This #QUITLIT review features This Naked Mind, by Annie Grace, which has ignited a movement across the country, helping thousands of people forever change their relationship with alcohol.
This Naked Mind
The first thing that struck me about this book was Ms. Grace’s claim that she has discovered a way to stop drinking permanently, with no cravings, sense of loss, or 12-step programs. She promises new insight and concepts that will allow you to consciously halt the drinking that caused you to pick up the book in the first place. I found this reassuring, as I had embarked on my own journey of living alcohol-free 14 months prior to reading the book.
Were Annie and I on the same page?
The answer was a resounding “Yes!” When I read, in Chapter 13, about how aligning one’s subconscious brain with their conscious desire to quit drinking will result in “spontaneous sobriety,” my jaw literally dropped. Here was the explanation I had been seeking to validate my cold-turkey, no-looking-back decision to quite drinking, and how I had experienced virtually no withdrawal symptoms or cravings. I had the exact same experience that Annie described her father having. It was reassuring to know that I wasn’t a unicorn!
Bold assertions
Annie makes bold assertions like: “Skepticism won’t impact your result,” and “Continue to drink while reading this book.” She goes on to discuss how it is the subconscious mind that forms our perception of reality based on our “personal experiences, observations, assumptions, and conclusions, which are the foundation of our beliefs.” She then provides facts to re-inform our subconscious.
Between her narrative, Grace intersperses a series of Liminal Points that challenge our ingrained beliefs about alcohol. Questions such as “Is drinking a habit?” “Are we really drinking for taste?” and “Does drinking make me happy?” are asked and answered in a manner that explains how our experiences, observations, assumptions, conclusions, and beliefs (a deliberately recurring theme) have led us to our current situation.
As an advertising executive, Annie delves into the influence of media and culture in perpetuating the Great Alcohol Myth to exploit billions of dollars from the public under the pretense of making us appear smarter, wealthier, more refined, and (you guessed it) sexier, based on the contents of our glasses.
Why you’ll like Annie
Annie uses clear logic, credible science, and the voice of experience to compel the reader to let go of societal conditioning and face the fact that alcohol causes more problems than it fixes. She gives you hope that with some honest work you can free yourself from alcohol’s grip and never feel like you’re being denied any enjoyment.
Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that Annie’s method works. I can also tell you that it only works if you are 100% committed to making a change. To this end, she cleverly adds a caveat at the beginning of Chapter 22: The Secret to Happily and Easily Drinking Less, warning the reader that skipping ahead to this chapter will not be effective if you haven’t done the work outlined in previous chapters. She’s right. There is no easy way out, but if you do the work, you can succeed.
75% of people who recover from alcohol dependence do so without seeking professional help
Grace points out that 75% of people who recover from alcohol dependence do so without seeking any professional help. She offers guidance that can lead to true transformation, without deprivation, that will allow you to reclaim the joy and freedom you experienced before alcohol took control of your life. You will finish the book feeling informed, inspired, and empowered to face the future. If you feel that alcohol has overtaken your life, you want to make a change, and AA isn’t an appealing option to you, I highly recommend This Naked Mind.
The Sobees #QUITLIT Score: 5 out of 5
Annie Grace on Sober YouTube
MOVIE NIGHT WITH THE SOBER CURATOR: The Best TV Shows, Movies, and Documentaries About Addiction & Recovery
To read more from Janeill Besecker, be sure to check out her essay on abstinence from alcohol called 100 Stones.
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Resources Are Available
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