4.58

4

Aug 07, 2018

4 STARS!

I thought This Naked Mind was a pretty decent book and I enjoyed the information in it on how addicting alcohol becomes and how prevalent it is in society.
Annie Grace goes into how society and marketing has made alcohol into a substance that we have to have in our lives.
She also talks about how addicting alcohol is and that most of us have no problem drinking poison.

Look at weddings, sports events, New Years Eve to just going to happy hour with friends. Alcohol is always present.
What 4 STARS!

I thought This Naked Mind was a pretty decent book and I enjoyed the information in it on how addicting alcohol becomes and how prevalent it is in society.
Annie Grace goes into how society and marketing has made alcohol into a substance that we have to have in our lives.
She also talks about how addicting alcohol is and that most of us have no problem drinking poison.

Look at weddings, sports events, New Years Eve to just going to happy hour with friends. Alcohol is always present.
What about when you cook? Do you have a glass of wine like I do?
When you have a super stressful day, what's the first thing you think about doing? Drinking alcohol to unwind?

I decided to listen to this book after giving up alcohol for a year.
(Disclaimer: It might be forever depending on how the year goes. I'm still new at this and I'm trying to go about this at my own pace. I want to be mentally happy with this decision.)

Over the last 5 years, I noticed that my professional life was going great! From getting a new job, making more money and having the ability to finally buy our first house.

But my physical body and health was taking a shellacking. My autoimmune disease was getting worse, my energy was nonexistent and the pounds just kept piling on.

So I had an AHA moment and thought,

"You drink a lot.
You say you'll only have one glass of wine with dinner most nights but it ends up becoming half a bottle and then on really stressful days, it's a whole bottle.
Why are you drinking so much? What are you getting from alcohol?
What is alcohol really giving you in your life besides ranging hangovers, feeling like shit in the morning and not having any energy to work out?"

So, this is my journey for the next year and I can say, I've been alcohol free for two weeks now and I'm feeling really good. I started working out again, my body doesn't hurt as much and I'm getting up easier in the morning for work.
I start at 6:30am so it's never going to be "that" easy. hahaha

Have I had alcohol cravings during the last two weeks?
You bet your sweet ass I have.

And you know why?
It's because alcohol is highly addictive, changes the chemical components like dopamine in your brain and over time, you become more and more addicted to it. It's really hard to stay a moderate drinker.
Thanks for the info Annie Grace!

Let's do a test:

If I told you,
"Hey guys! I quit smoking crack."
What would you say?
Likely, "Great job!!! You can do it!"

Now if I say,
"Hey guys! I quit drinking alcohol."
What do most people say?
Likely, "Why?"

Just think about that the next time a family member, coworker or friend quits drinking. Try to support their decision, let them fight their dragons and try not to sabotage. I know you'll miss your drinking buddy but you can still do something else besides drinking! ...more

5

Mar 07, 2016

This is probably the most important book I've ever read. I was highly skeptical of the book's claims, as it flew in the face of everything I thought I knew about addiction. The simple act of reading the book and thinking critically transforms you and the problem with alcohol you have had. I went out the night I finished the book, to bars and stared at walls full of booze, shot girls going around passing out free liquor, and for the first time in my life, I felt absolutely nothing. No desire at This is probably the most important book I've ever read. I was highly skeptical of the book's claims, as it flew in the face of everything I thought I knew about addiction. The simple act of reading the book and thinking critically transforms you and the problem with alcohol you have had. I went out the night I finished the book, to bars and stared at walls full of booze, shot girls going around passing out free liquor, and for the first time in my life, I felt absolutely nothing. No desire at all to drink. It was closer to smugly turning it down and celebrating that I didn't have to drink. And I had a tremendous amount of fun. This book is a miracle. ...more

5

Jan 22, 2018

If you are thinking of quitting alcohol, this book will provide you with greater conviction to help you stay on the right path. I never considered myself an alcoholic because I never got a DUI and didn't get really drunk. Plus, the word makes you sound like a drug addict who can't control himself. But I drank a bottle of wine (sometimes more) every night for a few years. It cost a lot of money and I put on a lot of weight. I tried quitting a few times, but it was hard because I still liked it!

