Close Menu
The Sober CuratorThe Sober Curator
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • ❤️ CONTENT
    • CONTRIBUTOR DIRECTORY
    • DEAR READERS✏️
    • MEET THE SOBER CURATOR
    • 📰 PRESS 📺
    • THE SOBEES 🐝
    • CONTACT 📧
  • HAPPY EVERY HOUR
    • NA BEERS AND CIDERS 🍺
    • NON-ALCOHOLIC WINES 🍾
    • NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS 🍸
    • READY TO DRINK 🥤
    • BEHIND THE BAR 🍋‍🟩
    • NA TASTING EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
  • HEALTH & WELLNESS
    • BREAK FREE
    • CODEPENDENCY
    • MASTERING MENTAL FITNESS 🧠💪🏼
    • MENTAL HEALTH 🧠
    • RELATIONSHIPS 🤟🏽
    • SOBER NOT SUBTLE
    • SOBER POETRY 🖋️
    • SPEAK OUT! SPEAK LOUD! 🗣️
    • SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE 🧬
    • WELLNESS AS A WAY OF LIFE
  • LIFESTYLE
    • #ADDTOCART 🛍️
    • ASK MRS. (W)RIGHT ⁉️
    • COMING OUT SOBER 🏳️‍🌈
    • 🏆 CONTENT
    • ✂️CURATED CRAFTS🎨
    • FASHION 👠
    • SHOP 🛒
    • SOBER SPOTLIGHT 🔦
    • SOBER CONTENT CREATION 💻
    • SOBER UNBUZZED FEED
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • #QUITLIT 📚
    • MOVIE REVIEWS 🍿
    • MUSIC 🎶
    • POPCULTURE
    • RECOVERY PODCASTLAND 🎙️
    • SOBER CURATOR PODCAST 🎧
    • SOBER EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBER SPORTS
    • TV SHOW REVIEWS 📺
  • TRAVEL & EVENTS
    • SOBER EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBER RETREATS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBRIETY IN THE CITY
      • SOBER IN MINNEAPOLIS
      • SOBER IN NYC
      • SOBER IN SEATTLE
    • WHAT A TRIP! 🧳
  • SPIRITUAL GANGSTER
    • THE CARD DIVO 🔮
    • CLASSY PROBLEMS
    • SOBERCAST
    • SOBERSCOPES
    • SOBRIETY IN FLOW 🧘🏻‍♀️
    • THIRSTY FOR WONDER
    • SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE 🧬
    • STOICISM
  • RECOVERY RESOURCES
    • ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RESOURCE GUIDE
    • BREAK FREE FOUNDATION
    • FAMILY RESOURCES
    • GLOSSARY OF ADDICTION AND RECOVERY TERMS
    • LGBTQ+ RECOVERY RESOURCES
    • RECOVERY STORIES
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest YouTube LinkedIn TikTok
The Sober CuratorThe Sober Curator
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • ❤️ CONTENT
    • CONTRIBUTOR DIRECTORY
    • DEAR READERS✏️
    • MEET THE SOBER CURATOR
    • 📰 PRESS 📺
    • THE SOBEES 🐝
    • CONTACT 📧
  • HAPPY EVERY HOUR
    • NA BEERS AND CIDERS 🍺
    • NON-ALCOHOLIC WINES 🍾
    • NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS 🍸
    • READY TO DRINK 🥤
    • BEHIND THE BAR 🍋‍🟩
    • NA TASTING EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
  • HEALTH & WELLNESS
    • BREAK FREE
    • CODEPENDENCY
    • MASTERING MENTAL FITNESS 🧠💪🏼
    • MENTAL HEALTH 🧠
    • RELATIONSHIPS 🤟🏽
    • SOBER NOT SUBTLE
    • SOBER POETRY 🖋️
    • SPEAK OUT! SPEAK LOUD! 🗣️
    • SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE 🧬
    • WELLNESS AS A WAY OF LIFE
  • LIFESTYLE
    • #ADDTOCART 🛍️
    • ASK MRS. (W)RIGHT ⁉️
    • COMING OUT SOBER 🏳️‍🌈
    • 🏆 CONTENT
    • ✂️CURATED CRAFTS🎨
    • FASHION 👠
    • SHOP 🛒
    • SOBER SPOTLIGHT 🔦
    • SOBER CONTENT CREATION 💻
    • SOBER UNBUZZED FEED
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • #QUITLIT 📚
    • MOVIE REVIEWS 🍿
    • MUSIC 🎶
    • POPCULTURE
    • RECOVERY PODCASTLAND 🎙️
    • SOBER CURATOR PODCAST 🎧
    • SOBER EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBER SPORTS
    • TV SHOW REVIEWS 📺
  • TRAVEL & EVENTS
    • SOBER EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBER RETREATS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBRIETY IN THE CITY
      • SOBER IN MINNEAPOLIS
      • SOBER IN NYC
      • SOBER IN SEATTLE
    • WHAT A TRIP! 🧳
  • SPIRITUAL GANGSTER
    • THE CARD DIVO 🔮
    • CLASSY PROBLEMS
    • SOBERCAST
    • SOBERSCOPES
    • SOBRIETY IN FLOW 🧘🏻‍♀️
    • THIRSTY FOR WONDER
    • SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE 🧬
    • STOICISM
  • RECOVERY RESOURCES
    • ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RESOURCE GUIDE
    • BREAK FREE FOUNDATION
    • FAMILY RESOURCES
    • GLOSSARY OF ADDICTION AND RECOVERY TERMS
    • LGBTQ+ RECOVERY RESOURCES
    • RECOVERY STORIES
The Sober CuratorThe Sober Curator
Home - #QUITLIT: Blackout – Remembering The Things I Drank To Forget
#QUITLIT

