I am always on the lookout for new Quit Lit and this was a ver welcome addition to the library.

Veronica Valli provides fabulous information that is highly absorbable. She writes about 5 pillars of sobriety, which are similar to wellness pillars Dr Chatterjee has written about. I love this approach as it is relatable and a holistic approach.

I love how Valli ties the pillars together and impresses the importance of maintaining balance in life. She states how it is when we become unbalances that sobriety becomes at risk. Knowing this and using the HALT triggers guideline she shares provides the reader with ways to stay on track.

I highly recommend this wonderful book for anyone interested in sobriety, as well as anyone interested in their health and wellnes.

Thank you Sounds True and NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest review

I picked this book up thinking it was targeted towards the Sober Curious crowd (my mistake for not looking closer!), and later realized it's more of a book about working towards sobriety. Both are important topics, I just thought I would point that out.

Anyway, Soberful includes information about why people start drinking and also a framework of strategies on how to work toward the path of becoming sober And more importantly, staying sober. I learned a lot from this book and appreciated that it was a balance of information and actionable steps and also pushed the reminder that sobriety isn't linear.

The big part of this big that really stood out for me ice the Five Pillars. Valli uses them to help the reader "to uncover what is within us. We find out what it is we truly seek and why. We discover what our purpose is in the world." The Five Pillars include -Movement, Balance, Connection, Process, and Growth.

This book is compassionate and also has a lot of wisdom and I appreciated that it focused so much on what happens next in someone's path to sober living, post recovery.

Thank you to Sounds True and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

this is a great book and has a ton of useful tips and tricks on how to further deal with soberity and truly embrace the lifestyle.

This was just ok. The material was fairly basic and I didn't feel it was presented in a new, unique way. This seemed to be targeted more to a hard problem audience versus a sober curious audience. Not a bad thing but just be aware.

This is not my first book on quitting alcohol, but it is definitely one of the better ones! Valli offers a unique perspective to the literature on sobriety, and I believe it is very accessible to anyone interested in an alcohol free life.

I definitely have had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol; when I was younger I used blacking out as a coping mechanism for not being able to handle my emotions. As I got older, I was constantly coming up with new strategies to avoid getting too drunk and doing things I regretted, yet I was afraid of quitting completely thinking it too unrealistic.

When I read Why We Sleep by Dr. Matthew Walker, I became intensely dedicated to prioritizing my sleep, and when he said drinking alcohol before bed ruins your night of sleep, I immediately committed to this adjustment. Well, this cut out a lot of drinking and eventually I decided if it’s bad for my sleep, I bet it’s bad for everything else too. I didn’t need help quitting per say, but I needed more information to help me defend this choice to others. Knowing it is not a popular lifestyle, I worried about how I would explain myself to friends and family and have since been fascinated by the various outlooks on sober living.

Overall, I really liked Valli’s book. The beginning is always my favorite part of a book like this, where it convinces people how harmful and unnecessary drinking alcohol is. I like how Valli discusses the role that consumerism plays in society when it comes to alcohol. Alcohol companies make more money the more you drink, so marketing has pushed alcohol into as many settings/events as possible and has distorted what constitutes as normal drinking. Most people think that as long as you’re not drinking 24/7 then you don’t have a “problem” but Valli encourages you to consider if you are living up to your full potential or if too much of your bandwidth is spent on drinking and all of the consequences that come with it.

My favorite part is when she talks about how other people will react when you tell them you are sober. She explains how when you tell someone you are not drinking, it forces them to confront their own drinking habits, and they are afraid of what it means for them. It mirrors back to them a threat, and knowing that will prepare me better for conversations I am sure to have as I continue my alcohol free life.

After this, Valli focuses on the five pillars of sobriety which include movement, balance, connection, process, and growth. There are some heavy topics that include childhood trauma and vulnerability but I thought Valli does a good job of explaining everything so anyone could take from it. These topics are still a lot to absorb however, so any reader would really need to focus and probably reread these sections if they wanted to truly apply these pillars. But I know it would be worth it if you were truly in need of this guidance.

Overall, I thought Valli was very relatable and realistic. I’m sure it won’t fit every person trying to quit alcohol, but for those that are willing I think it will be very useful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sounds True for an ARC of this book.

Great insight if you’re considering a life without alcohol
Upon starting this book I am already 15 months alcohol free. That said I’m still enamoured by any words regarding sobriety. Reading any literature regarding the struggles of sobriety in a world that celebrates all that is alcohol related, and knowing that I am not alone, and that I am making wise choices, is always a bonus. I like the reminder that everything I’m doing is right and that I’m doing what’s best for me. The book is packed full of advice, stories, help and examples. Great for someone starting out on the road to sobriety or, someone like myself, already on the road and trying not to stray.

This book gave great insight into why people decide to drink, and the lies that we have been told about how alcohol is fun,,,until it's not. It's easy to read and the author has a light touch, keeping her readers engaged and giving eye-opening concepts you've not heard before. This would be a great book if your desire is to cut down on alcohol or quit altogether..