Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Vomit'
Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker
6 reviews
schorlett's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault
madalynn_owens's review against another edition
I think this is a good book to pick up and slowly read, trying to read it all at once felt repetitive and difficult. I thought the book could have benefited from some serious paring down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Vomit, and Alcohol
dierdredaylewis's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit, and Alcohol
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
- I am of two minds about QUIT LIKE A WOMAN. First, I put it off for a long time because I found the title so off-putting. It's so Girl Power, and it shows in a lot of the book. It's a lot of "I just discovered the patriarchy and am gonna yell about it."
- I also found it rather baffling that she spends the first third of the book claiming that people don't know alcohol is bad for them and trying to make it a shocking reveal that alcohol companies are marketing their products in a way meant to disguise that. Am I off base here, I don't know, but I certainly don't know anyone who believes drinking every day is actively healthy.
- There's also a lot of white lady privilege on display. While she occasionally mentions how oppressive cultural systems work extra hard to keep queer people, people of color, etc. down, in the next breath she's telling you that she simply replaced drinking alcohol with traveling to Rome.
- On the other hand, she is completely, absolutely, paradigm-shiftingly right about a lot of things. Alcohol is so ingrained in our culture (and specifically, mommy and woman culture) that we can hardly conceive of moving through life without it. And we panic a little at the idea of easing off the gas even a little, because that might mean we're alcoholics, and our culture throws those people in the trash.
- Related, I think the most useful idea in this book is the idea that it's bizarre to divide people into alcoholics and normal drinkers. Like, it's super weird to ostracize people who "can't handle" a substance our bodies aren't actually built to process. Shutting people out like that only makes everyone's lives harder and more confusing.
- I also found it rather baffling that she spends the first third of the book claiming that people don't know alcohol is bad for them and trying to make it a shocking reveal that alcohol companies are marketing their products in a way meant to disguise that. Am I off base here, I don't know, but I certainly don't know anyone who believes drinking every day is actively healthy.
- There's also a lot of white lady privilege on display. While she occasionally mentions how oppressive cultural systems work extra hard to keep queer people, people of color, etc. down, in the next breath she's telling you that she simply replaced drinking alcohol with traveling to Rome.
- On the other hand, she is completely, absolutely, paradigm-shiftingly right about a lot of things. Alcohol is so ingrained in our culture (and specifically, mommy and woman culture) that we can hardly conceive of moving through life without it. And we panic a little at the idea of easing off the gas even a little, because that might mean we're alcoholics, and our culture throws those people in the trash.
- Related, I think the most useful idea in this book is the idea that it's bizarre to divide people into alcoholics and normal drinkers. Like, it's super weird to ostracize people who "can't handle" a substance our bodies aren't actually built to process. Shutting people out like that only makes everyone's lives harder and more confusing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol
emfass's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
I read this book for Bad Bitch Book Club, and will preface my review by saying I do not have any experience with substance abuse/addiction, either personally or in my immediate family.
As many others have written in their reviews, Whitaker's privileges in the way she was able to get sober (and in general, live her life) come through loud and clear, and it's not a great look. She throws in some intersectionality with racism in the final chapters, which makes it seem like an afterthought. She also seems to compare her fight against addiction/alcoholism with the Stonewall riots in her conclusion, which...just...no.
I found some of her language and instructions to be berating instead of an invitation. In discussions with the BBBC group, I also learned that some of the science she backs her claims with doesn't necessarily hold up. (e.g. Anything can be poisonous, including water, if you take a big enough dose.)
I do think Whitaker made a very interesting and compelling case for the whys and hows of addiction and recovery. I was especially intrigued by the concept of why a recovery program (Alcoholics Anonymous) that asks an addict to submit and break themselves down might not be helpful or effective for oppressed identities where society already does that to them regularly. I also know that AA has been helpful for many people, and Whitaker doesn't leave much room for the option. Lastly, I firmly believe that a necessary component of surviving anything--including, y'know, life in general--is finding authentic connection to yourself and to others, and I appreciated how much time she took to discuss this and how one might go about it.
As many others have written in their reviews, Whitaker's privileges in the way she was able to get sober (and in general, live her life) come through loud and clear, and it's not a great look. She throws in some intersectionality with racism in the final chapters, which makes it seem like an afterthought. She also seems to compare her fight against addiction/alcoholism with the Stonewall riots in her conclusion, which...just...no.
I found some of her language and instructions to be berating instead of an invitation. In discussions with the BBBC group, I also learned that some of the science she backs her claims with doesn't necessarily hold up. (e.g. Anything can be poisonous, including water, if you take a big enough dose.)
I do think Whitaker made a very interesting and compelling case for the whys and hows of addiction and recovery. I was especially intrigued by the concept of why a recovery program (Alcoholics Anonymous) that asks an addict to submit and break themselves down might not be helpful or effective for oppressed identities where society already does that to them regularly. I also know that AA has been helpful for many people, and Whitaker doesn't leave much room for the option. Lastly, I firmly believe that a necessary component of surviving anything--including, y'know, life in general--is finding authentic connection to yourself and to others, and I appreciated how much time she took to discuss this and how one might go about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexism, and Sexual assault
readalongwithnat's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Wow. I can definitely see myself revisiting this book in this future. It both made me want to stop drinking and made me reflect on my own ED recovery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Vomit
More...