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Push Off from Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety
From the bestselling author of We Are the Luckiest and founder of the international recovery community The Luckiest Club comes a modern exploration of addiction that offers nine foundational building blocks that anyone at any stage of sobriety can use.
“I wish I had it when I first got sober, but I’m glad I have it now.”—Anne Lamott
No matter how far astray you’ve gone or how many times you’ve tried and failed before, as long as you’re still sitting here, breathing, and reading these words, freedom and joy are still possible.
When Laura McKowen was two years sober, she received an email from a woman whose sister was struggling with alcohol addiction. McKowen had barely climbed out from the dark place the woman’s sister was in, but she made a list of the things she most needed to hear when she was deep in her own battle.
1. It is not your fault.
2. It is your responsibility.
3. It is unfair that this is your thing.
4. This is your thing.
5. This will never stop being your thing until you face it.
6. You cannot do it alone.
7. Only you can do it.
8. You are loved.
9. We will never stop reminding you of these things.
In Push Off from Here, McKowen delves deeply into each of her nine what they mean, how they work, and how every person can live them. She addresses topics such as the correlation between trauma and addiction, the importance of radical honesty, letting go of the illusion of control, the value of community, a reminder that healing is a continual process, and that the process is a gift. Whether you’re just starting out or have been sober for decades, McKowen instructs us to be kind to Change is messy and progress is rarely linear, but we can always push off from here.
The stories and advice McKowen shares are specific to alcohol addiction, but the tenets are universal in their application and useful no matter what challenge you face. With profound honesty and boundless compassion, Push Off from Here provides an actionable framework for healing what pains us and proves that a life of sobriety can be synonymous with a life of magic, peace, and freedom.
“I wish I had it when I first got sober, but I’m glad I have it now.”—Anne Lamott
No matter how far astray you’ve gone or how many times you’ve tried and failed before, as long as you’re still sitting here, breathing, and reading these words, freedom and joy are still possible.
When Laura McKowen was two years sober, she received an email from a woman whose sister was struggling with alcohol addiction. McKowen had barely climbed out from the dark place the woman’s sister was in, but she made a list of the things she most needed to hear when she was deep in her own battle.
1. It is not your fault.
2. It is your responsibility.
3. It is unfair that this is your thing.
4. This is your thing.
5. This will never stop being your thing until you face it.
6. You cannot do it alone.
7. Only you can do it.
8. You are loved.
9. We will never stop reminding you of these things.
In Push Off from Here, McKowen delves deeply into each of her nine what they mean, how they work, and how every person can live them. She addresses topics such as the correlation between trauma and addiction, the importance of radical honesty, letting go of the illusion of control, the value of community, a reminder that healing is a continual process, and that the process is a gift. Whether you’re just starting out or have been sober for decades, McKowen instructs us to be kind to Change is messy and progress is rarely linear, but we can always push off from here.
The stories and advice McKowen shares are specific to alcohol addiction, but the tenets are universal in their application and useful no matter what challenge you face. With profound honesty and boundless compassion, Push Off from Here provides an actionable framework for healing what pains us and proves that a life of sobriety can be synonymous with a life of magic, peace, and freedom.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2023
307 people are currently reading
4196 people want to read
About the author
Laura McKowen
2 books474 followersLaura McKowen is the author of the bestselling memoir, We Are The Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life and Push Off From Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety and Everything Else. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, WebMD, the TODAY show, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
February 17, 2023
I love her, I do.
May 11, 2023
I listened to the audio version of this book and I wish I had my own physical copy so I could do a better job of reflecting! Officially 2 months sober as of May 6th :]
July 21, 2023
“You deserve to heal. And it’s going to take time. You need to do whatever you need to do to give yourself that chance.”
Outside of recovery circles (and even sometimes in them) people who fall into addiction aren’t given permission to grieve. They’re supposed to overcome, repent, fix, get their shit together—and to do it quietly, somewhere else, without inconveniencing everyone else. While I’m not denying the pain and trauma that ripple through the lives of the addicted, nor the responsibility to face and heal what we can, the idea that there’s no real loss for us when we give up drinking, that we’re not entitled to grieve because we’ve brought this upon ourselves, these are destructive, insidious lies. It’s yet another face of the corrosive shame that keeps us bound and tortured in the cycle of addiction.
Life doesn’t suck without alcohol. Life is life whether we’re drinking or not. It’s just that when we drink, we miss all it can be.
