In Drinking: A Love Story, we meet Caroline Knapp, she is another type of alcoholic; a “high functioning” one. The type that can maintain jobs and relationships while exhibiting alcoholism.
Upper-call uprising
She was raised in an upper class family and had her first drink at the age of 15. The next 20 years her relationship to drinking slowly turned from flirting into an abusive relationship. It all happening so gradually that she almost didn’t notice her fall, but getting out of the addiction was quite the opposite.
Video Review of Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
Notes and Quotes from Drinking: A Love Story
Discomfort + Drink = Comfort
The equation of an alcoholic. “It turned me into someone I liked”
Alcohol transforms you
“Ads says: “Drinking transforms you” and it does! It melts down the parts of us that hurts or feels distress. I makes room for another self to emerge that is new and improved and less conflicted. And after a while drinking becomes essential for the development of that version. Without the drink you are version A and with it version B and you can’t get from A to B without it.”
The illusion of emotional authenticity
“The paradoxical thing about drinking alone is that it creates and illusion of emotional authenticity, which you can see is false only in retrospect. Liquor seems to be the only thing that allow access to our own feelings.”
The Alcoholic Choice
About choices in recovery: “If it’s warm and fuzzy and comfortable and protective, it’s probably the The alcoholic choice. If it feel dangerous and scary and threatening and painful, then it’s probably the healthy choice.”
Alcoholism and maturity
“You stop growing when you start drinking alcoholicly… prevents you from walking through the painful life experienced that take you from point A to point B on the maturity scale.”
Book Verdict
It’s a sad and touching story, that I really recommend. Especially if you, or someone close to you have a sketchy relationship to “ze booze”, because it might help you put a finger on what’s going on. What are you drinking and reading this weekend?
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