Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol

Her focus is on women's battle with the bottle. However, the truths are universal. The hole that alcoholism creates takes years to fill, if one is diligent. The daily battle to evade sliding down the crater is constant.Do anything you can to avoid the disease. But if you cannot dodge this plague be prepared for a very difficult life.

This is essential reading for any woman struggling with an alcohol problem. Exceptionally well researched and beautifully written, Dowsett Johnston wrestles with the power alcohol has over us through her own story. She brings a unique feminist perspective to women's relationship with alcohol, how so many women are trying to 'do it all whilst holding themselves together with their daily wine habit. I don't think any woman questioning her drinking could read this book and come away still in denial. Ultimately it's a story of hope and recovery. Truly inspirational.

The perfect mix of memoir + research. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Whether you drink occasionally, every day, or not at all, read this book!

I picked up this book simply because it sounded interesting and different from what I typically read. Ann Dowsett Johnston is a wonderful writer and I loved how she weaved her personal story in with research, interviews, and stories of others who had experienced the weight of addiction--whether in their own struggles or with those they love. Though I can understand--as other reviewers have commented--that for someone specifically researching the topic this might not fit the niche they're looking for, as someone who was simply curious, I found it riveting. I've thought about it often since reading it, and have also shared some of what I learned in conversations with friends and family. Thanks for such a thought-provoking and empathetic book, Ann Dowsett Johnston!

All of the content was great and I learned much, especially in precursors to alcoholism and how different alcohol is for women. I thought from the title this might be something I could share with my girlfriend's who may benefit in looking at their own alcohol use. But I don't see where they will see any of themselves in this. I'm thinking they would likely focus on the differences and not see the similarities. I know for myself, it's too easy to think "well I'm not like that therefore I must not be an alcoholic". Ann's story is great and the research hugely educational and valuable, but the flow seemed awkward to me.

This was an invaluable read for me both personally and professionally. I appreciated Johnston's anecdotal and autobiographical information which is intermingled with a tremendous amount of research and scholarship. The nuance that I found particularly helpful was the distinction between addicted drinking and habituated binge drinking (yet both being dangerous), but she also is quick to point out alcoholism's progressive nature. She at one point asks the crucial question whether getting treatment for depression would have impeded the progression to full blown alcoholism. It made me think of the many older women of my grandmother's generation who self-medicated with alcohol rather than dealing with the so-called stigma of depression (or even thought about depression at all). Johnston is a skillful writer and the book reads like a vacation read, but do not be fooled - why lies within the pages of Drink is very powerful and telling.

I had a hard time putting this book down. And it's not a novel!! Granted, I'm in my first sixty days of trying sobriety as a lifestyle, so maybe I am biased. If you have an interest in alcohol or alcoholism or women's issues, read this book. It's like The book Flux, filled with stories and incredible snippets of wisdom. Like having visited a phenomenal therapist. I'm a super critical reader and found a few spots (literally just a few) where a few paragraphs would veer off topic to the left or right, but it never mattered because it was all such great content and I knew the author would pick up where she left off! I wish this author was one of my personal friends, not because she is famous, but because she is so insightful and so real. Read this. I do not think you will be disappointed!

"Drink" is a profound book that, in my opinion, every woman should read - whether she has a drinking problem or not. This book is about culture, society, politics, the alcohol industry, women's issues at large - it is about so much MORE than "alcoholism" or "recovery" or anything of that nature. It is a book about love, and loss, and pain and happiness and life. The research interspersed is ground-breaking. The stories of the many women will open your eyes to the effects of alcohol, the way our society addresses it and women who drink. This book will save lives. It is so far above the "quit lit" of others, doesn't go down the path of re-living the worst drunken stories of her past. It is a book that will start conversations that need to be started. Read it. You'll not regret it.

Felt this book explained many reasons behind addiction which I could relate to but left me feeling quite despairing. Unless I want to return to AA,which I've already tried, I'm not sure what Ann Dowsett was suggesting. Unlike Ann, I did not find a group of close friends and mentors in the fellowship. I felt I didn't belong and as isolated as when drinking. I attended for over 3 years, did everything I was told and left in a worse place than when I'd started. So the book didn't help me much.

This is a fascinating, in-depth study of the modern day relationship between women and alcohol. At times confronting and occasionally devastating, the whole book is interwoven with Johnston's intermittent experiences as a very well functioning alcoholic. Her raw, honest story, which includes intimate family details, is brave, entertaining and highly educational. Thank you for writing such a gutsy and well-researched book.

Good to read

A thought-provoking, challenging read that really clarifies why women need to make smart choices about drinking alcohol. Highly recommend it.

Eye opening and brutally honest.