The mental load required to plan, monitor, adjust, control, and otherwise manage the proper or “ideal” amount of alcohol intake is exhausting to even imagine. I searched for that elusive third door for years, and I believe I would have died trying. In the end, it was far more peaceful to accept it wasn’t there. More critically, though, what I’ve gained from sobriety completely eclipses any loss. To think I would forsake all the gifts that have come from giving up alcohol so that I could find a way to fit a few ounces of liquid into my body each week is laughable. I can’t prove that moderation was scientifically impossible for me, but my inner knowing is crystal clear: I would never have touched a fraction of my own possibility if alcohol was still in my life. As Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue says, “The normal way never leads home.”
I’ve had far more fun in sobriety than I ever had drinking, but it required submitting myself to a period of uncertainty, change, and loneliness. In that space, new people came in. All of them mirrors.
And so I’m able to contribute more healing to the world than destruction, even if some days that takes place only in the confines of my own mind. That’s what this is all for, in the end, you know? A little less destruction each day. A little more light.
Outside of recovery circles (and even sometimes in them) people who fall into addiction aren’t given permission to grieve. They’re supposed to overcome, repent, fix, get their shit together—and to do it quietly, somewhere else, without inconveniencing everyone else. While I’m not denying the pain and trauma that ripple through the lives of the addicted, nor the responsibility to face and heal what we can, the idea that there’s no real loss for us when we give up drinking, that we’re not entitled to grieve because we’ve brought this upon ourselves, these are destructive, insidious lies. It’s yet another face of the corrosive shame that keeps us bound and tortured in the cycle of addiction.
Life doesn’t suck without alcohol. Life is life whether we’re drinking or not. It’s just that when we drink, we miss all it can be.
The mental load required to plan, monitor, adjust, control, and otherwise manage the proper or “ideal” amount of alcohol intake is exhausting to even imagine. I searched for that elusive third door for years, and I believe I would have died trying. In the end, it was far more peaceful to accept it wasn’t there. More critically, though, what I’ve gained from sobriety completely eclipses any loss. To think I would forsake all the gifts that have come from giving up alcohol so that I could find a way to fit a few ounces of liquid into my body each week is laughable. I can’t prove that moderation was scientifically impossible for me, but my inner knowing is crystal clear: I would never have touched a fraction of my own possibility if alcohol was still in my life. As Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue says, “The normal way never leads home.”
I’ve had far more fun in sobriety than I ever had drinking, but it required submitting myself to a period of uncertainty, change, and loneliness. In that space, new people came in. All of them mirrors.
And so I’m able to contribute more healing to the world than destruction, even if some days that takes place only in the confines of my own mind. That’s what this is all for, in the end, you know? A little less destruction each day. A little more light.
January 28, 2023
I have been sober for 26 years and counting and I don't read much "quit lit". However I read Laura's first book We Are The Luckiest and this is a fantastic extension (not exactly a follow-up, per se) of it!
I appreciate how deeply Laura fleshes out the 9 Things from We Are The Luckiest. She delivers these essential truths with her dearth of experience in sobriety, the research provided to amplify the concepts for each one, and the stories of real-life sober people. I found the questions that accompanied the chapters were helpful in inviting the reader to explore what their own experience may be.
Furthermore, as someone in long term sobriety, I found her writing and the tools she provided gave me an insertion point from where I am in my life today. While her book touts this, I was still surprised when her questions and tools helped me navigate a specific fear I've grappled with that has nothing to do with drinking! It's also easy to see the value in how it will help many others who are in early sobriety or sober curious or struggling with issues other than alcohol or substances.
It normally takes me awhile to read through nonfiction or self-help books, but I finished Laura's book in just under 4 days! She has a way of presenting the information, tools and questions that is easily read, and, most importantly, digestible! This is going to be an important book for the sober community.
I appreciate how deeply Laura fleshes out the 9 Things from We Are The Luckiest. She delivers these essential truths with her dearth of experience in sobriety, the research provided to amplify the concepts for each one, and the stories of real-life sober people. I found the questions that accompanied the chapters were helpful in inviting the reader to explore what their own experience may be.
Furthermore, as someone in long term sobriety, I found her writing and the tools she provided gave me an insertion point from where I am in my life today. While her book touts this, I was still surprised when her questions and tools helped me navigate a specific fear I've grappled with that has nothing to do with drinking! It's also easy to see the value in how it will help many others who are in early sobriety or sober curious or struggling with issues other than alcohol or substances.
