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Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery
Erica C. Barnett had her first sip of alcohol when she was thirteen, and she quickly developed a taste for drinking to oblivion with her friends. In her late twenties, her addiction became inescapable. Volatile relationships, blackouts, and unsuccessful stints in detox defined her life, with the vodka bottles she hid throughout her apartment and offices acting as both her tormentors and closest friends.
By the time she was in her late thirties, Erica Barnett had run the gauntlet of alcoholism. She had recovered and relapsed time and again, but after each new program or detox center would find herself far from rehabilitated. "Rock bottom," Barnett writes, "is a lie." It is always possible, she learned, to go lower than your lowest point. She found that the terms other alcoholics used to describe the trajectory of their addiction--"rock bottom" and "moment of clarity"--and the mottos touted by Alcoholics Anonymous, such as "let go and let God" and "you're only as sick as your secrets"--didn't correspond to her experience and could actually be detrimental.
With remarkably brave and vulnerable writing, Barnett expands on her personal story to confront the dire state of addiction in America, the rise of alcoholism in American women in the last century, and the lack of rehabilitation options available to addicts. At a time when opioid addiction is a national epidemic and one in twelve Americans suffers from alcohol abuse disorder, Quitter is essential reading for our age and an ultimately hopeful story of Barnett's own hard-fought path to sobriety.
By the time she was in her late thirties, Erica Barnett had run the gauntlet of alcoholism. She had recovered and relapsed time and again, but after each new program or detox center would find herself far from rehabilitated. "Rock bottom," Barnett writes, "is a lie." It is always possible, she learned, to go lower than your lowest point. She found that the terms other alcoholics used to describe the trajectory of their addiction--"rock bottom" and "moment of clarity"--and the mottos touted by Alcoholics Anonymous, such as "let go and let God" and "you're only as sick as your secrets"--didn't correspond to her experience and could actually be detrimental.
With remarkably brave and vulnerable writing, Barnett expands on her personal story to confront the dire state of addiction in America, the rise of alcoholism in American women in the last century, and the lack of rehabilitation options available to addicts. At a time when opioid addiction is a national epidemic and one in twelve Americans suffers from alcohol abuse disorder, Quitter is essential reading for our age and an ultimately hopeful story of Barnett's own hard-fought path to sobriety.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
October 2, 2020
I saw myself.
October 16, 2020 will be 3 years of uninterrupted sobriety for me. It’s taken me 17 years of relapse after relapse to get here.
I’m grateful for Bill W. & Dr. Bob.
October 16, 2020 will be 3 years of uninterrupted sobriety for me. It’s taken me 17 years of relapse after relapse to get here.
I’m grateful for Bill W. & Dr. Bob.
March 27, 2021
Was really frustrated with this book, and the continuous poor choices of the author, and her pernicious denial. But that is really just because of my own issues.
I wonder who would benefit from this book. Alcoholics in recovery might see themselves, and remember how bad things used to be. People who are using might see themselves, and see how they keep screwing up their own lives, just like the author did, repeatedly.
Had difficulty getting past how many times this person drove while drunk. Again and again the author (who often tells us how smart she is) decides to rent a car and pick up a gallon of vodka. There's a scene where she wakes up, having passed out while driving, with no memory. She calls this driving 80 miles per hour in a blackout, but does not indicate how she knows how fast she was driving while in a blackout. Then, as is her habit, she perks up with warm vodka and gets back on the road.
Barnett scoffs at the AA notion that alcohol leads to "jail, institution, or death"— yet, it did put her in institutions and it is only because of a miracle that she did not kill herself or end up jailed for killing others while drunk driving.
The years of relapse, and the ensuing isolation, guilt, and shame, are heartbreaking and frustrating. The final chapter, giving advice on how treatment programs should be better organized, "evidence based" and more individualized, was completely ridiculous. After 300 pages of showing how treatment-resistant she was, how she lied to everyone including counsellors and therapists . . . suddenly she feels she is in a position to offer advice how treatment centres could do a better job serving clients, while ignoring her own testimony that addicts are clever determined manipulative liars.
