A review by jcschildbach
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola

5.0

Arguably, Hepola strays into some self-indulgent territory here. But, really, that's the point of explaining her alcoholism--describing how a particular substance becomes so centrally important in one's life that all other things can be pushed aside--and how she clings to that substance well after she recognizes the damage it is doing. Hepola's book also delves into a somewhat different side of alcoholism and recovery than is the norm for narratives of 'hitting bottom'--that of alcoholics who manage to build and maintain careers while engaging in substance abuse to a level that would seem to spell doom for those careers--but never does. Much of the damage Hepola does is to her personal relationships, and to her physical self. She is also brutally honest in noting how the details of her story are specific to her, but the drinking is just the same old cliches involving deception and self-deception. And she can really write. Highly recommended for anybody interested in issues of substance abuse, but also personal stories well told.