Glorious Rock Bottom: 'A shocking story told with heart and hope. You won't be able to put it down.' Dolly Alderton

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We need to be more comfortable talking about incredibly uncomfortable behaviours and symptoms.Bryony does a fantastic job of extending out a hand and saying ‘I’ve been there.’ But the problem was that I had no idea how to live without alcohol, no sure confidence that there was life beyond booze. It was only the intervention of a sober friend, who took me to some Twelve Step meetings, that allowed me to see the possibility of a life without alcohol, one day at a time. I met other people like me. I saw that I had an illness, and a pretty common one at that. I took myself to rehab. It was hard beyond belief. But I reminded myself that it was no harder than the alternative, which was losing everything. Gordon said her aimwas to help takesome of the shame and stigma away from alcoholism and communicate that"however dark things get, there is always a way out". However, I can’t help but wonder if she is bipolar which caused her alcoholism and cocaine use to become so extreme. I appreciate books written by people who are authentic and honest, with life experience, Bryony is an earnest writer, I could hear it in the emotion of her voice when she was narrating her book on Audible.

One day we had to lie down on a giant piece of paper and let someone draw an outline around our bodies with a marker. Then we had an hour to fill in said outline, in a way that represented how we were feeling. As I painted my body with glitter, purely because it looked nice, I wondered if I was taking part in an elaborate con. But nothing was as it seemed on the surface in rehab. There was a deeper reason for everything. I was told that the glitter perhaps showed a person who was keen to hide their true self behind a sparkly front. ‘That’s way too obvious,’ I laughed, secretly annoyed that I was so obvious.” I have loved Bryony Gordon’s writing ever since ‘Mad Girl’ - the first time I’d ever seen the symptoms of Pure OCD put into mainstream public consciousness. The truth is, I decided to stop drinking because if I didn’t, I was going to die. I was going to die either by accident – falling off a balcony or down a flight of stairs or choking on my own vomit. Or I was going to die on purpose, by actively making the decision to kill myself. Or – absolutely worst of all – I was going to die very slowly, by living in only the most literal of senses, my so-called life tiny and toxic, a Groundhog Day of misery and anxiety. I stopped drinking because I wanted to start living.The key? She’s not afraid to delve into topics of shame, pain or disgust which plague most people with mental illnesses and addiction. Until mainstream society realises that “mental health awareness” cannot be sanitised and palatable, no real awareness will ever be achieved. The term “mental health awareness” is bandied about in such a facile way to the point where it’s lost all meaning, but Bryony genuinely does raise awareness of incredibly debilitating and life changing conditions. Re: rating - 3 would be too stingy, 4 is a little generous, but I'm happy to err on the side of generosity here. This memoir isn't reflective of my story, but like most books about alcohol prove, it could easily have been. Reading it reaffirmed my decision to go alcohol-free (16 months and counting! ✨) and whether you're sober, sober curious or think you'll never be THAT person who needs to give up the sauce forever, I urge you to read this book. Being in a relationship with a person with an addiction can feel soul destroying, as the destructive behaviour can erode the trust in a relationship and cause long-lasting damage, I am pleased that Bryony was able to overcome it and turn things around between her and her partner.

Bryony Gordon is a respected journalist, a number-one bestselling author and an award-winning mental health campaigner. She is also an alcoholic. Bryony’s voice becoming nearly hysterical throughout the narration was a bit much, not because it was gratuitous but simply because her high pitched, highly dramatic delivery was unpleasant to my ears. Known for her trademark honesty, Bryony relives the darkest and most terrifying moments of her addiction, never shying away from the fact that alcoholism robs you of your ability to focus on your family, your work, your health, your children, yourself. And then, a chink of light as the hard work begins – rehab; AA meetings; endless, tedious, painful self-reflection – a roller-coaster ride through self-acceptance, friendship, love and hope, to a joy and pride in staying sober that her younger self could never have imagined. I wanted to shake everyone, ‘DRINK’ I wanted to shout, “you’re allowed to drink so why aren’t you drinking properly!’” People often ask me why I decided to stop drinking, as if there was one single moment. As if there was an epiphany. But the truth is, I decided to stop drinking almost as soon as I started as a teenager.

Things You Only Know If...

This is a good book for anybody with an addiction, overcoming an addiction, or having been involved with someone with an addiction.