Barnett resents to the bitter end the label "terminally unique" but, well, maybe sit with that a bit longer. Maybe listen to your sponsor. Maybe don't think you know more than everyone else. Barnett thinks treatment programs should give better advice against relapsing, but she ignored all the advice she actually was given (because surely those simple ordinary rules didn't apply to someone special like her).
One day, for some people, something kicks in and a user becomes a sober person in recovery. Yah!! What that moment is, and how to trigger it, and how to help people find it and hold onto it — remains a mystery. AA and treatment programs work for some people, some of the time ("It works if you work it"). For some people, nothing works. Some people are self-destructive, and take pride in that, like telling us what their blood alcohol level was while claiming to be still "functional". Denial takes many forms, and some people (sadly) don't live through their glorious egotistical self-destruction.
Sorry. Like I said, this book was triggering. It did give me lots to think about, even if it offers nothing more than a cautionary example.
I wonder who would benefit from this book. Alcoholics in recovery might see themselves, and remember how bad things used to be. People who are using might see themselves, and see how they keep screwing up their own lives, just like the author did, repeatedly.
Had difficulty getting past how many times this person drove while drunk. Again and again the author (who often tells us how smart she is) decides to rent a car and pick up a gallon of vodka. There's a scene where she wakes up, having passed out while driving, with no memory. She calls this driving 80 miles per hour in a blackout, but does not indicate how she knows how fast she was driving while in a blackout. Then, as is her habit, she perks up with warm vodka and gets back on the road.
Barnett scoffs at the AA notion that alcohol leads to "jail, institution, or death"— yet, it did put her in institutions and it is only because of a miracle that she did not kill herself or end up jailed for killing others while drunk driving.
The years of relapse, and the ensuing isolation, guilt, and shame, are heartbreaking and frustrating. The final chapter, giving advice on how treatment programs should be better organized, "evidence based" and more individualized, was completely ridiculous. After 300 pages of showing how treatment-resistant she was, how she lied to everyone including counsellors and therapists . . . suddenly she feels she is in a position to offer advice how treatment centres could do a better job serving clients, while ignoring her own testimony that addicts are clever determined manipulative liars.
Barnett resents to the bitter end the label "terminally unique" but, well, maybe sit with that a bit longer. Maybe listen to your sponsor. Maybe don't think you know more than everyone else. Barnett thinks treatment programs should give better advice against relapsing, but she ignored all the advice she actually was given (because surely those simple ordinary rules didn't apply to someone special like her).
One day, for some people, something kicks in and a user becomes a sober person in recovery. Yah!! What that moment is, and how to trigger it, and how to help people find it and hold onto it — remains a mystery. AA and treatment programs work for some people, some of the time ("It works if you work it"). For some people, nothing works. Some people are self-destructive, and take pride in that, like telling us what their blood alcohol level was while claiming to be still "functional". Denial takes many forms, and some people (sadly) don't live through their glorious egotistical self-destruction.
Sorry. Like I said, this book was triggering. It did give me lots to think about, even if it offers nothing more than a cautionary example.
July 20, 2020
It seems very appropriate that Sarah Hepola wrote such a glowing blurb about “Quitter.” I’ve read a lot of addiction memoirs and Sarah’s book “Blackout” was up until now the best one I’ve read. I don’t usually like to compare books, but “Quitter” is equally as good. The journey through active alcoholism, relapse, and recovery is a brutal, difficult, and demanding one, but one that can ultimately be redeeming. Erica Barnett provides a brilliant and intimate portrayal of her journey (particularly the devastation of repeated relapses) alongside insightful reporting on the addiction treatment business. Highly recommended.
