong, well-researched and an inspiration for anyone working in the AOD space, or functioning in the real world where these things are happening.
August 6, 2018
An impeccably researched investigation into addiction as it is experienced by and affects women. Her clear-eyed and common-sense approach was engaging and refreshing. My one criticism is that Valentish's material largely relates to middle and upper-middle class women: women who, though they may be suffering the psychological, social and physical ill-effects of substance dependence, retain enough agency (whether that be financially, educationally, geographically, or socially) to readily access help when ready. There are many women affected by substance use who do not have those advantages, and find their capacity to adequately or fully access care diminished as a result.
March 27, 2021
Wow. I’m making some major life changes at the moment, one of which is to moderate my drinking which has become a terrible ‘crutch’ during lockdown. At 42, I’ve been on this merry go round before but have struggled with all the ‘transformational’ American style memoirs and didn’t find the message of AA and general quit lit resonated. Although not in the position Jenny was in, a lot of the reasons for my behaviour and a lot of the explanation for how to move on resonated so strongly especially as it was focused on the experience of a woman growing up on the music scene in the early 90s. I will be reading this one again and I think it may just change my life. Thank you.
October 13, 2021
This is one of the more thoughtful and nuanced memoirs I've read about addiction. Confessional memoir tone mixes with a kind of playful self-help voice mixes with investigative journalism in the way that High Sobriety by Jill Stark did but with more layered interrogation of POWER and trauma. My favourite part of the piece is the chapter about her 52 first weeks of sobriety. Valentish's tormented long term relationship with The Void makes me feel really recognised- at one point she says the brain of a recently sober person is like Joffrey in Game of Thrones with his crossbow pointed at your guts, and you've just taken away his favourite toy
August 11, 2022
This story weaves the memoir aspects perfectly with the research elements to create a rich and insightful look into the effects of substances on women. The author doesn't try to paint themselves in an overly likeable way which I liked; you as a reader are allowed to see a real person's journey with substance use rather than that of an angel. I've read addiction stories before, but this story's female focus allowed it to bring light to aspects of addiction I had never thought about before. Overall, I really loved this book and the insights it offers about women journeying through substance abuse.
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November 8, 2020Really interesting and engaging blend of memoir, review of addiction research, and some opinion and advice. The particular, and really important, focus of this book is about women's experience of addiction, and how they are severely marginalized and overlooked in treatment and research, while suffering as much (and in many cases much worse), and in as large numbers, as men. As much as anything else, this is a fervent cri de coeur for women's experiences of addiction to be recognised and treated with the importance they deserve.
July 7, 2017
I'm quite comfortable with my own substance use, but this book was a confronting eye-opener all the same. A fascinating blend of research and memoir, Valentish doesn't hold back in dissecting the misogynistic structures underpinning addiction itself, and treatment in Australia. Had to take this one slow because it was pretty full-on at times, but gripping all the same. A few questionable metaphors throughout though.
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