99% Sober – by Patrick Ruddy

The idea here is one of occasional, mindful drinking. One that sees you without alcohol cravings, without alcohol as part of your weekly shop, but such that you can still imbibe on special occasions if you so choose.

The problem that many people find when adopting such a goal, is that the concept of “special occasions” gets downgraded rapidly! Seeing a friend? Special occasion. Going out for dinner? Special occasion. Going out for drinks? Special occasion. Had a hard day and deserve a little treat? Special occasion. And so forth.

The author bids the reader put aside such questions as “Am I an alcoholic?”, and instead focus on improving life with less alcohol in it. His own journey was a fairly typical recovery story, with its rock bottom, the decision to fix things, what he found helped him during the first 6 months (he offers 15 tools for this), and the framing of eventual relapse as a pivot to “99% sober”.

Is the idea that “total sobriety is not what’s really important” a matter of sour grapes? Maybe, but for many, the reframe of “99% sober” may allow readers to experience relapse without falling into an all-or-nothing state of despair which is more likely to make further recovery harder. So, there’s a trade-off there.

The style is personal, with the self-help tone that you’d expect. There’s very little science, but there is some, which is referenced with a modest bibliography.

Bottom line: if you’ve found that quitting alcohol 100% is hard, or even if you just want to reduce your drinking, this book may help you find a middleground that works for you.

Click here to check out 99% Sober, and be 99% sober!