If you are thinking of quitting alcohol, this book will provide you with greater conviction to help you stay on the right path. I never considered myself an alcoholic because I never got a DUI and didn't get really drunk. Plus, the word makes you sound like a drug addict who can't control himself. But I drank a bottle of wine (sometimes more) every night for a few years. It cost a lot of money and I put on a lot of weight. I tried quitting a few times, but it was hard because I still liked it!

This book showed me that (1) I was addicted (2) we are pressured by society and marketers to drink in order to promote a certain image of ourselves (3) I could quit if I decided I really wanted to.

(1) I never got really drunk and didn't drink in front of the kids, but the same time every night I would crave alcohol. If I went without it, I couldn't think of anything else. I thought I needed wine to relax, but in reality I was addicted so I had withdrawals if I didn't get my alcohol on time. The relaxation was not true relaxation, but a relief from withdrawal.

(2) "Alcohol is the only drug you have to justify NOT using to everyone". Paraphrase from the book, but it hit home. When you see scotch, do you picture a guy in a suit or in his chair in his den? When you picture Bud Light, do you picture football games, tailgating, or camping? When you picture red wine, do you picture it at a romantic white cloth dinner or some other type of relaxing atmosphere? If you want to be sophisticated and are wearing a suit, you can't go get a case of Bud Light--that projects the wrong image!

We are being manipulated by marketers. 88,000 people die a year from alcohol. Bloggers, the occasional news outlet, and drinkers quote a few studies that claim light drinking is healthy. That's like saying in small doses sugar is okay and gives you energy. But they don't give weight to the fact alcohol is high addictive and can cause health and behavioral problems. Just like smoking and cancer, the health problems are way down the road, so we tell ourselves future "me" will worry about it.

(3) I tried quitting, but I still liked it. After realizing I didn't want to use a highly addictive substance that is a depressant, I decided I didn't like it anymore. And I quit and haven't had one craving since. ...more

2

Jan 13, 2018

This is not a book for critical thinkers. Grace is obviously a marketer and not a writer (though her prose is better than your typical business book authors). Although it appears to be marketed as something different from our standard AA treatment world, and even seems to be marketed as a way to cut back without quitting, in reality this is one long, repetitive AA meeting. The author claims the repetition will counteract the many years of alcohol marketing we've received over the course of our This is not a book for critical thinkers. Grace is obviously a marketer and not a writer (though her prose is better than your typical business book authors). Although it appears to be marketed as something different from our standard AA treatment world, and even seems to be marketed as a way to cut back without quitting, in reality this is one long, repetitive AA meeting. The author claims the repetition will counteract the many years of alcohol marketing we've received over the course of our lives, but if anyone thinks 200 pages of logical fallacy-ridden tripe will override years of well-funded marketing and corporate control of the political machine, well, there's a bridge in Brooklyn ...

The book does contain some real science, but what is there--the kind of information I was really wanting--is delivered in the most dry, textbook-y way imaginable. And the practical advice? Essentially nonexistent. "Tips" like "you have to starve those cravings, allow them to die" followed by doomsday predictions of you in the gutter provide no real tools.

Grace is quite good at suspense, though. Her frequent exhortations to hang with her till the end, to get to the really great "secret" she has, kept me with her until the penultimate chapter, when I finally realized there was no "there" there. ...more

5

Aug 24, 2016

"These marketers know that the most effective sale is an emotional sale, one that plays on your deepest fears, your ultimate concerns. Alcohol advertisements sell an end to loneliness, claiming that drinking provides friendship and romance. They appeal to your need for freedom by saying drinking will make you unique, brave, bold, or courageous. They promise fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness. All these messages speak to your conscious and unconscious minds."

Just browsing the Kindle Lenders "These marketers know that the most effective sale is an emotional sale, one that plays on your deepest fears, your ultimate concerns. Alcohol advertisements sell an end to loneliness, claiming that drinking provides friendship and romance. They appeal to your need for freedom by saying drinking will make you unique, brave, bold, or courageous. They promise fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness. All these messages speak to your conscious and unconscious minds."

