In the world of “quit lit” two books by Laura McKowen are in vogue: memoir We Are the Luckiest:The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life and the newly released Push Off from Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety (and Everything Else).
McKowen is the CEO and founder of The Luckiest Club, a supportive online community for those seeking recovery from alcohol addiction.
I. We Are the Luckiest
Fear of losing her preschooler daughter provided McKowen the main impetus to seek help for her alcoholism. Publishers Weekly: “McKowen makes the case that her addiction, while incredibly painful and difficult, ultimately made her lucky by allowing her to experience an alcohol-free life. Even as she encourages others to follow her path, she acknowledges it is excruciating…but promises it’s worth it. McKowen’s moving story will be a boon to those seeking help with addiction.”
Selected Quotes from We Are the Luckiest
One of the students raised his had and said, matter-of-factly, ‘I’m afraid I can’t stop drinking.’
The room went silent. All eyes went to our teacher, David.
Without missing a beat, he smiled, looked at him, and said, ‘Of course you can. Are you drinking now?’
‘No.’
‘And now?’
He smiled, and said softly, ‘No.’
‘…and how about right now?’
We all smiled this time.
‘No.’
Loneliness started to abate only when I began to really let people in and tell them the truth, and that took a long, long time. The antidote to loneliness wasn’t just being around others or sharing common ground. It was intimacy.
If something is keeping you from being fully present and showing up in your life the way you want, then deciding to change that thing is a matter of life and death. It’s the difference between existing and actually living.
II. Push Off from Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety (and Everything Else)
From the publisher: “When Laura McKowen was two years sober, she received an email from a woman whose sister was struggling with alcohol addiction. McKowen had barely climbed out from the dark place the woman’s sister was in, but she made a list of the things she most needed to hear when she was deep in her own battle.”
Here is that list on which Push Off from Here is based:
1. It is not your fault.
2. It is your responsibility.
3. It is unfair that this is your thing.
4. This is your thing.
5. This will never stop being your thing until you face it.
6. You cannot do it alone.
7. Only you can do it.
8. You are loved.
9. We will never stop reminding you of these things.
Hello Someday Coaching offers a brief description of each of the above. Scroll down the page (on the link provided) to find it.
Readers of Push Off from Here emphasize that people dealing with challenges other than alcohol addiction can also benefit from this book.