Kick the Drink. . .Easily!

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I discovered a passion for sobriety after about three months of giving up alcohol `for a while'. It did not take long to realise that life without alcohol was immeasurably better in every way. Overall, I think it makes a good case against alcohol. It is more a large collection of anecdotes than a well cited review of the evidence. However, we all know that this evidence is out there. The book is designed to convince people to stop drinking, and people often respond better to anecdotes than hard evidence. I would love to give this 5-Stars, but I can't. Not because it doesn't work, it does! I read Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Stop Drinking first, and the author of this book appears to have taken what he wrote, and just updated it since Carr is now deceased. That's ok, because the language and examples were a bit dated in Carr's book. Still, it's a little strange to read something that almost feels like something you read before that is just paraphrased from something else.

The strangest thing of all is that occasionally I have a dream that I've been drinking and when I wake up I feel disappointed in myself, until I realise it was only a dream. I bought this book 6 months ago and got most of the way through it - did about 10 days off the booze and then succumbed to temptation. I find myself being much more productive. I get up early for the gym. I remember my evenings. I feel great all the time. I haven't dieted but in a month I've lost 8 pounds in weight. I've saved LOTS of money and my self respect is at an all time high. It also tastes like piss. We all know it. We all had that first drink, it was horrible. But we kept at it because it was the socially acceptable thing to do and gradually built up a tolerance to the horrible taste. But at the end of the day it is still a poison that our body does not like. Whether you agree with this statement or not, one thing is for sure, you will never see alcohol in the same light ever again after reading this book. Jason Vale takes an honest and hard hitting look at people’s conceptions of our most widely consumed drug. Jason’s major argument is there is no such thing as an ‘alcoholic’ and that we are conditioned to accept alcohol as a ‘normal’ substance in today’s society despite the fact that it is the major cause of many of today’s social problems and a wide range of health issues.

Jason Vale fearlessly confronts every misconception about alcohol and a teetotal lifestyle and offers practical, down-to-earth advice on how to overcome issues such as: `what do I tell my friends and family?'; `will people think I'm boring?'; or `where will my confidence come from?' Jason realises the dominant feeling experienced by those contemplating a life without alcohol is fear. Fear they will no longer enjoy life; that their social life will be neutered; that they are forever depriving themselves of a precious treat. So - the question you'll be asking yourself is whether to buy this book. Absolute 100% yes. You can stop drinking with this book if you have the will to do so. And if it doesn't work for you, you'll have spent a fiver on the book but saved at least that with a few days off the booze.

The rest of the book smashes these concepts, proving that without alcohol your social life will not only survive but flourish; relaxation will be deeper (and not merely a drug-induced stupor); and that there is a treasure-trove of other treats beyond intoxication. As for his tenet that there is no such thing as alcoholism, that is less clear. Mainly because nobody can really agree on what alcoholism is.So I did read it and unsurprisingly no damage was done and I am still happily and contentedly alcohol free.