It normally takes me awhile to read through nonfiction or self-help books, but I finished Laura's book in just under 4 days! She has a way of presenting the information, tools and questions that is easily read, and, most importantly, digestible! This is going to be an important book for the sober community.
March 16, 2023
“Alcohol gives a false sense of belonging. Only in sobriety can I truly feel like I belong with others and myself.” Read this book, it’s amazing.
December 8, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of McKowen's latest book! I found it to be very helpful. I read her previous book We Are the Luckiest shortly after I stopped drinking five years ago and was so pleased to see Push Off from Here. I enjoy the way she writes and this book is broken down into personal stories, stories of people she knows and then how to implement the tools and tips she has compiled over the years.
I don't struggle with refraining from alcohol now but the advice was useful for my tendencies to over eat and spend! There are prompts at the end of the chapters to get you writing and thinking about situations and more!
This book would be a great gift for people close to ones with addictive behaviors as well as the people coping with their diseases.
I don't struggle with refraining from alcohol now but the advice was useful for my tendencies to over eat and spend! There are prompts at the end of the chapters to get you writing and thinking about situations and more!
This book would be a great gift for people close to ones with addictive behaviors as well as the people coping with their diseases.
January 26, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC :) I was so excited to get this because it outlines the framework for the community I’m part of. Honored to give Laura one of her first reviews. if you’re thinking about entering your Sober Era look out for this one!
November 18, 2024
Liked this much better than her memoir.
“My path to getting sober was a scraggly, messy, off-the-page kind of process. Less like a line graph and more like a nest of hair drawn by a toddler. Lots of stops and starts. Lots of believing I had it handled and then drinking again. Lots of wanting to be sober but also wanting to drink.”
“after years and years of painstaking work to moderate my drinking that resulted in failure after failure (for me and so many others), I simply can’t conceive of a case where moderation is preferable to abstinence. The mental load required to plan, monitor, adjust, control, and otherwise manage the proper or “ideal” amount of alcohol intake is exhausting to even imagine. I searched for that elusive third door for years, and I believe I would have died trying. In the end, it was far more peaceful to accept it wasn’t there.”
“the way alcohol is socially accepted and celebrated is a form of gaslighting. It leads us to believe that when someone struggles to control their alcohol use, it is a failure of the individual, rather than the natural result of ingesting a highly addictive substance.”
“My path to getting sober was a scraggly, messy, off-the-page kind of process. Less like a line graph and more like a nest of hair drawn by a toddler. Lots of stops and starts. Lots of believing I had it handled and then drinking again. Lots of wanting to be sober but also wanting to drink.”
“after years and years of painstaking work to moderate my drinking that resulted in failure after failure (for me and so many others), I simply can’t conceive of a case where moderation is preferable to abstinence. The mental load required to plan, monitor, adjust, control, and otherwise manage the proper or “ideal” amount of alcohol intake is exhausting to even imagine. I searched for that elusive third door for years, and I believe I would have died trying. In the end, it was far more peaceful to accept it wasn’t there.”
“the way alcohol is socially accepted and celebrated is a form of gaslighting. It leads us to believe that when someone struggles to control their alcohol use, it is a failure of the individual, rather than the natural result of ingesting a highly addictive substance.”
January 24, 2024
I read this book because I am sober curious. It’s a fantastic read, regardless of your relationship with sobriety. Laura suggests that everyone has a “hurt” and everyone has a “thing”; the thing is what you use to cope with the hurt. For her, it is alcohol, but it’s different for everyone. Whatever your “thing”, these nine truths are applicable:
1) It is not your fault
2) It is your responsibility
3) It is unfair that this is your thing
4) This is your thing
5) This will never stop being your thing until you face it
6) You cannot face it alone
7) Only you can face it
8) I love you
9) I will never stop reminding you of these truths
1) It is not your fault
2) It is your responsibility
3) It is unfair that this is your thing
4) This is your thing
5) This will never stop being your thing until you face it
6) You cannot face it alone
7) Only you can face it
8) I love you
9) I will never stop reminding you of these truths
September 27, 2024
This book was so helpful and brings both clarity and support on how and why to live sober. Alcohol Explained by William Porter is also an excellent book to add more information about the science of drinking alcohol, its effects, and the development of addiction. He gives practical information on how to stop and how to break the cycle of craving. Also recommend Stop Drinking Now by Allen Carr, which gives insight into how to stop drinking without misery and provides an alternative to the willpower approach.
