The Alcohol Experiment: A 30-day, Alcohol-Free Challenge to Interrupt Your Habits and Help You Take Control Paperback – December 31, 2018

While reading this The Alcohol Experiment, one thing I think about is the difference between the approach this book takes and the approach of AA. In 2007 I went to AA for 90 meetings … every day for 90 days. I was alcohol free. Day one the step was to admit I am powerless over alcohol. That was a very odd thing for me. That was like saying an inert bottle sitting on a counter or in a store has some kind of dominance over me. That is nuts. What this book helped me understand is that I have all the control over whether the bottle is purchased. I have control over the bottle being opened. I have control over the first and following sips. What I don’t have control over is the affects the alcohol has once it is in my system. I gave away my power to this spirit. I have become possessed. And I allowed it. So, in 2007, for 90 days I listened to people tell their sad stories of how they ruined their lives and the lives of their loved ones. The “rock bottom” stories of their sad alcohol infused lives. But they are all good now... now that they gave their power to a higher being. So, this didn’t sit well with me. According to AA... once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. One never gets to escape that label. One is always in recovery. One is always struggling. There is always something trying to take control because the alcoholic has no control. Maybe that is not what AA intends, but it seems like that is the general result. And as many people do, I fell back into a pattern of regular drinking.On June 20, 2022 I was lurking in the posts in a fasting group of which I am a member. Someone mentioned this book, so I looked it up and decided to give it a go. This book approaches the whole thing differently. This book reminds us that we are in control of our own lives. We do not need to give away our power to anyone or anything. This book reminds us that life is a beautiful thing. We were not born with a glass of wine in our hands. Our childhood happy moments were not dependent on “adult beverages”. Not drinking is NOT a daily struggle. Not drinking is NOT something we must decide every moment, every day. Not drinking alcohol is something that millions of people do every single day. Only the alcohol industry wants to keep us imbibing every day. Keep us coming back for more. They lie to us to keep us in THEIR power. “You need this. You won’t be happy or comfortable or accepted or okay without it.” That is a lie so they can line their pockets at our expense... financially, emotionally, spiritually, and physiologically. They get rich, we get sick. They get rich, we die... or kill someone.This is not about hitting a rock bottom. This is about living life to the fullest and recognizing our own amazing potential. Not allowing other people or other “things” to dictate our life experiences.So, the biggest difference between AA and this book is that I feel free. Truly free, in charge, in control, alive... and at no point have I HAD to make a decision not to drink. Not even on day one. I don’t remake that decision every day. I don’t live “one day at a time” remaking the same decision day after day or moment after moment. I simply live my life without giving thought or power to the industry that lines its pockets on the rock bottom moments that are killing us and taking away our true joy.

Lots to be said here, but if you are reading reviews for this book, then you were like me- questioning if you wanted to slow down drinking and trying to figure out if these books really help support that or not. The short answer is yes, this book is an excellent tool. The (very) long answer is also yes, but with more details for people who are interested.I am a professional, a mom with young kids etc. I love drinking wine and have always had a lot of “reasons” to do so (work events, socializing, parties, concerts, vacations, holidays, the kids were being crazy, work is stressful, etc.) I had never really questioned how much I drank because I didn’t ever get “drunk” or get sick from drinking, or drink and drive, or do anything over the top… and also, everyone around us drank just as much if not way more. But at some point last year I started feeling like it was too normalized and I wanted more than just drinking events and I worried that it was becoming too much of a routine after work. I had started hearing about the “sober curious” movement and following some social media accounts and became interested. Fast forward several months of having these thoughts in the back of my mind and I was ready(ish) to do dry January. But, to be honest, I assumed it would be a month of sacrifice and missing out. I thought I would have to be so strong to “deprive” myself if this so- called reward but I was determined to power through the month. I think to prove to myself I could do it. As support, I bought this book (and two others) to help get through the 30 days. Never in a million years did I think that after reading them that I would want to quit drinking forever- and that was definitely never my goal- but I’m now 7+ months without drinking and zero desire to ever drink again. To be honest, between this book and Annie Grace’s other book “This Naked Mind” I liked This Naked Mind better and read it beginning to end (buy that book too!) but I bought this book as well because I thought, naively, that I just wanted a break for 30 days. The books are very similar but what This Naked Mind did not have that this book did was the journaling. Journaling exercises are not my thing, but I had all this extra time (from not drinking!!) so I did some of them. There was one particular journaling exercise in an early chapter that asked me to make a list of all the reasons I drink and another list of all the reasons that I wanted to try this experiment. I had never in my life put any effort into thinking about why I drank, nor had I really examined why I was considering NOT drinking, so the exercise was quite enlightening and set up a really important foundation for me to really absorb the information I was reading.Diving in and taking it seriously forced me to think about drinking and society and culture in ways I never had before- in ways nobody thinks in! It felt like an instant mindshift in the way I was thinking about alcohol. And reading Annie Graces books is just that- a complete mindshift. What I learned is that my reasons for drinking are everyone’s reasons for drinking- and they are all just excuses (long day, celebration, relax, unwind, make fun events even more fun, etc). She provides a lot of science and a lot of easy-to-understand analogys and explanations to help us see alcohol differently. and I began to see/ understand that alcohol is doing exactly what it intends to do- keep us all drinking and making excuses! I’ve never thought of alcohol like a drug… “us fun social drinkers are elite and sophisticated, we dont have a problem”… but now I see it so clearly.And after seven months I can see clearly now that when I explained my drinking as “normal” and “nothing crazy” actually it was quite crazy. The amount of alcohol that is normalized is really mind blowing, considering all of the negative effects. I could go on and on, but what I will end with is this: reading these books gave me information to question everything I’d ever taken for granted about alcohol. It made me question myself and understand alcohol better. And it gave me the new mind frame to make a decision about alcohol that I never thought possible. After a month of not drinking I realized I didn’t want to get back on the hamster wheel. As the time has passed I have seen SO MANY positive changes in my physical amd mental health. So much more energy, a more patient and present mom, a better business person. I’ve lost 15 pounds and have implemented a work out routine (which seemed impossible when I was drinking because “free time” typically involved social alcohol activities). My eyes and skin are clearer, my sleep is deeper, my mind is more relaxed. I’m happier. I thought not drinking would be hard, but I’ve realized drinking is much harder. Turns out alcohol is not the prize, my health and happiness is the prize! I don’t miss it, and I am so happy (and proud by the way) to have joined the alcohol free/ sober curious movement, it’s been the best decision I’ve made maybe ever. Take the chance, buy the book.

This book changed my life..for real. I was a hardcore rose drinker for YEARS..and now I am Alcohol free after 41 days...and counting. You Can live without alcohol. Trust me

Using this workbook every morning for 30 days not only got me off of alcohol but it also got me in the habit of journaling. A very nice habit and I actually miss this workbook quite a lot. If you have ever wanted to quit alcohol but realized you couldn't, this experiment is worth a shot. What do you have to loose?

This book is truly amazing for anyone wanting to take a break from drinking. It really is an eye opener. This book changed my perspective and mindset around alcohol and the part it plays in my life and in society. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to reduce or stop drinking, or even just get curious about their drinking patterns.

Awesome book! The world needs it!!

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