#QUITLIT: Blackout – Remembering The Things I Drank To Forget

Contributor to The Sober CuratorBy Contributor to The Sober CuratorApril 24, 20244 Mins Read
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Sarah Hepola’s “Blackout: Remembering The Things I Drank To Forget” is less like a stroll down memory lane and more like a bumpy ride through a colorful life punctuated with potholes (not plot holes, mind). Hepola shares a spectrum of stories in her award-winning memoir, some familiar to your everyday drinker—think college parties and boozy dinners. Some, though, might not be so familiar—think stealing beer as a pre-teen to drink alone or waking up in a Parisian hotel just hours before a flight and no passport.

Blackout drinking is not reserved for the alcoholic. Plenty of us have experienced a blackout after a few too many drinks and a few too… few calories. But Hepola brings us in close with this candid confessional, telling us what it’s like when blacking out is par for the course, but you don’t want to stop drinking. She takes us along for the highs of communal intoxication and the lows of solitary, hopeless hangovers. The memoir drips with something that we sober folk can’t get enough of – brutal honesty. That said, if you’re not ready to interrogate your suspect situations and past involving drink, this might not be for you yet. This book takes us through some painful moments in Hepola’s past that likely wouldn’t have happened were it not for alcohol, with the question of consent playing a small but powerful part in the book.

#ADDTOCART ON AMAZON

From taking risks with her career to rocky relationships to moments of real and gut-wrenching despair, we get to see the author’s rocky journey with alcohol. That includes a long period during which she knew things weren’t okay, but she didn’t have the resources to fix it. That’s not to say she couldn’t afford rehab—we’re not talking about financial resources. The kind of resources we see Hepola lack and gain were of a different ilk: community, spirituality, and emotional stability—those precious resources that are ultimately priceless.

Any book recounting a journey with addiction runs the risk of either glazing over the gory details or wallowing for too long in the mire of misery and dejection. Hepola balances the two delicately, offering neither an overly sanitized morality tale nor a glorification of the debauched depths of drink. It’s raw, yes, and unflinchingly so, which is precisely why it’s so bloody brilliant. She manages to narrate and analyze her history with a wit that doesn’t undermine the severity of her experiences but makes them palpable, even relatable.