April 25, 2023
Granted this is the first “quit lit” book I’ve read but I was impressed and encouraged. This book is focused on sobriety but applies well to trauma and any other very difficult thing a person may be going through. It has a distinctly feminine voice.
April 7, 2023
Not sure when she became such an AA believer. Her first book helped change my life.
This one is a huge disappointment.
She also quoted the wonderful Holly Whittaker with no credit.
This one is a huge disappointment.
She also quoted the wonderful Holly Whittaker with no credit.
October 30, 2023
More than just “quit lit”. Inspiring and so so very current. Must read for for anyone struggling with any THING.
June 6, 2024
You know how some authors writing just resonates with your soul, I feel that way with Laura McKowen. Her raw honesty and writing style is impactful and real. I loved her first book We Are The Luckiest, and I knew I would love this one too.
Laura knows how to write directly to your heart. I believe most people struggle or have struggled with addiction(s) of some sort and the guidance in this book is helpful for everyone. I enjoyed the questions that can be used as journal prompts or just for self reflection. Push Off From Here is an amazing and impactful book and life guide.
“Other people can help you, love you, support you, shock you with their generosity and willingness; the timing can be exactly right and the circumstances aligned, but nothing and no one can make you take responsibility for your life. No one can say the final no but you.”
“It was a sliding doors moment-I could feel both what was possible and what I stood to lose. It broke my heart and lit it up at the same time.”
I highlight recommend this book for anyone and everyone.
Thank you to Laura McKowen and GoodReads for the gifted copy, I cherish it.
Laura knows how to write directly to your heart. I believe most people struggle or have struggled with addiction(s) of some sort and the guidance in this book is helpful for everyone. I enjoyed the questions that can be used as journal prompts or just for self reflection. Push Off From Here is an amazing and impactful book and life guide.
“Other people can help you, love you, support you, shock you with their generosity and willingness; the timing can be exactly right and the circumstances aligned, but nothing and no one can make you take responsibility for your life. No one can say the final no but you.”
“It was a sliding doors moment-I could feel both what was possible and what I stood to lose. It broke my heart and lit it up at the same time.”
I highlight recommend this book for anyone and everyone.
Thank you to Laura McKowen and GoodReads for the gifted copy, I cherish it.
July 24, 2025
I quit, so now I am reading the lit. This book was full of good information for those in early sobriety. Here is one good takeaway:
1. It is not your fault.
2. It is your responsibility.
3. It is unfair that this is your thing.
4. This is your thing.
5. This will never stop being your thing until you face it.
6. You cannot do it alone.
7. Only you can do it.
1. It is not your fault.
2. It is your responsibility.
3. It is unfair that this is your thing.
4. This is your thing.
5. This will never stop being your thing until you face it.
6. You cannot do it alone.
7. Only you can do it.
April 4, 2023
Worth the read, but not as great as her first book.
July 7, 2023
Lifechanging. Listened to it, then bought a paper copy so I can highlight it and share bits with other people.
July 14, 2023
Unbelievably good. Laura's words are powerful and soft and pure wisdom, and her sobriety design is needed now more than ever. I'm grateful for this book, her efforts in the sober community, and to get to be part of this movement 🙌
August 27, 2023
Laura McKowen never fails to hit me straight in the feels. What an incredibly talented writer with (always) such a beautiful message.
January 31, 2024
Some of the better “quit lit” I’ve read. Applicable in many ways beyond addiction.
March 24, 2023
Good but prefer her first book best. Plenty of quotable material here - I’m left with many underlines and turned-down corners but the organization was a little frustrating. Also felt like more attention was paid to certain chapters than others. Maybe on purpose? Some stories and lessons seemed to belong in a different chapter than where they were placed. I realize my perspective may be skewed since I am not the ideal or intended audience. I’m the end, I enjoy her writing.
March 14, 2023
I honestly don't even know if my review is needed because I can't imagine that anyone that reads this book would have anything negative to say. Laura McKowen is such a powerhouse in the recovery field. At least in my opinion. Push Off From Here is a fantastic follow-up to her original book, We Are The Luckiest. In Push Off From Here, she continues to tell her addicition and recovery stories and also includes the stories from others. The difference in this book is that she provides a sort of action plan. She breaks it down more, includes resources and in a sense, forces self-reflection (something those in early-recovery may be trying to avoid). Many recovery books explain what recovery looks like...but doesn't always go in-depth on how to get there. This book gives advice and suggestions because quite frankly, those faced with addiciton often have no idea where to start.
