Finishing Off the Bottle: A Memoir of Addiction and Self-Discovery

by Bruce Hidasch

For Bruce, alcohol was the solution to every problem. From stress and anxiety to real loss, booze was his magic elixir that made it all disappear. But the constant blackout nights brought with them even more trouble. Despite the perpetual cycle of drunken mistakes and continued escalation in drinking, he found new ways to rationalize his self-destructive behavior. Drinking was a part of who he was. And an existence without it seemed inconceivable.

He takes you through a life where nights with missing pieces of time were the norm. And how there was a haze that overshadowed everything, even his happiest memories. He shares how far he fell before finally willing to change. And the long road back in recovery that required him to completely shift his perceptive in order to remain sober. He also explains what he discovered about the many reasons he drank so much for so long. And how he was ultimately able to come out better on the other side.

This is a memoir about overcoming the grip alcohol can have on us. About learning to live life again after the bottle and facing the world with sober eyes. And finally discovering one’s true self. This is a story that will resonate with anyone who has struggled with addiction. And will give hope to those looking to change their lives for the better.

203 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 5, 2018

Reviews

[Elisabeth Brookshire]

Short and dull

The whole first 35% of this book is just reading about the author getting black out drunk with different people everyday who weren't really introduced to the reader. I can some this up: I blacked out today with my college roommate...I blacked out yesterday at a party, I blacked out again and did stupid things that are not disclosed to us, the readers. Boring, you can skip this as there are myriad better books on addiction. If you want I'll supply all the titles.

[Richard Croner]

The first 2/3 of the book is pretty repeticious but the author was laying the foundation for what I found to be "the meat of the book". His conclusions were good and I found them compelling. I learned some things and if the topic interests you I recommend reading.

[Laura]

I got bored easily reading this book. I swiped through many pages on my kindle half reading the same thoughts over and over.
I am happy that after years of black out drinking he found sobriety on his first attempt, but it was not very relatable to many who struggle with addiction. Somehow even through blackout .4 alcohol levels, he was able to almost earn a PhD, teach college classes, and not burn any bridges. This is not the case for many struggling with that level of alcoholism. Also, he always had money to buy the alcohol. The book honestly seemed a little pretentious.

[Stephanie]

An honest account of a recovering patient alcoholic

So much power and and bravely this man has. And to come out the other side of managing this terrible illness. I have I will thought there could of been more bullet points. I plus it would of been nice to know a bit more about his life no. I did he marry have children etc.

[Penny]

Unable to finish off Finishing Off. Turns out writing a blacking-out memoir is an oxymoron. How do you write about what you can't remember? Somebody wrote in a review that the last third of the book was better but I did not make it that far.

[J]

Good read

Goid read and like being in a speaker meeting. With the difficulty of inperson meetings, its great to read another person's story. Thank you I am forever grateful for your story, similarities are abundant

[Barbara]

Very Interesting true Story about Alcoholism.

I admire the Author for his Honesty throughout the Book.
His Many References to Meditation & How this helped him
Is noteworthy.
I thought this book very easy to read & highly recommend.

[Lorri Stanton]

Great read

I've read many memoirs of addiction and recovery and this book was amazing how he became who he really is and the hard work getting there but the mind is an amazing thing! Continued happiness Bruce!!

[Jessica]

Kind of boring

So much inner angst. It makes sense based on the topic of the book but listening to him almost whine about his anxiety and worries grew tedious. I’m happy he found a way off the sauce but as a reader it was just too many words and too much detail.

[Alicia A.]

Very good honest book about being an alcoholic and how AA is not for everyone. Insightful and refreshing.

[Rebecca]

Be proud what an achieve

Wow you certainly have been through so much academically you are amazing and now your amazing at life It self
And I wish you well x

[Vincent Malerba]

My review

I found this book to be a good read. I relayed it to many aspects of my journey with alcohol and it’s giving me hope and confidence in the future.

[Michael Graham]

Brutally honest and inspiring

This is a story many of us will relate to. Candid, insightful and useful. You are a great help to many who have a addiction problem

[Ando San]

Heavy On Commentary, Light on Insight

I appreciate the honesty in this account but it felt like journal commentary on past events without much insight beyond the occasional line.