“I finally understood alcohol was not a cure for pain; it was merely a postponement.”

Sarah Hepola

The line that I left with that I related to so deeply in that it was the reason I quit drinking too, reads: “I finally understood alcohol was not a cure for pain; it was merely a postponement.” Ouch. In this single sentence, Hepola sums up the difficult reality that the solution to so many suffering peoples’ problems is nothing of the sort—alcohol isn’t solving your problem; it’s delaying it and adding a hangover to it, too.

There’s so much more to this book that I could stuff into a longer, more detailed review, but the story speaks for itself. From her experience with AA to the value of friendships to all the things she learned and tried out in her sobriety, this book shows you what’s waiting at the end of a painful battle with alcohol. It’s an honest and searching personal account that feels like reading a gripping fictional tale. I highly recommend you read it if you’re in the mood for some #QUITLIT laced with drama, revelations, and inspiration. This is not just a story for those who have stumbled along similar paths but for anyone who appreciates the brutal beauty of an honest, well-told life story.

The Sobees #QUITLIT Score: 4.5 out of 5

QUITLIT Book review The Sober Curator 4.5 out of 5 Sobees

Sober Curator Pro Tip: Real Sarah Hepola fans know all about her: Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em Podcast | Substack


Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. 

#QUITLIT is our curated list of addiction and recovery book reviews. All Sober Curator Contributors should be well-read, from addiction and recovery memoirs to fiction and self-help. You can also find us on Goodreads here. 

What’s on your nightstand? We want to hear about what you’re reading and the addiction and recovery books you can’t live without. Please email us at thesobercurator@gmail.com

In the mood to #ADDTOCART? Check out our curated list of #QUITLIT books in our Amazon Shop.

ADDICTION FICTION: reviews featuring addiction, recovery, and mental health storylines.


The Sober Curator Email newsletter
SOBERSCRIBE NOW!
Resources Are Available

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.

follow the sober curator on youtube

Subscribe to The Sober Curator on YouTube

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
Contributor to The Sober Curator

Related Posts

#QUITLIT Book Review_ “UnSweetined” by Jodie Sweetin

#QUITLIT Book Review: “UnSweetined” by Jodie Sweetin — A Full House Star’s Sobriety Story

October 19, 2025
CUDI The Memoir QUITLIT Book review The Sober Curator

“Cudi: The Memoir” – A Journey Through Dreams, Darkness, and Sobriety 

October 9, 2025
27 Addiction Fiction Books We’ve Reviewed _ The Sober Curator

27 Addiction Fiction Books We’ve Reviewed | The Sober Curator

October 2, 2025

Comments are closed.

Sober City Mobile App
SOBERSCRIBE AND GET ON THE LIST!
7 events found.
  • Week of October 20
  • Previous week
  • Next week
Notice
No events scheduled for October 20, 2025.
Notice
No events scheduled for October 21, 2025.
7:00 pm
BigVision Recovery Horror Film Reading
October 22 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm PDT

BigVision Recovery Horror Film Reading

BigVision 309 Social Club 309 East 49th Street @ 2nd Ave, New York
$15.00
Ongoing
15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025
October 23 @ 2:00 pm - October 26 @ 10:00 am PDT

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

Hill Country RV Resort and Event Center 17740 Texas 16, Medina
$55.20
7:00 pm
Sober Dating + Comedy | Sober AF Bottle Shop Tacoma, WA
October 23 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm PDT

Sober Dating + Comedy | Sober AF Bottle Shop Tacoma, WA

SOBER AF Bottle Shop Tacoma 5222 S Tacoma Way, Tacoma
$28.52
Ongoing
15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025
October 23 @ 2:00 pm - October 26 @ 10:00 am PDT

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

Hill Country RV Resort and Event Center 17740 Texas 16, Medina
$55.20
12:00 pm
Recovery in Practice – 2 Day Conference
October 24 @ 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm PDT

