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  • Quit Like a Woman

  • The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol
  • Written by: Holly Whitaker
  • Narrated by: Holly Whitaker
  • Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (574 ratings)

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Quit Like a Woman

Written by: Holly Whitaker
Narrated by: Holly Whitaker
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Publisher's Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “An unflinching examination of how our drinking culture hurts women and a gorgeous memoir of how one woman healed herself.”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed

“You don’t know how much you need this book, or maybe you do. Either way, it will save your life.”—Melissa Hartwig Urban, Whole30 co-founder and CEO

The founder of the first female-focused recovery program offers a groundbreaking look at alcohol and a radical new path to sobriety.

We live in a world obsessed with drinking. We drink at baby showers and work events, brunch and book club, graduations and funerals. Yet no one ever questions alcohol’s ubiquity—in fact, the only thing ever questioned is why someone doesn’t drink. It is a qualifier for belonging and if you don’t imbibe, you are considered an anomaly. As a society, we are obsessed with health and wellness, yet we uphold alcohol as some kind of magic elixir, though it is anything but.

When Holly Whitaker decided to seek help after one too many benders, she embarked on a journey that led not only to her own sobriety, but revealed the insidious role alcohol plays in our society and in the lives of women in particular. What’s more, she could not ignore the ways that alcohol companies were targeting women, just as the tobacco industry had successfully done generations before. Fueled by her own emerging feminism, she also realized that the predominant systems of recovery are archaic, patriarchal, and ineffective for the unique needs of women and other historically oppressed people—who don’t need to lose their egos and surrender to a male concept of God, as the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous state, but who need to cultivate a deeper understanding of their own identities and take control of their lives. When Holly found an alternate way out of her own addiction, she felt a calling to create a sober community with resources for anyone questioning their relationship with drinking, so that they might find their way as well. Her resultant feminine-centric recovery program focuses on getting at the root causes that lead people to overindulge and provides the tools necessary to break the cycle of addiction, showing us what is possible when we remove alcohol and destroy our belief system around it.

Written in a relatable voice that is honest and witty, Quit Like a Woman is at once a groundbreaking look at drinking culture and a road map to cutting out alcohol in order to live our best lives without the crutch of intoxication. You will never look at drinking the same way again.

©2020 Holly Whitaker (P)2020 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“An unflinching examination of how our drinking culture hurts women and a gorgeous memoir of how one woman healed herself. It will change your relationship with alcohol—and it has the power to change your relationship with your entire life.”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed

“A funny, fast-paced, and bracingly candid dispatch from the realm of the self-actualized, but Holly Whitaker is no polished model of self-help evangelism, nor is her memoir-manifesto selling a one-size-fits-all solution. Her story is a messy human one and all the more convincing that sobriety is a feminist issue.”—Melissa Febos, author of Whip Smart and Abandon Me

“As a culture, we have a weird and often dysfunctional relationship with alcohol. This thoughtful, moving book will help a lot of people get to a healthier place.”—Johann Hari, author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections

What listeners say about Quit Like a Woman

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  • 2022-01-26

Excellent

This is a great book for anyone wanting inspiration to give up alcohol or to better understand why we drink, even "moderately". Tales of struggle, life in sobriety, and the science around what alcohol does to our brains and bodies. I binged the whole book in a weekend and have already re-listened to some chapters again. Super smart and incredibly convincing; this one will help you question the role alcohol plays in your life.

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Great book

If you are looking to start a sober journey, or are already life that life, this book is for you!

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Must Read.

Holly made me feel seen. Thank you for writing this book. It’s been life changing.

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Very informative and raw

I really wish Holly would do a documentary on all of this info. It would reach so many extra people!

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Amazing and worth every second

So we’ll written - this book helped me to feel less alone in the fight for sobriety and also more mentally available for myself and those around me. Read twice and will definitely keep for further referencing !

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Highly recommended for sober curious + newly recovering folks

Holly is a life saver with this book. Her voice is a refreshing take on both sobriety and the dangerous consequences and repercussions of of Big Alcohol.

Whether you’re sober curious, a newcomer to recovery, or a seasoned pro, there is a lot to learn within this book. I’ve read the book twice, and just finished the audio version, and I still pick up little bits of wisdom with each read / listen. Quit Like a Woman is one of my most cherished items in my self care tool box.

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She is relatable and honest

Just loved it.. It gave me hope that I could quit drinking.. And I have since listening!

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Fabulous book a must read for women trying to quit alcohol

I have read a lot of quick literature as well as listened to some. This one in particular really resonated with me. Holly is honest, brash and unapologetic, I absolutely loved this. It validated with me that 12 steps it’s not the only way, Which is so refreshing. Thank you for writing this.

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  • 2023-03-11

Relatable and motivating

The book dissects your relationship with alcohol through our role in society as women. Her research, introspection and personal experience lend a perspective that I found very motivating. The acknowledgment of things she can’t F with and things she can F with was honest and funny and allowed for an investigation of things I need to avoid, and things that I should allow myself to enjoy guilt free. I’ll read it again and again.

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Every woman needs to read this book!

I truly believe that every woman needs to read this book! It's a fantastic book about ditching the booze and loving yourself more!

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4 people found this helpful