Just browsing the Kindle Lenders Library for my next "free" read and came across this gem. The topic of alcohol has always amused me. It has amused me for the last 15 yrs of my life to be exact. The ups and downs (all negative if I really think about it) of the drinkers life. Hangovers, embarrassing moments, and the ever shrinking bank account due to (as I now realize) one of the dumbest purchases one can make. Don't get me wrong, I had never felt the NEED to quit, but I always sensed that alcohol played a negative part in my life but I tuned it out and went on with the party. If I wasn't hungover, it was my friends or family members. All part of adult life, right?

I would say the turning point for me, and the reason I decided to delve into such a topic was because of my fitness goals I was/am after. I wold go heavy 3-5 days a week in the gym for what? For the weekend to come by and drink 10 beers, some wine, and make horrible food choices accessible at one in the morning? Talk about time and energy well wasted. There was something always holding me back in achieving my goal, never really could put my finger on it, or perhaps, didn't want to.

The author hasn't re-invented the wheel, what she has done is write a great book that presents plenty of information on how our brains are wired into believing alcohol is, and should, play a part in our life. And this is where the "wow" moment for me was.

It was in the topic of marketing and how they sell us the idea of alcohol. I never really took a moment, not even a second, to truly question and analyze. I try to do that with just about everything, and if it doesn't make sense, I kick it to the curb. Alcohol, however, always got the pass. Hell, I bought into the "most interesting man in the world" beer advertisements. I bought into the world of craft-beer and their breweries and came up with a list of my favorites. Well, after 15 yrs of experience and some research, here is what I learned: It is all a bunch of nonsense. Being able to taste the quality between great wine and bad wine is nonsense. And unlike unnecessary clothing or electronics in which society tends to spend a good amount of money on (I am guilty with the electronics) booze has taken the lives of so many. Whether they slowly destroyed themselves from the inside or got crashed into driving home from work by a drunk driver.

Another key moment from the book is the concept of liking how alcohol tastes and the concept of "acquired taste". I can say that I was the first person in my group of friends and fellow drinkers to try Guinness and trained myself to like it. Everyone I told to try it told me the same thing, "how can you drink this shit?". Slowly but surely, they forced themselves as I did and now Guinness is a staple in our circle. I honestly believe the reason I forced myself to drink it was not because of the taste, but because it was the "healthiest" full bodied beer. Instead of you know, not drinking, I maneuvered alcohol in a way to still play a part in my life without affecting my progress at the gym too much. However, one Guinness turned into 3 and then 5 and then I was throwing up blackness. That healthy lifestyle...

The book was well written and provided many sources to the studies in which she draws her statements from. If you have an open mind, whether you want to quit or not, this book is well worth the read. The money I have saved from buying booze alone has made it worth it for me. Even though I have access to the free version, I will be buying this book because it is a very powerful book in which the author deserves to get a bit extra. ...more

2

Jul 28, 2018

I had high hopes for this read, but was somewhat let down. To preface, I didn’t see myself as having a problem with alcohol, however, since I did enjoy it regularly, I wanted to read this book as a way to become more aware of my relationship to the drug. Reading this did bring some awareness to my drinking habits, and ultimately changed my attitude towards alcohol, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. Still, in part thanks to this book, I’ve decided to give alcohol a rest for a month, so on the I had high hopes for this read, but was somewhat let down. To preface, I didn’t see myself as having a problem with alcohol, however, since I did enjoy it regularly, I wanted to read this book as a way to become more aware of my relationship to the drug. Reading this did bring some awareness to my drinking habits, and ultimately changed my attitude towards alcohol, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. Still, in part thanks to this book, I’ve decided to give alcohol a rest for a month, so on the other hand maybe I would recommend it.

If you do read it, this book should definitely be taken with a grain or two of salt. While I respect the author’s perspective, what works for her doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone else, but she seems rather oblivious of this. Furthermore, Grace writes of the symptoms as if it were the cause. Alcohol isn’t what’s making that “homeless guy in Las Vegas,” (who she’s continually referencing) miserable and living on the street; there are other causes that she’s ignoring. Many, if not most homeless people have mental disorders, and they use alcohol as a way to cope. Alcohol isn’t what made that man homeless, it’s just a way he tries to deal with what did make him homeless. Besides, how many successful and well-off people have some level of alcohol dependence?

One can become addicted to anything: video games, television, sweets, sex, exercise, etc... the problem isn’t alcohol, but a desire to avoid discomfort and escape reality.

Her arguments are sometimes dangerous. Some of her “facts” are presented in a skewed, incomplete fashion. She appears to blame social ills such as domestic violence on alcohol. The truth is that while alcohol might exacerbate violence, a partner who is willing to physically attack his/her lover doesn’t need alcohol to do so. Remember, alcohol certainly will never make a peaceful lover hurt their significant other. Her reasoning often doesn’t hold up.

Honestly, I’m a little surprised this book made it to market. The publisher is Avery of Penguin Random House. I think they knew it would sell because the title is promising and appears to be open-minded and almost Buddhist. However, what lies behind the cover is inconsistent and sometimes simply wrong.

There are some gems, however, and I will share them here:

1. It can take 10 days for alcohol to leave your system. This is good to know if you’re trying to detox.

2. Social activities can help prevent addiction.

3. There are some strong associations between alcohol and different types of cancer; ultimately alcohol is a poison.

4. Don’t believe the hype: alcohol will not make you pretty, handsome, young, happy, successful, fulfilled, or popular. Alcohol companies spend a lot of money on marketing to fool you.

5. You can and will enjoy doing things and socializing without alcohol and you’ll have more energy to do those things as well. Alcohol is not needed to have a good time with friends.

...more

3

Sep 09, 2018

Many have praised this book and with good reason. It’s well researched on the negative impact of drinking, both physically and mentally, so there is a lot about the book that is interesting and illuminating. It's also good at unpicking the failings of Alcoholics Anonymous, and I liked its positivity about living alcohol free.

Unfortunately for me it didn’t deliver as a whole. Firstly, I feel that the title is misleading; ‘control alcohol’ suggests it’s going to help a drinker to moderate intake, Many have praised this book and with good reason. It’s well researched on the negative impact of drinking, both physically and mentally, so there is a lot about the book that is interesting and illuminating. It's also good at unpicking the failings of Alcoholics Anonymous, and I liked its positivity about living alcohol free.

Unfortunately for me it didn’t deliver as a whole. Firstly, I feel that the title is misleading; ‘control alcohol’ suggests it’s going to help a drinker to moderate intake, but in the end the author advocates giving alcohol up altogether. Because I came to the book as someone who drinks a bit too much but not way too much, hoping it might help reduce my intake from around 25 units a week to 14, I found this irksome. I didn't want to give up drinking and I still don't. Half way through This Naked Mind I realised I was reading a book where the content didn’t match the way it was pitched. Like Annie Grace, I am a writer and for many years worked in marketing, and whilst I can appreciate ‘control alcohol’ will appeal to a broader readership than a ‘give up alcohol’ message, I came away feeling I had been misled.

I also found it jarring that the author describes herself as ‘a moderate drinker’ but says she was drinking ‘two bottles of wine a night’ prior to stopping, which isn’t my definition of ‘moderate’ - far from it! Nor was I convinced that she is a hoot sober. Grace may well be great company and funny (she claims to be both), but here perhaps the book might have benefited from more ‘show’ and less ‘tell’ - as it stands the writing isn't witty. In particular there is no irony and as a Brit I longed for some.

Perhaps most crucially of all, I was not persuaded by the notion of ‘cognitive dissonance’ as a motivation for abstention. As I understand it, the argument is that we are mentally distraught because we know alcohol has many negative effects overall, yet we are still drawn to drinking because we are conditioned to do so. I don’t disagree that western society heavily promotes drink, and I agree that we drink because we believe it is going to relax us and make us feel sexy, witty etc. However for many individuals the relationship with alcohol (as with other drugs) is very complex; it’s frequently used to numb anxiety, depression, grief and so on, and giving up may leave us very exposed other fronts. Being 'naked' all the time mentally is not that easy. Grace touches on these motivations but only lightly, whereas in my experience key to overcoming dependence is tackling these issues too. I’ve lost a partner to alcohol - he could not overcome these demons - and I can’t see that the cognitive dissonance argument is one that would have helped him to stop.

Furthermore, whilst perhaps there is something I failed to grasp, I believe living with cognitive dissonance is part of life. Uncertainty, ambiguity and conflicting responses to people, circumstances, experiences - in fact just about everything - are inevitable - not everything can be ironed out to resolve any sense of incoherence or discomfort. Otherwise it strikes me that we end up with a very black and white world, where anything that doesn’t make sense cognitively is ‘wrong’. Accepting conflicting parts of ourselves seems healthier and more pragmatic; I accept I have conflicting feelings about alcohol, just as I accept that I have conflicting emotions about my mother, my desire for chocolate and pros and cons of driving a car. I even have conflicting feelings about this book - part of me wants to give it 4 stars, part of me 2, so I’ve ended up with a compromise and given it 3! ...more

5

Jan 16, 2016

Inspired! Not pushy! Presents facts and opinions and let's you decide. Helps you think about alcohol in a new way and then discusses possible concerns you may have. I loved it !!! Great insight.

Inspired! Not pushy! Presents facts and opinions and let's you decide. Helps you think about alcohol in a new way and then discusses possible concerns you may have. I loved it !!! Great insight.

4

Jun 02, 2019

There are some bold claims in this book—heck, the title itself is pretty bold, but I like the author’s radically different approach to overcoming alcohol addiction. It took me a while to realize what she was doing, but the more I read, the more I realized the point of the whole book is to get the unconscious mind on the same page with the conscious mind about alcohol.
One of the book’s main points is that people have trouble stopping or even recognizing their drinking has become a problem There are some bold claims in this book—heck, the title itself is pretty bold, but I like the author’s radically different approach to overcoming alcohol addiction. It took me a while to realize what she was doing, but the more I read, the more I realized the point of the whole book is to get the unconscious mind on the same page with the conscious mind about alcohol.
One of the book’s main points is that people have trouble stopping or even recognizing their drinking has become a problem because we live in a culture in which the majority of the population drinks, and where drinking is celebrated. This affects us on an unconscious level so that even when a conscious decision to quit drinking is made, there’s cognitive dissonance which sabotages efforts to change.
One thing the author said that I’ve never heard before is that everyone has the potential to become an addict, not just people with a particular temperament or gene. Alcohol is a drug, and addiction comes with frequency of use. Everyone who drinks travels a path that leads to addiction. Not everyone travels at the same pace or reaches the end before they die, so some never reach the end point of addiction, but it’s still the same path. This actually makes a lot of sense to me.
The author details her own negative experiences with alcohol which fueled her desire to give it up, relates facts about the damage it does to the body and brain, and argues that the way we consume alcohol doesn’t make sense when compared with the way we consume any other food or drink. She’s adamant and persuasive, and I’m right there with her and her anger toward alcohol and the damage it does.
I read this out loud to an addicted loved one, a chapter or two at a time. He needed a fresh look at things, and I hope this approach unlocks something important. ...more

2

Dec 04, 2015

Alan Carr's How To Control Alcohol was a much better book. The author actually uses his concept of a pitcher plant and quotes him extensively. There were also a few statements in the book that are not scientifically accurate, for example the idea of stress causing ulcers. It is well proven that ulcers are caused by h. Pylori infection and treated with antibiotics. Made me skeptical of the whole book's level of research.

4

Jun 09, 2019

Disclaimer: I’d say my once-per-month drink is not an issue but I’ve heard this book recommended several times and wanted to find out why for myself. At the very least, I can say it made me very aware of the odd blind acceptance of alcohol in our culture. When we imagine alcoholics, we picture it happening to “them”. The drunk homeless man on the street. Nothing proves this to me more than the fact that I can spend an entire shift caring for a EtOH withdrawal patient, and at the end have someone Disclaimer: I’d say my once-per-month drink is not an issue but I’ve heard this book recommended several times and wanted to find out why for myself. At the very least, I can say it made me very aware of the odd blind acceptance of alcohol in our culture. When we imagine alcoholics, we picture it happening to “them”. The drunk homeless man on the street. Nothing proves this to me more than the fact that I can spend an entire shift caring for a EtOH withdrawal patient, and at the end have someone say “You had a rough shift. Go home and have a drink.” I just spent 12hrs seeing the true colors of alcohol, and yet it’s separated. We all do this for some reason. But the reality is, it’s a drug and we’re all susceptible to at least an emotional attachment to it, not to mention physical. I’d recommend this book to anyone to at least gain some awareness. It’s important knowledge to be armed with as life marches on. ...more

1

May 09, 2018

This is not even an original book, just a rewrite of Allen Carr's "Easyway To Stop Something and Something Else". Some personal anecdotes are added, and oh god they are so boring. The author seems to be under some sort of illusion that if she tells us that alcohol is bad, really really bad (no doubt about that), we shall all stop drinking it. This is not the case.

Don't waste your time.

5

Aug 22, 2016

This has broken the shackles. It has given me perspective. I am not a lost cause and I can help "not drinking" and still live a peaceful mind. I am a severe alcoholic and this book seems to have lifted 16 kilos of weight from my shoulders. Time will tell but the process has started...

5

April 4, 2018

A fantastic book and Annie's method works! I paired this with the audiobook using the book as more of a reference. It was the audiobook that sealed the deal for me. Annie's voice is easy to listen to and you can tell she's a real person that cares. I was quite skeptical at first when Annie said th...Full Review

5

August 4, 2018

Annie does a great job breaking down the roots of addiction and reasons why we can overcome it. This is a great read and I appreciate her so much for this.

5

Jul 17, 2016

This book totally changed the way I relate to alcohol; I no longer have any urges to drink, & it helped me to feel more alive again. Thank you Annie This book totally changed the way I relate to alcohol; I no longer have any urges to drink, & it helped me to feel more alive again. Thank you Annie ☺️ ...more

1

Aug 15, 2019

A Facebook friend recently completely a 30-day alcohol free challenge and mentioned this book. It sounded interesting, so I checked it out from the library.

This could have been half to a third of its actual length and not lost anything. The author warns you up front that she would be repetitive, and she was. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to serve her thesis very well—in fact, it had the opposite effect, as the repetition made me wonder when she would get around to her thesis. I found it preachy, A Facebook friend recently completely a 30-day alcohol free challenge and mentioned this book. It sounded interesting, so I checked it out from the library.

This could have been half to a third of its actual length and not lost anything. The author warns you up front that she would be repetitive, and she was. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to serve her thesis very well—in fact, it had the opposite effect, as the repetition made me wonder when she would get around to her thesis. I found it preachy, smug, and condescending, peppered with far too many endnotes to compensate for its bloviation. Some of her proofs I completely disagreed with as well.

If others found it helpful, good for them. To each their own. ...more

3

Apr 02, 2018

This book was never written for me. I don't care much about alcohol, it's not that I despise or even avoid it, it's just never been an integral part of my life. I read this book after hearing it mentioned on Pete Holmes podcast "You Made it Weird" and out of sheer curiosity only. And still, I felt like I learned something.



Alcohol is difficult. We don't question that drugs like meth or heroin are bad for us, we'd never have anyone do a line of coke in front of our children for example. Alcohol on This book was never written for me. I don't care much about alcohol, it's not that I despise or even avoid it, it's just never been an integral part of my life. I read this book after hearing it mentioned on Pete Holmes podcast "You Made it Weird" and out of sheer curiosity only. And still, I felt like I learned something.



Alcohol is difficult. We don't question that drugs like meth or heroin are bad for us, we'd never have anyone do a line of coke in front of our children for example. Alcohol on the other hand is, as Annie Grace states early on, the only drug you have to justify not taking.

The book is clearly targeted at people who reached that point of realizing that they lost control, that they drink too much and find themselves unable to stop. She differentiates between the conscious and the unconscious mind, the first of which has these rational thoughts, the latter however being the one that keeps falling for it. Her book tries to break down the role of alcohol in society, in our lives, part by part changing your perception of the liquid.

"We've been conditioned to drink our entire lives. We're told alcohol calms and relaxes us, gives us courage, gets us through parties and work events, and makes us happy. Yet no one wants to admit that they're influenced."



Eye-opening to me were making the connection between advertisements and alcohol, how we're conditioned to seeing benefits in something that, rationally, has absolutely none. How it doesn't wield the power to make us happy, but how we're just lead into thinking that it's what makes us enjoy situations and people.

"You have enjoyed tons of occasions, but can you separate the drinking from the activity and realize you had fun because of the company of the event, rather than the 'joy' of poisoning yourself and numbing your senses?"

Her line of argumentation is (obviously) very one-sided and as it's written to reach out to even the unconscious thinking, there are a lot of points which were being made repeatedly and got boring to someone that didn't need to be helped. But definitely a book I would recommend to people who do have issues, particularly since it does seem to have helped a lot of folks. ...more

5

Jul 22, 2017

This book has helped change the course of my life. I was not a heavy drinker (one glass of wine per night, bit more on the weekends), just someone who wanted to cut down.

I went into the book not wanting to give up, but by the end.. I did and (lucky for me) my supportive girlfriend did so to. I joined the community (which has been fascinating to be part of) and have been over 2 months without drinking. I don't feel I am missing out and have gained so much.

I am so glad I read this book, its not an This book has helped change the course of my life. I was not a heavy drinker (one glass of wine per night, bit more on the weekends), just someone who wanted to cut down.

I went into the book not wanting to give up, but by the end.. I did and (lucky for me) my supportive girlfriend did so to. I joined the community (which has been fascinating to be part of) and have been over 2 months without drinking. I don't feel I am missing out and have gained so much.

I am so glad I read this book, its not an amazing read (8/10), but it is one of the most important books I've read. If you want to have really positive effect on your life, health, money, relationships... actually everything.. then consider reading this book.

Update: I have now been T-total for 10 months. In that time I have not felt the need for a drink at any point and I can honestly say my life is different/better and I am far more focused. It helps that I have a very supportive girlfriend and we do lots active things together. I find myself now with more time and energy to do those things you never get round to and I feel very good about my long term health also. ...more

1

Jul 10, 2019

DNF - I was looking forward to something insightful but she takes a very narrow minded point of view.

The first point I found difficult to swallow was around social norms. Annie has clearly never tried to diet or turned down a donut at a morning tea. The social pressure to eat sugar is just as great as the pressure to consume alcohol. "Come on, one cookie wont hurt you" is said all the time. Yes for the same reason, to make their own consumption okay. But saying it only applies to alcohol takes DNF - I was looking forward to something insightful but she takes a very narrow minded point of view.

The first point I found difficult to swallow was around social norms. Annie has clearly never tried to diet or turned down a donut at a morning tea. The social pressure to eat sugar is just as great as the pressure to consume alcohol. "Come on, one cookie wont hurt you" is said all the time. Yes for the same reason, to make their own consumption okay. But saying it only applies to alcohol takes away the true nature of other vices and addictions. Sugar is just as addictive.

She lost me completely when saying alcohol was the reason college boys became uninhibited and what starts as a drunken romp ends up as rape. Sorry, but rape is rape. You can't blame the alcohol for that. Millions of men (87% of American adults according to Annie Grace) drink alcohol and a vast majority manage not to rape anyone.

Poor form giving rapists an excuse. Stopped there with no intention of finishing. ...more

5

Dec 03, 2018

I recently listened to the audiobook on Annie Grace’s ‘This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol: find freedom, discover happiness and change your life.’ For reasons I almost don’t need to explain, on starting the book I did not add it to my currently reading list on Goodreads. This is despite the fact that I ALWAYS add whatever book I’m reading to Goodreads, even if it’s embarrassing. I’ve added self help books aplenty this year, and although I’ve felt a little awkward admitting to reading them, I I recently listened to the audiobook on Annie Grace’s ‘This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol: find freedom, discover happiness and change your life.’ For reasons I almost don’t need to explain, on starting the book I did not add it to my currently reading list on Goodreads. This is despite the fact that I ALWAYS add whatever book I’m reading to Goodreads, even if it’s embarrassing. I’ve added self help books aplenty this year, and although I’ve felt a little awkward admitting to reading them, I always added the damn book. Because ultimately I’m not ashamed to be striving for personal growth, even if it means adding books on depression and anxiety. (That adding books on anxiety to my reading list causes me anxiety is an irony that is not lost on me.) But this was different. In adding this book, I was admitting that I didn’t have full control over my relationship with alcohol, and that’s something massive, or that’s what society has always told me anyway. Alcohol dependency has such a stigma attached to it that we don’t want to let on even to ourselves that we think we might have a problem in controlling it. If I publicly admitted to reading this book, then it felt like I was publicly admitting to having a problem.

Let me back up a bit. The reason I listened to this book (and can you hear the self-defence creeping in here already?) is because I’m getting really into health and fitness at the moment, going to the gym a lot, and wanting to gain some muscle and lose some fat. I was searching my library’s overdrive section on healthy lifestyles, came across this book, and thought ‘Why not? It might help to keep me motivated, plus, if I drink less, that’ll mean better health and less calories.’ I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. I had no idea that this book would challenge me so much, and make me rethink so many of my deeply held beliefs about alcohol.

It’s set out in such a way that each commonly held belief about alcohol is addressed and picked apart, with plenty of detail and anecdotes along the way. As a scientist I did think that one flaw with the book was its lack of references, but overall I bought what it had to say even without specific links to the data that backs it up. This book made me think that actually, maybe none of us has as much control as we think we do, and maybe that’s because alcohol is an intrinsically addictive substance to which we are all potentially susceptible. It opened my eyes to the fact that most people do gradually drink more each year than they did in the previous one, and that this cannot be healthy.

Now, I have drunk some alcohol since reading this book, but I can count the number of times I’ve done so on one hand, and each time I’ve consciously thought about the decision to drink. I have imbibed less on each occasion, and there have been fewer occasions in total when I’ve had a drink than there would have been otherwise.
I don’t think I’m ready to give up alcohol 100%, that seems like a decision with far too much permanence and weight, but I’m definitely doing January alcohol free, and maybe longer into 2019. I’m going to add the book to my Goodreads now, because if I’ve found this much value in it, maybe some of my friends could do with reading it too.
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4

Feb 01, 2018

If you've ever woke up at 2:30 in the morning questioning your alcohol choices, this may be the book for you. Very similar to Allan Carr's "Easyway to stop drinking", and she quotes Carr often. Actually, I'd say the bulk is pretty much his core content. However, Grace is a much better and more interesting writer than Carr was. And, having read both of them, I really enjoyed the updated cognitive science aspect of Grace's book. I completely disagree with the reviewer who said this book "wasn't If you've ever woke up at 2:30 in the morning questioning your alcohol choices, this may be the book for you. Very similar to Allan Carr's "Easyway to stop drinking", and she quotes Carr often. Actually, I'd say the bulk is pretty much his core content. However, Grace is a much better and more interesting writer than Carr was. And, having read both of them, I really enjoyed the updated cognitive science aspect of Grace's book. I completely disagree with the reviewer who said this book "wasn't for critical thinkers" maybe he's not ready to give up that pint at the game, yet. ...more

5

May 10, 2018

Absolutely brilliant! I am now 52 days alcohol free so read it when I was sober. Would be interested in how it helped people who wish to stop drinking. Like Jason Vale, this advocates a complete abstinence approach and once you start thinking about 'moderation', you can understand why. I've tried to moderate over many years and it's never worked. All that happened was that I drank more and more. Annie Grace is very relatable too plus she was a heavy drinker so knows what she is talking about. I Absolutely brilliant! I am now 52 days alcohol free so read it when I was sober. Would be interested in how it helped people who wish to stop drinking. Like Jason Vale, this advocates a complete abstinence approach and once you start thinking about 'moderation', you can understand why. I've tried to moderate over many years and it's never worked. All that happened was that I drank more and more. Annie Grace is very relatable too plus she was a heavy drinker so knows what she is talking about. I particularly like the lineral points throughout the book. ...more

5

Feb 17, 2018

Addiction is real

Alcohol is basically the same as cigarettes. People are hooked by lies that its fun, safe, and cool. But we know better with cigarettes now, this book teaches you better about alcohol.

5

February 21, 2019

A fantastic book and Annie's method works! I paired this with the audiobook using the book as more of a reference. It was the audiobook that sealed the deal for me. Annie's voice is easy to listen to and you can tell she's a real person that cares. I was quite skeptical at first when Annie said that after reading the book, I may not want to drink anymore. She was right!