Recovery in Practice – 2 Day Conference

Bodecker Foundation 2360 NW Quimby St., Portland
Free
3:00 pm
Speed Dating: Sober & In Recovery
October 24 @ 3:30 pm - 7:00 pm PDT

Speed Dating: Sober & In Recovery

Planted Cafe 333 Smith Street, Brooklyn
$40.00
+ 1 More
Ongoing
15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025
October 23 @ 2:00 pm - October 26 @ 10:00 am PDT

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

Hill Country RV Resort and Event Center 17740 Texas 16, Medina
$55.20
MACHU PICCHU | Capsule Adventures
October 25 @ 5:00 am - November 2 @ 2:00 pm PDT

MACHU PICCHU | Capsule Adventures

Cusco, the Salktanay Trail, and Machu Picchu!
See website
Antigua 12 Sober Travel Retreat
October 25 @ 9:00 am - November 1 @ 5:00 pm PDT

Antigua 12 Sober Travel Retreat

$4000 – $5000
5:00 am
Shatterproof Walks to End Addiction Stigma
October 25 @ 5:00 am - 9:00 am PDT

Shatterproof Walks to End Addiction Stigma

Pier 76 Hudson River Park 408 12th Avenue, New York
11:00 am
Happy.Sober.Free: Madison Meet-Up
October 25 @ 11:00 am - 6:30 pm PDT

Happy.Sober.Free: Madison Meet-Up

Goodman Community Center - Iron Works 149 Waubesa Street, Madison
$111.00
Recovery in Practice – 2 Day Conference
October 25 @ 11:00 am - 9:00 pm PDT

Recovery in Practice – 2 Day Conference

Bodecker Foundation 2360 NW Quimby St., Portland
Free
+ 6 More
Ongoing
15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025
October 23 @ 2:00 pm - October 26 @ 10:00 am PDT

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

Hill Country RV Resort and Event Center 17740 Texas 16, Medina
$55.20
MACHU PICCHU | Capsule Adventures
October 25 @ 5:00 am - November 2 @ 2:00 pm PDT

MACHU PICCHU | Capsule Adventures

Cusco, the Salktanay Trail, and Machu Picchu!
See website
Antigua 12 Sober Travel Retreat
October 25 @ 9:00 am - November 1 @ 5:00 pm PDT

Antigua 12 Sober Travel Retreat

$4000 – $5000

Week of Events

Mon 20
Tue 21
Wed 22
Thu 23
Fri 24
Sat 25
Sun 26
October 23 @ 2:00 pm - October 26 @ 10:00 am <span class='timezone'> PDT </span>

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

October 23 @ 2:00 pm - October 26 @ 10:00 am PDT

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025 Join us for the 15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025! Where all clean and sober motorcycle riders can gather annually in the Tx Hill

$55.20
October 23 @ 2:00 pm - October 26 @ 10:00 am <span class='timezone'> PDT </span>

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

October 23 @ 2:00 pm - October 26 @ 10:00 am <span class='timezone'> PDT </span>

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

October 25 @ 5:00 am - November 2 @ 2:00 pm <span class='timezone'> PDT </span>

MACHU PICCHU | Capsule Adventures

MACHU PICCHU | Capsule Adventures

October 25 @ 5:00 am - November 2 @ 2:00 pm PDT

MACHU PICCHU | Capsule Adventures

MACHU PICCHU | Capsule Adventures Our journey blends the culture and cuisine of Cusco with the legendary Salkantay Trail, culminating at the Incan masterpiece of Machu Picchu. Trek through shifting

See website
October 25 @ 9:00 am - November 1 @ 5:00 pm <span class='timezone'> PDT </span>

Antigua 12 Sober Travel Retreat

Antigua 12 Sober Travel Retreat

October 25 @ 9:00 am - November 1 @ 5:00 pm PDT

Antigua 12 Sober Travel Retreat

Rediscover Peace & Purpose in Antiqua If you’re in recovery—whether newly sober or years into your journey—and ready to reconnect with your purpose, build meaningful connections, and embrace a life

