Recovering alcoholic here, 2.5 years into sobriety. I call this period since January 2021 “my second life” because I’d tried and failed to control my drinking for several years before I kicked the habit.
Anyway , I was a voracious reader of memoirs in Sarah’s genre in the early months of my sobriety. Hers is good. If you like Sarah’s book, you’ll probably love “Drinking: A Love Story” and perhaps the movie “The Lost Weekend.”
(Heads up: I wouldn’t recommend the latter to anyone who still has an out-of-control addiction.
As an Elder Millenial (b. 1982) and as someone who identifies much more with late Gen X than Millennials I’ll tell you exactly what’s been lost between generations: boredom. As in long stretches of time where you’re forced to contemplate silently and without outside stimuli save for maybe a book.
Sarah is a great conversationalist and I am really digging this interview.
I loved being able to come into this podcast knowing her story and having read her book.
I have been dabbling with sobriety since New Years and I think Sarah’s book has calcified my general idea that my life is much better without drinking. I have battled anxiety for years and until this year that I hadn’t recognized alcohol as both the cause and solution to my MH struggles. What an absurd loop to ride on for over a decade. The one heuristic (hopefully the right word, I am a farmer!) that I have taken away is thinking about other products and experiences and my feelings about them if I knew there was a non-zero chance that I would blackout from, say, eating a chocolate bar. I sure as hell would never bug another chocolate bar...
Funny they brought up Adam Carolla. I was an obsessive listener of his from the beginning of his morning radio show through the first five-or-so years of his podcast. I eventually had to stop because he got increasingly angry, mean spirited, and repetitive. And, as it would happen, he's currently going through a contentious divorce with his wife. A lot of people have speculated that he's become a functional alcoholic and that wouldn't surprise me at all.
The talk about needing to like the right things really resonated with me, I've never been able to do it. I grew up without a TV, and I remember as a kid constantly being surprised- everyone would show up at school and be excited about something new. It was baffling. I'd never heard of Power Rangers, and then it was all anyone could talk about. I'd never heard of Pokemon, and then that's what everyone's doing at lunch. You show up to school and everyone has purchased baggy jeans for some reason.
It all sounds trivial as an adult but it was really alienating as a kid.
Concerning Jewish people and alcohol historically, I suggest Glen Dynner’s Yankele’s Tavern. What Sarah mentioned is a reason why Jewish people tend to have a higher rate of depression.
Recovering alcoholic here, 2.5 years into sobriety. I call this period since January 2021 “my second life” because I’d tried and failed to control my drinking for several years before I kicked the habit.
Anyway , I was a voracious reader of memoirs in Sarah’s genre in the early months of my sobriety. Hers is good. If you like Sarah’s book, you’ll probably love “Drinking: A Love Story” and perhaps the movie “The Lost Weekend.”
(Heads up: I wouldn’t recommend the latter to anyone who still has an out-of-control addiction.
As an Elder Millenial (b. 1982) and as someone who identifies much more with late Gen X than Millennials I’ll tell you exactly what’s been lost between generations: boredom. As in long stretches of time where you’re forced to contemplate silently and without outside stimuli save for maybe a book.
Terrific, no notes
Sarah is a great conversationalist and I am really digging this interview.
I loved being able to come into this podcast knowing her story and having read her book.
I have been dabbling with sobriety since New Years and I think Sarah’s book has calcified my general idea that my life is much better without drinking. I have battled anxiety for years and until this year that I hadn’t recognized alcohol as both the cause and solution to my MH struggles. What an absurd loop to ride on for over a decade. The one heuristic (hopefully the right word, I am a farmer!) that I have taken away is thinking about other products and experiences and my feelings about them if I knew there was a non-zero chance that I would blackout from, say, eating a chocolate bar. I sure as hell would never bug another chocolate bar...
Funny they brought up Adam Carolla. I was an obsessive listener of his from the beginning of his morning radio show through the first five-or-so years of his podcast. I eventually had to stop because he got increasingly angry, mean spirited, and repetitive. And, as it would happen, he's currently going through a contentious divorce with his wife. A lot of people have speculated that he's become a functional alcoholic and that wouldn't surprise me at all.
The talk about needing to like the right things really resonated with me, I've never been able to do it. I grew up without a TV, and I remember as a kid constantly being surprised- everyone would show up at school and be excited about something new. It was baffling. I'd never heard of Power Rangers, and then it was all anyone could talk about. I'd never heard of Pokemon, and then that's what everyone's doing at lunch. You show up to school and everyone has purchased baggy jeans for some reason.
It all sounds trivial as an adult but it was really alienating as a kid.
Beautiful conversation.
Such a great pod. Don't worry about the length, as long as the conversation is that good.
Pretty ironic that Sarah's photo is from a Cowboys game when it's clear she doesn't watch or care about sports....
You’ve sold me. I’m buying the book.
Well this was just lovely
Concerning Jewish people and alcohol historically, I suggest Glen Dynner’s Yankele’s Tavern. What Sarah mentioned is a reason why Jewish people tend to have a higher rate of depression.