Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Drinking Games

I originally requested this book because I thought the author was Sarah Levy from Schitt's Creek. Once I actually read the blurb and realized it wasn't, I was still interested. While I had a kindle copy of this from NetGalley, I mostly listened to it on audiobook. I think listening to Sarah narrate her own story really added and extra bit to it that really just made the book that much more emotional.

It's hard to listen to the stories of Sarah waking up in emergency rooms because she blacked out and somehow ended up getting hurt - like seriously hurt. Getting hit by a cab, stitches. It's a lot. And I can only imagine how her friends felt when they witnessed these situations or had to repeatedly tell her what happened because she couldn't remember.

I enjoyed how Sarah tells us about what made becoming sober so special for her - her ability to finally be present with her loved ones. It felt like she was showing why sobriety can be the right choice, despite it being hard, rather than preaching that sobriety is the right answer. And she talks about how for some, moderation is the answer, but for her, no matter what she did, she couldn't moderate her drinking.

I really enjoyed this book despite its heavy topics - alcoholism, mental health, eating disorders, and brief mentions of sexual assault. Thanks to Sarah Levy, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

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jennabeck13's review

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inspiring slow-paced

2.0

Drinking Games by Sarah Levy

⭐️⭐️ (2/5)

Genre: Memoir

About 260 pages

At one point in time, drinking was Sarah’s entire life. However, when she decided to become sober that’s when Sarah’s life really began. Drinking Games tells the story of Sarah’s troubled past with alcohol, her journey to sobriety, and her life as a sober woman.

I was super intrigued when I heard about this book as it was promoted more as a book on society’s relationship with alcohol. I was under the impression it would focus on how drinking culture has become what it is today, why people choose to be sober or drink in excess, how alcohol affects us, etc. However, it didn’t really touch upon society’s relationship with alcohol at all but only Sarah’s relationship with it. Granted it is a memoir but I expected a little bit wider of a discussion of the topic. In addition, there were a lot of repeated stories throughout the book and she told them out of chronological order which made it hard to keep up with at times. Though I find Levy’s journey to sobriety commendable this book missed the mark for me😕

Favorite Quote: “I heard people in my recovery meetings say that hitting bottom doesn’t have to be catastrophic; it can simply mean that we are ready to stop digging.”

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lbh_0327's review

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

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readalongwithnat's review against another edition

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4.0

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jordansmoot's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

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mroth's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.0

There was a lot to like in this. It was honest, thoughtful, reflective and offered a window into an experience that I think is more common than we’d like to admit. There were a couple of times when Levy seemed to be grasping for material and ended up essentially making other people’s tragedies about her

Marina Keegan’s death and her neighbor’s suicide

in a way that felt less mature than the rest of the book. But overall I really enjoyed this one—it provoked a lot of thought.

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arireadsitall's review

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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