Image courtesy of @unexpectedjoyof
For those living in recovery, summertime and the accompanying trips and holidays can be challenging. Substances may be around, and normal routines are out the window.
In this week’s blog we provide a valuable resource to take with you in your back pocket and in your ear buds this Summer… our top five sobriety audiobooks to listen to now.
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober
Narrated by Catherine Gray
10 Hours and 15 Minutes
In this audiobook Catherine Gray uses a three prong approach of sharing her personal struggles with attaining sobriety, advice from expert sources, and factual information to provide the reader (or listener) with the tools they need to decide if alcohol is serving them or not.
‘I discovered that I was about a million times happier sober than I ever had been while drinking. As were the hundreds of sober pals I picked up along the way. I found myself with dozens more hours in the week, heaps more energy, £20K more money over three and a half years, deepened friendships, revived family relationships, better skin, a tighter body, tanned legs for the first time ever, the ability to sleep for eight uninterrupted hours, a bone-deep sense of well-being, a totally turned-around positive outlook and an infinitely more successful career. What’s not to like?!’
Narrated by Ann Dowsett Johnson
8 Hours and 46 Minutes
In the audiobook Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol award winning journalist Ann Dowsett Johnson dives into her own personal story of recovery weaving into the fabric in depth research of the alcoholism epidemic threatening society. Her focus of the narrative revolves specifically around women and young girls. Dowsett combines in depth statistical research through the lens of her own story, and how corporations are profiting from marketing to women specifically.
Narrated by Augusten Burroughs
8 Hours 42 Minutes
This memoir by Augusten Burroughs highlights his drinking escapades in a high profile advertising job in Manhattan, and the fallout when the rug was pulled from under him and his employer forced him to go to rehab. When his 30 days were up he returned to his same life, but had to adapt to the high speed of Manhattan and his old life sober.
“Beneath the quick-flowing, funny-sad surface of Burroughs’ prose lurks considerable complexity: wherever he goes, whatever he’s doing, you can feel how badly he wants to drink-as well as the sadness from which that desire comes and the courage it takes to make the sadness so funny, all at the same time. If anything, Dry is even more compelling than Burroughs’ first outing.” ―Lev Grossman, Time
Image courtesy of @meghans_library
Narrated by Elizabeth Vargas
5 Hours and 35 Minutes
When Elizabeth Varagas mustered the courage to admit to reporter George Stephanopoulos on live television that she was an alcoholic, her life has never been the same. She began writing this book Between Breaths about digesting new sobriety and how her panic disorder and mental health played a large role in her substance use disorder. Her bravery to share with the audience her story as it unfolds, is unique and addresses the importance of addressing the mental health aspect in recovery.
Narrated by Sarah Hepola
7 hours and 35 minutes
Blackout is a riveting, witty, and honest look at what happens when people black out from drinking. Sarah Hepola brings her personal experience into the story recalling piecing together her nights, but also goes into the science of what actually happens to the brain when in this state. Through her blackouts and the fallouts from them, she found her way into sobriety and shares with the audience her story and unique personality.
By Chris Herren and Bill Reynolds
Narrated by Peter Berkrot
6 Hours and 34 Minutes
Fall River, Massachusetts junior guard Chris Herren carried the weight of his family’s expectations and a city that placed their hopes on his shoulders. Herren went on from Durfee High School to play for Fresno State and was later drafted into the NBA for the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics. On the outside Chris Herren had it all, but on the inside his addiction was taking over. In his own words, Chris Herren tells how he nearly lost everything and everyone he loved, and how he found a way back to life. Powerful, honest, and dramatic, Basketball Junkie is a remarkable memoir, harrowing in its descent, and heartening in its return.
Audiobooks are great resources to provide a sense of connection and the hope needed to live a life in recovery. At Herren Wellness our guests are introduced to multiple resources, strategies and tools to live healthy, authentic and substance-free lives.
In recovery it is essential to utilize the tools gathered, and audiobooks are a wonderful way to connect and expand knowledge of recovery and garner some new tools.
About Herren Wellness
When you come here, you are immediately connected with a thriving community of people at all stages of their recovery journey. We introduce healthy habits and routines centered around emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness that provide a solid foundation for rediscovering your interests, experiencing joy in sobriety, and building structure and routine.
We provide several alumni support communities, including a weekly recovery support group, monthly alumni meeting, and online alumni community you can access anytime. Your connection to Herren Wellness doesn’t end when your stay ends; we are there for you throughout your recovery journey.
If you, or a loved one, are looking for help, please call us at (844) 443-7736, email us at info@herrenwellness.com, or fill out a contact form. You are not alone.