$4000 – $5000
October 23 @ 2:00 pm - October 26 @ 10:00 am <span class='timezone'> PDT </span>

15th Annual Texas Serenity Run 2025

October 25 @ 5:00 am - November 2 @ 2:00 pm <span class='timezone'> PDT </span>

MACHU PICCHU | Capsule Adventures

October 25 @ 9:00 am - November 1 @ 5:00 pm <span class='timezone'> PDT </span>

Antigua 12 Sober Travel Retreat

October 22, 2025 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
BigVision Recovery Horror Film Reading
October 22 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm PDT

BigVision Recovery Horror Film Reading

BigVision Recovery Horror Film Reading Step into the shadows for a spine-chilling evening at the 309 Social Club. Join us for a live reading of In The Ghost Light, a recovery-themed

$15.00
October 23, 2025 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sober Dating + Comedy | Sober AF Bottle Shop Tacoma, WA
October 23 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm PDT

Sober Dating + Comedy | Sober AF Bottle Shop Tacoma, WA

Sober Dating + Comedy | Sober AF Bottle Shop Tacoma, WA Sober speed dating comedy event, where sober singles can date other singles at a venue not centered around drinking!

$28.52
October 24, 2025 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Recovery in Practice – 2 Day Conference
October 24 @ 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm PDT

Recovery in Practice – 2 Day Conference

Recovery in Practice - 2 Day Conference Recovery in Practice—a free two-day conference—will take place October 24-25, 2025, in NW Portland, uniting artists, authors, activists and researchers for workshops, panel

Free
October 24, 2025 3:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Speed Dating: Sober & In Recovery
October 24 @ 3:30 pm - 7:00 pm PDT

Speed Dating: Sober & In Recovery

Speed Dating: Sober & In Recovery Find Your Match! - A Dating & Social Series for Everyone! Different Themes every week. Different Vibes. One Community. Speed Dating: Sober / In

$40.00
October 24, 2025 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Rocky Horror Picture Show Night at SOBER AF Zero Proof Bottle Shop
October 24 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm PDT

Rocky Horror Picture Show Night at SOBER AF Zero Proof Bottle Shop

Rocky Horror Picture Show Night Time & Location Oct 24, 2025, 5:00 PM Sober AF Zero Proof Bottle Shop, 5222 S Tacoma Way, Tacoma, WA 98409, USA About the event

See website
+ 1 More
October 25, 2025 5:00 am - 9:00 am
Shatterproof Walks to End Addiction Stigma
October 25 @ 5:00 am - 9:00 am PDT

Shatterproof Walks to End Addiction Stigma

Shatterproof Walks to End Addiction Stigma Together, we walk to end addiction stigma and restore hope for those impacted by substance use disorder. Together, we can change attitudes and save

October 25, 2025 11:00 am - 6:30 pm
Happy.Sober.Free: Madison Meet-Up
October 25 @ 11:00 am - 6:30 pm PDT

Happy.Sober.Free: Madison Meet-Up

Happy.Sober.Free: Madison Meet-Up Join us for an epic sober and wellness event where we will gather, connect and have fun! The day will feature yoga, live music & much more!

$111.00
October 25, 2025 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Recovery in Practice – 2 Day Conference
October 25 @ 11:00 am - 9:00 pm PDT

Recovery in Practice – 2 Day Conference

Recovery in Practice - 2 Day Conference Recovery in Practice—a free two-day conference—will take place October 24-25, 2025, in NW Portland, uniting artists, authors, activists and researchers for workshops, panel

Free
+ 6 More
View Calendar
Thirty for Wonder by Anne Marie Cribbin
The Sober Curator
Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok YouTube Pinterest
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • LINKS DISCLAIMER
  • EDITORIAL GUIDELINES
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • REFUND POLICY
  • DON’T SELL MY INFO
  • DATA SUBJECT REQUEST FORM
  • CONTACT US
© 2025 The Sober Curator - Benefits of a Alcohol Free Lifestyle

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.