Another important note about this book and about this author in general is that she does such a wonderful job of being honest about what she actually felt like in her worst moments. Her ability to describe the pain and shame allow the reader to literally stop and say "Yes! That is exacly it!" She gives words to feelings and thoughts that many don't want to acknowlege and the reader is left realizing that they aren't so abnormal or awful. This specific point is what makes her work so valuable and necessary. Often addicition is associated with shame and secrecy - something we shouldn't talk about. But hearing her describe what is actually probably what the reader is feeling is monumental.
I think this book is so well-written and can appeal to anyone either questioning their addiciton or in recovery. I do think it would be helpful to read her first book beforehand if you are in the stage where you are questioning if you have an addiiction problem. I found this book to be more useful if you already are aware or are getting more serious about working towards sobriety.
Another important note about this book and about this author in general is that she does such a wonderful job of being honest about what she actually felt like in her worst moments. Her ability to describe the pain and shame allow the reader to literally stop and say "Yes! That is exacly it!" She gives words to feelings and thoughts that many don't want to acknowlege and the reader is left realizing that they aren't so abnormal or awful. This specific point is what makes her work so valuable and necessary. Often addicition is associated with shame and secrecy - something we shouldn't talk about. But hearing her describe what is actually probably what the reader is feeling is monumental.
I think this book is so well-written and can appeal to anyone either questioning their addiciton or in recovery. I do think it would be helpful to read her first book beforehand if you are in the stage where you are questioning if you have an addiiction problem. I found this book to be more useful if you already are aware or are getting more serious about working towards sobriety.
March 5, 2023
I stopped drinking alcohol over 3 years ago, at the beginning of 2020. I’ve never considered myself an “alcoholic,” but started to recognize that I didn’t like the way alcohol was making me feel, and decided to stop. My favorite “Quit Lit” is mentioned in this book - “Quit Like a Woman” by Holly Whitaker. It was the perfect book for me that arrived at the perfect time in my life.
“Push Off From Here” is a well-written book that I know will resonate with many people, but for me it’s just not the perfect book at the perfect time. It definitely had some messages that I connected with, but overall it didn’t have that “click” of perfection for me. It feels like a book that is more for those who are trying to get sober than for those who are further along in their journeys.
I will confidently recommend it to people for whom I think it is a good fit. Laura is lovely, her story is compelling, and I love the structure of the 9 essential truths in this book.
Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“Push Off From Here” is a well-written book that I know will resonate with many people, but for me it’s just not the perfect book at the perfect time. It definitely had some messages that I connected with, but overall it didn’t have that “click” of perfection for me. It feels like a book that is more for those who are trying to get sober than for those who are further along in their journeys.
I will confidently recommend it to people for whom I think it is a good fit. Laura is lovely, her story is compelling, and I love the structure of the 9 essential truths in this book.
Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 15, 2025
“That is what recovery means, after all: you, returning to you.”
Giving this book 5 stars as I read it with sober eyes. I am so grateful to be nearly 90 days sober from alcohol, and grateful for Laura’s words & sobriety community that helped me get there. Even though the road was long and upsetting and difficult to get here, I feel like I am truly returning to myself. What a gift!
Giving this book 5 stars as I read it with sober eyes. I am so grateful to be nearly 90 days sober from alcohol, and grateful for Laura’s words & sobriety community that helped me get there. Even though the road was long and upsetting and difficult to get here, I feel like I am truly returning to myself. What a gift!
July 3, 2023
Great read with new perspectives even for someone who has been alcohol free for 3+ years! Thanks Laura!
March 19, 2023
5 Stars. I loved Laura McKowen's sobriety memoir We Are The Luckiest, so much so that I was a member of her online sobriety community TLC during its first two years. Although I decided to leave that community many months ago because I didn't feel compelled to attend meetings or participate in any of the other things TLC offers, I have continued to follow Laura on social media and through her email newsletter because she is a warm, wise, compassionate, funny, relatable and thoroughly modern voice in the sobriety movement. Given my love for Laura and her mission, it might be surprising to hear that I was skeptical that I would get much of anything out of her follow-up book, Push Off From Here. I figured I am already well steeped in all things Laura McKowen and TLC, and I have been sober for nearly 4 years, so what could this book really do for me? But to my delight, I found this book to be a helpful, even necessary, follow-up to We Are The Luckiest. Push Off From Here is particularly well suited to people who are sober-curious or newly sober, but also quite useful and thought-provoking for someone like me who feels quite grounded in their sobriety. Laura spends the bulk of the book describing her list of nine things, and she also offers some excellent reflection questions to help readers explore where they've been, where they are, and where they are going in their sobriety and their lives. There are plenty of passages worthy of underlining and lots of stuff I look forward to discussing with my SBC (sober book club). Bravo, Laura on another book well done!