April 4, 2021
An engrossing, shocking, well-written memoir that was almost impossible to put down. I've read a few memoirs written by addicts/alcoholics, but this was by far the scariest one. At her worst, the author, Erica Barnett, drank massive quantities of vodka and wine pretty much 24/7, regularly vomited, had blackouts, passed out in public places, and went through medical detox numerous times prior to finally getting sober. I am surprised she lived through it and didn't damage her brain irreparably. Her story demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human body, mind, and spirit; and I give her much credit for her honesty and willingness to share herself at her worst. Truly a remarkable read.
July 14, 2020
If you made the plot line of most recovery narratives generic you could exchange it with the plot line of a book about climbing Mt. Everest and not be able to tell the difference. Person finds huge obstacle in way, interesting and risky stories happen around huge obstacle, person surmounts huge obstacle, plants flag, gets chip, triumphs.
This plot line is more like a story of an amateur bowler - person charges towards goal again and again, sometimes winds up in gutter, sometimes hits a strike, generally has to start over and over until the right combination of equipment and energy make it stick. Most people who know people who have been through this process know that’s what’s most realistic yet there’s rarely any stories that reflect this - all of the cringey moments, the tough love, the real struggles of just trying to live day-to-day.
This book is both predictable and a page-turner; the author shows her most admirable and most shameful qualities; and the ideas she presents about recovery, gender, money, and family are worth thinking about.
This plot line is more like a story of an amateur bowler - person charges towards goal again and again, sometimes winds up in gutter, sometimes hits a strike, generally has to start over and over until the right combination of equipment and energy make it stick. Most people who know people who have been through this process know that’s what’s most realistic yet there’s rarely any stories that reflect this - all of the cringey moments, the tough love, the real struggles of just trying to live day-to-day.
This book is both predictable and a page-turner; the author shows her most admirable and most shameful qualities; and the ideas she presents about recovery, gender, money, and family are worth thinking about.
June 25, 2023
Fairly entertaining memoir written by insufferable asshole
January 7, 2021
The book is a very sad, tragic tale of a woman, (who grew up in Texas and is just two years older than I) and her life ruining struggle with alcoholism. It is very interesting and eye opening. I did not find her to be a very likeable person. She tells the story, seemingly being self-aware now, but the awful things she does, relationships she has, it felt to me that even before the late stage alcoholism, she could possibly have a mental disorder. Bi-polar, severe depression, schizophrenia, something to make her treat people so horrendously and to allow herself to be treated so terribly. At the end she goes on a very lengthy tirade about the problems with rehab, treatment facilities and detox places. I do not doubt for a second there a shady practices going on, desparately sick people in need of immediate care.
One issue I have is that she complains about the rehab not working the first time, but after her first stint in detox she goes on and on about how she can't stand AA. And she definitely does not work a program. It's not the problem of the detox facility or even the second or third place, that she didn't find a sponsor right away and work a program. The one facility wanted her to move into a sober living facility and get away from her apartment, but she refused. Living alone it was way easier to fall off the wagon and drink. In a sober house she would have been held more accountable. She got advice from multiple people who said go to AA...and toward the end her friend Josh told her right before she was fired that she wasn't taking rehab seriously. She refused, for years, to work the program. She did think she was too good to be fired or attend AA.
For someone who seems self-aware now....she is a total and complete narcissist. I can't believe she didn't get fired earlier. I also felt at the end she was still blaming James for firing her. But seriously, she passed out in the bathroom because she was drunk. Twice. They nearly called the cops because of her behavior. They had every right to fire her, and she needs to own that.
It is a good book, it's an interesting read. I feel her birth mom's abandonment is probably the root of many of her issues.
This book does bring up an interesting question, are all addicts narcissists or does being an alcoholic turn you into a narcissist?
One issue I have is that she complains about the rehab not working the first time, but after her first stint in detox she goes on and on about how she can't stand AA. And she definitely does not work a program. It's not the problem of the detox facility or even the second or third place, that she didn't find a sponsor right away and work a program. The one facility wanted her to move into a sober living facility and get away from her apartment, but she refused. Living alone it was way easier to fall off the wagon and drink. In a sober house she would have been held more accountable. She got advice from multiple people who said go to AA...and toward the end her friend Josh told her right before she was fired that she wasn't taking rehab seriously. She refused, for years, to work the program. She did think she was too good to be fired or attend AA.
For someone who seems self-aware now....she is a total and complete narcissist. I can't believe she didn't get fired earlier. I also felt at the end she was still blaming James for firing her. But seriously, she passed out in the bathroom because she was drunk. Twice. They nearly called the cops because of her behavior. They had every right to fire her, and she needs to own that.
It is a good book, it's an interesting read. I feel her birth mom's abandonment is probably the root of many of her issues.
This book does bring up an interesting question, are all addicts narcissists or does being an alcoholic turn you into a narcissist?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2020
I really loved this book! I'm younger than the author, but I worked in the same alt-weekly world she describes, and it was extremely recognizable territory, captured well. From being the only girl at a table of guys guzzling beers to the way alt-weekly culture enables and obscures addiction through its hedonist, no-rules culture, Erica C. Barnett describes this particular corner of publishing with such accuracy and observation that I was left with a tangible shock of recognition (and I LOVED my alt-weekly jobs). All too often, memoirs are softened and flattened by authors who let themselves off the hook, but Barnett never does. Instead, there's an honesty and self-awareness in her writing that I really connected with. A lot of memoirs are described as "brave." This one really is. I know Barnett's writing mainly from her reporting. I had no idea she could write something like *this* and it was a wonderful surprise.
June 12, 2025
I read this book immediately after Drinking: A Love Story. That book, by Caroline Knapp, is literary and winsome. She is an elegant and lovable drunk, although those who loved her suffered mightily, I’m sure.
Erica in this book was none of those things. Arrogant, argumentative, unlikable and really never sorry, everyone owed her. I kept wondering how she had the many friends she mentions time and again.
Certainly she was somewhat neglected as a kid, but she was bristly. And what high schooler has access to LSD FOR EVERY DAY OF HER JUNIOR YEAR? I figured brain damage.
But she continued the miserable road of all day drunkenness thinking she could get away with it, sitting around, not caring who she hurt, demanding answers to her satisfaction for everything, no matter how far-fetched.* Fulltime obnoxious.
She is shocked that she loses her job, is barred from a store for shoplifting. Reluctantly she goes to AA. Relapses. Goes inpatient. Relapses. On an on.
Never a kind word. No gratitude that she is not faking. In the last chapter she rails against AA and the rehab model. Things should be better for people like me!!
Narcissist? User? She’ll be back? This kind of talk hits particularly hard if you’re the sibling or the child of alcoholics. You’ve been through it so many times before, and hearing it again in such a snotty privileged tone brings it all back.
It struck me halfway through that she may well have been autistic with Pathological Demand Avoidance,* Narcissism and brain damage from LSD and the immense amount of alcohol she consumed over time.
Honestly, don’t waste your time. There are no laughs either.🥺
Erica in this book was none of those things. Arrogant, argumentative, unlikable and really never sorry, everyone owed her. I kept wondering how she had the many friends she mentions time and again.
Certainly she was somewhat neglected as a kid, but she was bristly. And what high schooler has access to LSD FOR EVERY DAY OF HER JUNIOR YEAR? I figured brain damage.
But she continued the miserable road of all day drunkenness thinking she could get away with it, sitting around, not caring who she hurt, demanding answers to her satisfaction for everything, no matter how far-fetched.* Fulltime obnoxious.
She is shocked that she loses her job, is barred from a store for shoplifting. Reluctantly she goes to AA. Relapses. Goes inpatient. Relapses. On an on.
Never a kind word. No gratitude that she is not faking. In the last chapter she rails against AA and the rehab model. Things should be better for people like me!!
