Mommy Doesn't Drink Here Anymore: Getting Through the First Year of Sobriety

By Rachael Brownell

Part recovery, part self-help, and all real, raw stories of waking up for the sake of your self and your children, Mommy Doesn’t Drink Here Anymore follows one mother’s journey from cocktail mama to sober mama. The loving mother of twins and a newborn, Brownell used alcohol to maintain a sense of her adult self and be more than “just mommy.” It didn’t take long before her drinking spiraled out of control, consuming her life and marriage, and she realized that she needed serious help. Both heart-wrenching and inspiring, this is Brownell’s true-life story, from the first thirty days to the year mark.

Mommy Doesn’t Drink Here Anymore is not a book that preaches or simply takes the reader through the Twelve Steps. It provides hope and motivation to get into a program and balance your life as a mother and a recovering alcoholic. Atem is a living Magus, an icon for the twenty-first century. Part transpersonal shaman, part inner guide, part inner healer, part role model, Atem becomes a personal therapist, a guide to self-discovery and self-initiation. Atem, as healing fiction, helps readers to create their own breakthroughs, their own catharsis - emotional clearing that frees energy from internal conflict to flow creatively into new expressions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser
• Release date: Aug 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781609250201

Rachael Brownell

Rachael Brownell is the mother of three and a recovering alcoholic and perfectionist. She writes a monthly column, "Rugrat Reprieve," for the Imperfect Parent, wrote a daily column for Babble's "Strollerderby Parenting" blog, and was recently managing editor for supereco.com. She lives and breathes books and language. "I want to be the kind of mother who never talks about diapers or potty training, who doesn't dream of boring you with which child did or didn't wake Mommy up last night. I want to be the kind of mother who loves her children without losing herself and whose sassy sense of humor is slightly off kilter and makes engineering husbands deeply uncomfortable.

Reviews for Mommy Doesn't Drink Here Anymore

[dorolerium · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I feel like my choice to receive this ARC, and consequently read it, might need a little bit of background story.Since I mentioned previously that I’m not so into self-help books, my reading this may seem strange. However, alcoholism is something that runs in my family and I decided I wanted to read something that would maybe help me get some insight into the addictions no one wants to talk about, but we all know exist.For the record, I myself do not have a problem with alcohol (and no, this isn’t denial on my part, hehehe), but I also am very aware that I could. Statistically speaking, children of alcoholics or drug addicts have a much higher risk of becoming addicts themselves. And lucky me, both of my parents are at the very least alcoholics.Because of my desire to have a better life than the one I feel they have had, I made a decision to not be a drinker at all for a really long time. As I’ve gotten older, I have occasionally had a drink, but have always had limitations because I can feel the alcoholism in me. I know that I am constantly one bad day away from it, and fortunately I have remained stubborn enough to avoid alcohol on bad days. But this also means I avoid it on good days, and have to make a point to make no easily opened alcohol in my house when I’m alone.Anyway, I tell you all this because I want to make it clear that this book was a very personal experience for me. I read it in less than 24 hours, and really if I added it up, I would say I just spent a couple of hours total reading the book. I’m not sure if it really was that easy of a read, or if I was just so interested in the subject matter that I found it difficult to put down.I was near tears on pretty much every page of this book, and I honestly think that if I had been by myself while reading the majority of it, I would have been bawling. The stories the author told, especially of what happened in her childhood, are ones I am so familiar with. The feeling of needing to take care of a parent is one I can very much identify with, and something I continually wish children didn’t have to experience.I was impressed by the authors ability to rehash her drinking to write this book. I’m sure it’s hard enough to get sober, let alone go through the process of telling the world about it afterwards. She is someone I wish I knew, so I could help her down her path of sobriety and watch her progress as she continues to get her sobriety “birthday” chips.One of my favorite parts was when she was able to start thinking she maybe had a problem with drinking. It was a relief to see that it didn’t take a really horrific experience to get her to this point. No DUI’s, losing of jobs or family members, no trips to detox. That in itself says something positive about her, I think.I wish that my mother had been able to see these problems in herself when I was five. I’m envious that the authors children are going to be able to grow up with memories of their mother sober, rather than the ones I and countless other adults now have. Wishing obviously doesn’t change anything, so all I can really say is I’m very proud of the author for being able to do this.I also really liked that the author never mentions specifically what 12-step program she joined. Because I am familiar with them, I recognize it and could name it, but I’m of the opinion that there is no right or wrong program. Whatever gets you sober and keeps you there is right, that’s all that matters.For me, the moral of this story is that everything takes hard work, there aren’t always perfect endings, but once you make the decision to overcome addiction it becomes much easier. I genuinely hope all the addicts in my life get to the point where they can finally see their problem and want to change it. That change can only come from within, and all I can do for them is continue to hope they will some day reach the point where the author did, and see that just *maybe* they might have a problem with alcohol, or whatever their substance of choice is.Read this book if: You are a child of an addict, think you may have a problem with alcohol, or are in recovery…especially if you feel like you’re going to backslide. If you don’t have a problem yourself, I can’t promise this book will change your life, but hopefully it will help you understand the people in your life who do have these issues. And be prepared to cry.

[dmcco01 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Mommy Doesn't Drink Here Anymore," is a fun and thought-provoking read for those in recovery, those pondering their own drinking habits, and anyone who enjoys "slice of life" stories. It's a quick and breezy read despite its serious subject matter. Brownell shows that recovery doesn't have to be a somber path; it is life-or-death business, but it's filled with learning, grace, and hilarity.

[harahel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Recovery books have a tendency to take on a familiar pattern after the third or fourth one. Mrs. Brownell escapes that handily. She tells her story honestly and clearly in nearly blog-like entries. Sometimes the pace felt a bit rushed and the present tense narrative was occasionally confusing, but you can practically hear her narrating the events to a dear friend. She gives us alcholism in its more insidious form, where there is no DWI or horrible bottoming out, just the slow grinding loss. Her recovery story is inspiring and forthright.

[emr093 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rachael’s memoir has the ring of truth, and I know,‘cause I’m a Recovering Alcoholic, too, But it’s a good, easy-reading story for anyone. Once you start to follow her travails, starting innocuously enough with her toddlers, and their unending demands, you will be hooked on this little book. The early stages of Recovery aren’t easy or fun, but as Rachael shows, it gets better, and it saves your life!

[acornell_13 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mommy Doesn't Drink Here Anymore by Rachel Brownell is my early review for the month of July. A forty something woman from Seattle who writes and blogs for a living, Ms Brownell told her story of recovery from alcohol addiction. Lately, I have been interested in the idea of addiction. As I get older I discover that most of us do have an addiction of some form or another. Some people's addictions land them in jail, some just overweight, some strapped for cash and others are simply in a sorry mental state. Whatever the addiction, if yours is one, like Rachel's, that beats up your psyche, your marriage and ultimately your relationship with your kids, getting help is imperative. Rachel sought out Alcoholics Anonymous and was able to beat her addiction to alcohol. She writes her story of how she got addicted to wine and her first year in recovery.This very short memoir read like a series of blog posts combined with being a self help manual for recovering addicts. The entire story was a quick read and each entry--representing a chunk of time on the road to gaining her 1 year chip at the AA meetings--felt like something from a blog. Each entry left me wanting more. For example, one of the first people she called after she left her first AA meeting was her mother, who was also a recovering alcoholic. She did not recount any of the conversation or let us know what her mother said. As a reader, I missed this conversation. This is actually a testament to how good the writing was. It felt original and very raw. Her story was incredibly honest... for example, at one point she writes, "I'm proud to call myself an alcoholic, because I'd rather be something real than hide away any longer and pretend everything is just fine when it isn't..." She successfully built suspense around whether her marriage would survive or not, and she really helped me to understand what it was like to be addicted to alcohol. I loved that for the first 90 days of recovery she wasn't even sure she was an alcoholic and how she came to the conclusion that she had a problem and the pain and grieving she went through as she said good-bye to her former best friend (wine). In addition to the thought provoking testament to the hardships of addiction and recovery, some of her entries were about things you can do as a family besides cocktail play dates and how to know if you have a problem with alcohol. They seemed sweet to me because if you are not an alcoholic, they were self evident. Also, these entries and her revelations about the sweetness of motherhood were really lovely.Ultimately I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in addiction and recovery. It is a great road map for success or could be a great support to someone struggling with the same issues. Mommy can be read in an evening.

[Stephanie Paige Goodman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was the one and only thing that got me to my first AA meeting. It relieved me of the stigma that prevented me from getting the help I needed...that AA meetings were depressing and not for mothers. I’m now in my third week of sobriety and not planning on ever going back to drinking. Thank you, so much, for putting a humorous spin on a situation I felt was hopeless and shameful. Thank you for letting me know I’m not alone.

[ren3e3taylor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting and easy to read

[shadowmatter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While reading this book you just might recognize yourself on one of the pages and when that happens it's like a spotlight has been turned on. No matter what direction you move that spotlight follows you and you must now evaluate yourself and ask questions. The book doesn't apply just to alcoholism. You could substitute any number of addictions or bad habits and find the author's journey informative and helpful.I especially liked the fact that the author did not preach or tell the reader what to do, but merely shared her experiences and what worked for her.I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who may or may not have a problem that they wish to explore.