October 11, 2024
I heard Laura's interview on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast, and immediately knew I needed to read this book.
While not seeking sobriety myself, as a liver transplant nurse and a person in the world in general, especially post 2020, I went in seeking help in understanding addiction and what sobriety really takes. I sought this out so I could serve as a mirror for those around me who are struggling with addiction or thriving in recovery. I was especially interested in an alternative to the 12 Steps and a new perspective.
While it was initially difficult for me to get into the book (heavy subjects are hit and miss for me at the moment), what I ultimately found was not only a guidebook on the road to sobriety, but a guide for navigating life in general and all it's complexities with grace, humility, integrity, and a sense of lightness and humor.
How real this is, how vulnerable, how beautiful. My heart broke and soared for Laura as she recounted her years of addiction and recovery, and I've heard many similar stories but never told with such insight and such guts.
This was also full of resources and very specific ideas for getting help that I will be pressing into the hands of my patients for the length of my career.
I loved this book, full stop. It has inspired me to ask for help with my own hard shit- I, too, am just another noodle in the soup.
Thank you Laura McKowen for sharing your story and yourself. May your book be a sincere help to all those fortunate enough to find it
While not seeking sobriety myself, as a liver transplant nurse and a person in the world in general, especially post 2020, I went in seeking help in understanding addiction and what sobriety really takes. I sought this out so I could serve as a mirror for those around me who are struggling with addiction or thriving in recovery. I was especially interested in an alternative to the 12 Steps and a new perspective.
While it was initially difficult for me to get into the book (heavy subjects are hit and miss for me at the moment), what I ultimately found was not only a guidebook on the road to sobriety, but a guide for navigating life in general and all it's complexities with grace, humility, integrity, and a sense of lightness and humor.
How real this is, how vulnerable, how beautiful. My heart broke and soared for Laura as she recounted her years of addiction and recovery, and I've heard many similar stories but never told with such insight and such guts.
This was also full of resources and very specific ideas for getting help that I will be pressing into the hands of my patients for the length of my career.
I loved this book, full stop. It has inspired me to ask for help with my own hard shit- I, too, am just another noodle in the soup.
Thank you Laura McKowen for sharing your story and yourself. May your book be a sincere help to all those fortunate enough to find it
December 27, 2024
I'm going to go against the majority on this one and say that I think it is actually better than We Are The Luckiest. While the memoir aspect was good. The non-linear storytelling and off-balance ratio of pre-sobriety stories to sober stories left me wanting to hear more about how she came to this notion that we are, in fact, the luckiest. This book nailed it. She goes more in depth into the (game-changing for me) 9 essential truths and breaks down these lofty or hard to wrap your mind around concepts like "without love you cannot heal" and "trying to escape pain is futile"... sometimes, we hear this in our journey and struggle to understand the mechanics of believing it or achieving it. McKowen breaks down ways of healing, accepting, growing, etc, into manageable notes and lessons. Each one is easy to digest and helps you gain knowledge for the next one and the next one. So that when she proclaims the lofty thing, you now have absorbed accumulated pieces of it, and it feels a lot more tangible and, more importantly, attainable. I listened to this on audiobook and wanted to hold on to so much that I bought the paperback. My copy is now full of highlighter and sticky notes. And, I have referred to it several times with other like-minded friends.
June 22, 2025
A great place to start for people considering quitting drinking (or other drugs) or who have recently decided to take on sobriety. This is not to say that it does not hold plenty of good stuff for people farther along in sobriety --it definitely does. Here, McKowen tells enough of her own personal story, without getting bogged down in endless tales of drinking woe, to provide the context for the 'essential truths'. She tells of advice she has gotten from other people in recovery, and bits and pieces of their stories too. But most of all, she encourages readers to reflect on their own experiences with addiction, and their desire for sobriety --what they fear, and what they hope, and what they think will work for them, and what they know won't. It also has plenty of good stuff for people looking to learn how to support people struggling with addiction, both through the self-reflective process she prompts here, and just by laying out some ideas that those who have never had addiction issues likely never thought about, but those who have will definitely recognize.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews