“For years, I was asking myself whether or not I was an alcoholic versus really asking myself whether or not alcohol was actually providing any benefit to me. And for me, it was just like, This realization when I stopped drinking that I had been asking the wrong question for my whole drinking career and like, why are we not asking the question? We're just like, we're drinking, it's compulsory in our society. It's exceptional if you don't drink. And then it's also this very addictive drug that's marketed to us in a way that totally overrides our ability to like make rational choices around it. It's like the most socially accepted drug that you can use and like, we just don't have meaningful conversations or informed consent or any, you know, so for me, a huge part of me quitting drinking, which I did in 2013, it was this realization of Intellectually understanding I had been asking the wrong question which for me was a huge empowerment and part of the reason I was able to quit.”




So says Holly Whitaker, author of the New York Times bestselling Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol. I had heard about Holly long before I met her, primarily because she was disrupting recovery culture and many people did not like this. But the more I learned about her, the more I spoke to her, the more I witnessed her impact on culture, the more I was completely taken by both her brilliance and her willingness to say the things. Be warned: If you read her book, you’ll never think about alcohol again. In its pages, she recontextualizes the way we’ve been trained to normalize booze—and also the way the current recovery scene is shaped for the consciousness, and egos, of men. She’s created companies in the vein of a feminine-centered recovery, and it feels like she’s just getting started in the way we talk about addictive substances—and addiction. Those who struggle will find a lot of relief in her words, and I understand why. 




MORE FROM HOLLY WHITAKER:

Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol

Holly’s Newsletter

Holly’s Website

Holly’s Podcast

Follow Holly on Instagram




Further Listening on Pulling the Thread:

ADDICTION: Anna Lembke, M.D., “Navigating an Addictive Culture”

TRAUMA: Gabor Maté, M.D., “When Stress Becomes Illness”

BINGE EATING DISORDER: Susan Burton, “Whose Pain Counts?”



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“For years, I was asking myself whether or not I was an alcoholic versus really asking myself whether or not alcohol was actually providing any benefit to me. And for me, it was just like, This realization when I stopped drinking that I had been asking the wrong question for my whole drinking career and like, why are we not asking the question? We're just like, we're drinking, it's compulsory in our society. It's exceptional if you don't drink. And then it's also this very addictive drug that's marketed to us in a way that totally overrides our ability to like make rational choices around it. It's like the most socially accepted drug that you can use and like, we just don't have meaningful conversations or informed consent or any, you know, so for me, a huge part of me quitting drinking, which I did in 2013, it was this realization of Intellectually understanding I had been asking the wrong question which for me was a huge empowerment and part of the reason I was able to quit.” So says Holly Whitaker, author of the New York Times bestselling <a href="https://amzn.to/3QvC7Qn">Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol</a>. I had heard about Holly long before I met her, primarily because she was disrupting recovery culture and many people did not like this. But the more I learned about her, the more I spoke to her, the more I witnessed her impact on culture, the more I was completely taken by both her brilliance and her willingness to say the things. Be warned: If you read her book, you’ll never think about alcohol again. In its pages, she recontextualizes the way we’ve been trained to normalize booze—and also the way the current recovery scene is shaped for the consciousness, and egos, of men. She’s created companies in the vein of a feminine-centered recovery, and it feels like she’s just getting started in the way we talk about addictive substances—and addiction. Those who struggle will find a lot of relief in her words, and I understand why.  MORE FROM HOLLY WHITAKER:<a href="https://amzn.to/3QvC7Qn">Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol</a>Holly’s <a href="https://amzn.to/3QvC7Qn">Newsletter</a>Holly’s <a href="https://www.hollywhitaker.com/">Website</a>Holly’s <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quitted/id1607194395">Podcast</a>Follow Holly on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/holly">Instagram</a> Further Listening on Pulling the Thread:ADDICTION: Anna Lembke, M.D., <a href="https://chartable.com/podcasts/pulling-the-thread-with-elise-loehnen/episodes/101260153-navigating-an-addictive-culture-anna-lembke-md">“Navigating an Addictive Culture”</a>TRAUMA: Gabor Maté, M.D., <a href="https://chartable.com/podcasts/pulling-the-thread-with-elise-loehnen/episodes/123720426-when-stress-becomes-illness-gabor-mate-md">“When Stress Becomes Illness”</a>BINGE EATING DISORDER: Susan Burton, <a href="https://chartable.com/podcasts/pulling-the-thread-with-elise-loehnen/episodes/154212592-whose-pain-counts-susan-burton">“Whose Pain Counts?”</a> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a>

Writer Elise Loehnen explores life’s big questions with today’s leading thinkers, experts, and luminaries: Why do we do what we do? How can we understand and love ourselves better? What would it look like to come together and build a more meaningful world?

Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/  

Writer Elise Loehnen explores life&rsquo;s big questions with today&rsquo;s leading thinkers, experts, and luminaries: Why do we do what we do? How can we understand and love ourselves better? What would it look like to come together and build a more meaningful world?
Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media <a href="https://lemonadamedia.com/" data-stringify-link="https://lemonadamedia.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">https://lemonadamedia.com/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

Advertisement