Narcissist? User? She’ll be back? This kind of talk hits particularly hard if you’re the sibling or the child of alcoholics. You’ve been through it so many times before, and hearing it again in such a snotty privileged tone brings it all back.
It struck me halfway through that she may well have been autistic with Pathological Demand Avoidance,* Narcissism and brain damage from LSD and the immense amount of alcohol she consumed over time.
Honestly, don’t waste your time. There are no laughs either.🥺
April 3, 2023
I've read a lot of quit lit, this book I found to be a difficult read. By the end it had become so repetitious I wanted to give up. I guess it is an insight into the hopelessness that can be seen in alcoholism. I'm glad she got there in the end.
October 6, 2020
Fast and loose. Not particularly interesting as a human being. Did not care very much about her which is key to want to take the ride with her in recovery..
January 16, 2022
This book is sort of in the tradition of quit lit, which is the genre of books about quitting things; in this case, the author quit alcohol. The book is primarily about her experience of relapse in the process of recovery and in the process of trying to quit drinking. She wrote it when she tried to get sober but was repeatedly failing. This book touches on recovery, but it also talks about relapses. In reality, most people relapse at least once before they finally can quit or reduce their vice and move toward healing. The author shares how relapsing taught her to stop seeing herself as a failure.
This book provides introspection to anybody who struggles with addiction, whether it be alcoholism, gambling, bad relationships, sex, or even eating. The book offers valuable insight into the feelings behind the addiction and tools that can help us through the hard times. The author reminds us that if we fail, we just need to keep going back to the tools we know and have used in the past. It's not about falling down; it's about getting back up, forgiving ourselves, and moving forward, one step at a time.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/eri...
This book provides introspection to anybody who struggles with addiction, whether it be alcoholism, gambling, bad relationships, sex, or even eating. The book offers valuable insight into the feelings behind the addiction and tools that can help us through the hard times. The author reminds us that if we fail, we just need to keep going back to the tools we know and have used in the past. It's not about falling down; it's about getting back up, forgiving ourselves, and moving forward, one step at a time.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/eri...
September 13, 2025
WOW
I read this to supplement an addiction medicine course I’m taking—and I am so glad I did!
Incredible book stuffed with gripping stories of alcohol use disorder and the person who suffers behind it. Plus, the author is a well known journalist so the writing is phenomenal.
I crushed this book in less than 48 hours because it was so good AND I feel like I learned useful information about how to treat substance use disorders in the future. Win/win.
I read this to supplement an addiction medicine course I’m taking—and I am so glad I did!
Incredible book stuffed with gripping stories of alcohol use disorder and the person who suffers behind it. Plus, the author is a well known journalist so the writing is phenomenal.
I crushed this book in less than 48 hours because it was so good AND I feel like I learned useful information about how to treat substance use disorders in the future. Win/win.
February 13, 2021
This was a good read, albeit depressing because of the topic. Hard to "watch" someone spiral down and down and down. It was interesting to read this knowing of the author, a couple of her friends and PubliCola because of my work. And we're about the same age so there were some relatable pieces and some very un-relatable elements included. I'm glad I read it so that I can display greater empathy and compassion in the future for any friends struggling with addiction.
March 29, 2020
When is enough enough? Despite the claim of many experts that AA is the one thing that works why does the author continue to drink. throughout this book? I read with angst for the author's life as she continued to drink despite innumerable times in rehab, the ER for detox, AA meetings and sessions with a, therapist.. I was stunned that she would continue to make the decision to drink while her world fell apart around her. I was hopeful at each of her attempts to become sober. I was amazed at the friends that stuck with her through her lies.
I have read many books by alcoholics talking abut their recovery, this one stands out !! The author brought me into the story with her and had me believing everything she told herself about her drinking and attempts at recovery. I learned a lot about addiction and recovery through Erica Barnett's life story.
I highly recommend this book for anyone dealing with alcohol addiction - the alcoholic and those in his/her life. In fact, I believe this book also has something to offer those suffering with other addictions as well.
#Quitter #NetGalley
I have read many books by alcoholics talking abut their recovery, this one stands out !! The author brought me into the story with her and had me believing everything she told herself about her drinking and attempts at recovery. I learned a lot about addiction and recovery through Erica Barnett's life story.
I highly recommend this book for anyone dealing with alcohol addiction - the alcoholic and those in his/her life. In fact, I believe this book also has something to offer those suffering with other addictions as well.
#Quitter #NetGalley
February 29, 2024
Meh. Had its moments. I found myself wishing she would leave her militant feminism out of it, but she didn't and the book was poorer for it. Could have been good. Sad.
July 26, 2021
As a recovering alcoholic I am always eager to read recovery stories. This one is a doozy. Erica Barnett, suffering from chronic alcoholism, “quit” drinking so many times, had so many harrowing, horrifying experiences when she was drunk, that I was astounded she didn’t die. But eventually she did manage to put down the bottle and her honest, painful, memoir will prove helpful to those trying to escape addiction. What I found particularly interesting is her somewhat brutal assessment of treatment facilities, pointing out that the one size fits all is more about making money than really equipping a person with the skills to achieve success. Barnett’s journey, with its many fits and starts, is a brave and hopeful one.
August 3, 2021
Brutal. Brutally honest and thoroughly disturbing. This writer documents blackouts with such...nerve. I couldn't stop watching the train wreck of her life unfold, feeling like I was peering into the mind of those I love who carry similar obligations to their drinking habits. I'm trying over and over again to quit and this, like all quality quit lit, convinces and reminds me how brutally hard the struggle against addiction remains. One star removed because her lack of adherence to linear time was slightly annoying at times.
January 15, 2024
Picked this book up as a sober January read and found myself in awe of Barnett’s battle. I appreciated her raw and open approach with a journalistic spin, taking us through her life experiences with alcohol slipping its way in to her life again and again.
In particular, the ending of her memoir left me contemplating our nations approach to addiction and stressing the need for qualified professionals to assist with treatment planning and programming. Addiction truly is a disease and I would love to see how we could better support those that frequently find themselves battling, relapsing, and continuing to overcome it. Thank you Erica for allowing us to hear your journey.
In particular, the ending of her memoir left me contemplating our nations approach to addiction and stressing the need for qualified professionals to assist with treatment planning and programming. Addiction truly is a disease and I would love to see how we could better support those that frequently find themselves battling, relapsing, and continuing to overcome it. Thank you Erica for allowing us to hear your journey.
January 16, 2021
A really great memoir digging into one addicts long fight with alcoholism, having dealt with both friends and family who have dealt with addiction this can be very frustrating to read from the standpoint of wanting Erica to succeed and beat her addiction, but at the same time does such a great job diving into the everyday issues addicts face and the decisions they make that fuel their addiction. It really opened my eyes to the internal struggle both mental and physical they go through and just how easy it is to relapse and that relapse is just a step in recovery for the vast majority of addicts. Erica is a very talented writer and the book does a very good job of mixing her story with the issues and her thoughts on addiction
March 4, 2021
I couldn’t put this one down. The writing was excellent, the author’s voice was clear (and often darkly funny) and she was painfully honest about the mistakes she made, the people she hurt, and the many humiliations she experienced because of her drinking. I felt like she sped through the end.. I would have liked a little more details about her current life. Like we know she’s sober and much happier but I wanted to know more about the contours of her daily life at the end.
March 24, 2021
I'm a fan of the recovery memoir, and I have my favorites. This one, however, is a little different. Ms. Barnett doesn't sugarcoat the recovery experience and is pretty open and insightful about the difficulties most addicts and alcoholics struggle with in recovery. I think her journalism background lends a lot to this book, as she always seems to go to the source. No fact-checking needed.
I'd like to see a essay comparing recovery memoirs written by journalists with recovery memoirs written by novelists and poets.
I'd like to see a essay comparing recovery memoirs written by journalists with recovery memoirs written by novelists and poets.
October 21, 2024
I think this book is helpful in understanding the complexities and nuances around alcoholism, particularly how much relapse is (almost always) a part of recovery. It was hard to stomach at times - deeply frustrating but also deeply relatable for having a loved one deep in the throes of alcoholism. I could only read when I was in the right headspace. But recommend if you’re trying to understand and maybe even empathize with an alcoholic in your life.
January 6, 2026
this is a good but tough memoir. the writer makes you feel her sensations of being caged and the repetitiveness of the pattern of the alcohol abuse. the author adds interesting notes about abuse of alcohol, and though provoking reflections on the care system. I would have liked to know something more about her therapy and how she recovered.
July 20, 2020
Beautifully written, incredibly candid and brave, Barnett was no-holds-barred on the long road of her alcoholism and sobriety. In a wider scale, though, a discussion on addiction, and its partner obsession, and the difficulty of just being. Amazing on all fronts.
April 16, 2021
This book was heartbreaking, eye opening, and so very well written. I’ve read a ton of addiction memoirs and none have gripped me like this one.
December 28, 2021
There is nothing I love more than a good addiction book.
June 19, 2025
3.5 stars. Very slow start
July 16, 2020
I read a lot of memoirs on addiction and recovery, but very few have been so detailed on what it feels like to relapse. In most memoirs, it seems the addict gets recovery and never looks back. This book gives hope to addicts who "don't get it" the first time. It has been said that relapse is a part of recovery and through this book, you can see that recovery is possible, even if its your 10th detox.
I really appreciated how the author does not shy away from being as honest as she can be in this book. Some of it is simply soul destroying, but she owned up to it and I think it gave this memoir a true and honest look at the overall picture of what an addict looks like.
To be honest, I did not really like this person as a drunk. That's okay, because she did not like herself much either.
Her "studious" take on being perfect in detox, especially with the thousand questions and note taking got on my nerves, to be honest. She sounded so arrogant, despite being surrounded by people exactly like her. At that point in her story, I actively started disliking her, but still, she kept to her truth by sharing her experiences ALL of them and for that, I really did appreciate this book.
To say a book on addiction is wonderful would be wrong, but it was honest and engaging.
I really appreciated how the author does not shy away from being as honest as she can be in this book. Some of it is simply soul destroying, but she owned up to it and I think it gave this memoir a true and honest look at the overall picture of what an addict looks like.
To be honest, I did not really like this person as a drunk. That's okay, because she did not like herself much either.
Her "studious" take on being perfect in detox, especially with the thousand questions and note taking got on my nerves, to be honest. She sounded so arrogant, despite being surrounded by people exactly like her. At that point in her story, I actively started disliking her, but still, she kept to her truth by sharing her experiences ALL of them and for that, I really did appreciate this book.
To say a book on addiction is wonderful would be wrong, but it was honest and engaging.
August 8, 2020
I haven’t read too many memoirs about the pain of addiction but I’ve read many memoirs. Erica C. Barnett’s Quitter is raw and unapologetic, she has clearly made the decision to invite readers in to the disabling and dark world she lived in for years. I appreciate her honesty and bravery. This couldn’t have been easy to write and her struggle with relapse and nearly killing herself with alcohol are a challenge to read at times but Barnett is giving testimony and I am here for it. I learned about the rehab system and cycle, about AA, about detox, and the ways the system fails so many. My empathy for anyone struggling with addiction grew by leaps and I recommend this book especially for those whose loved ones are fighting substance abuse. It’s not as easy as “quitting” and getting well. Alcoholics have difficult roads ahead and Barnett explores many of them. I wish at times she had gone even a little deeper into her feelings in addition to her physical low points but got a lot from this memoir.
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