The Alcoholic Bitch Who Ruined Your Life: Stories About Love, Death and Rehab

by Molly McAleer

In this compelling and heartfelt memoir, writer Molly McAleer chronicles the discovery of her father's addiction and subsequent death, how true love saved her life and how she kind of sort of got tricked into going to rehab. She knows you'll probably never believe her side of the story, so she also interviews friends, ex-friends, and her acupuncturist about her history of substance abuse, flailing through her twenties and what kind of person she really is.

About the Author

Boston born and raised television writer, blogger, internet personality and HelloGiggles.com co-founder Molly McAleer currently resides in Los Angeles and lives in constant fear that she's going to be homeless or go to prison for committing vehicular manslaughter. Her writing has appeared on over 25 websites and her Twitter was hailed as "one of nine to follow amongst millions" by The New York Times. She needs to touch a dog (any dog) at least once a day and hates eating, people who make fun of Juggalos and the circus. You can listen to her advice podcast, "Plz Advise" on iTunes and SoundCloud.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays

106 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2015

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving it two stars because I felt a lot of similarities between Molly's story and my own and I really liked most of her book. She's funny in a random way and that makes for good reading. I can't give it more because I felt like it was marketed as an addiction memoir and as someone who truly is "that alcoholic bitch," I was pissed to read about her (absolutely awful and abusive) little adventure trip to rehab. Like, serious as a serial killer, if that had been me in a program like the one Molly went to (I'm Canadian so my treatment program didn't cost me anything and it frightens me that there are programs that make money on something as serious as that and, worse, that this is considered totally acceptable), I would have walked out the door and drank myself into a coma or hanged myself as soon as my stay was over. But she didn't because she's not an actual alcoholic or drug addict. Problematic substance abuser? Maybe.

The more I think about this book, the more it upsets me. I felt like it trivialized addiction, I don't know, and tried to turn it into something cool? I'm deeply ashamed of my alcoholism and being sober is only slightly better than being drunk. I've worked my ass off and completely shredded and then rebuilt my life to become a model of recovery and the things that it can be but I still have moments were I despise myself for being a worthless piece-of-shit drunk before I was 30. How is that fun? Is that cool? Did any of the numerous repulsive, self-abusive things that I did while drunk make me....I don't know, admirable? Do I get to sit with the popular kids because I had violent DTs at 25? Maybe my seizure will get me a date with the football captain? Rehab and addiction aren't fun, they're fucking horrible. Molly still drinks and lives a normal life and is an awesome person who even her friends were like, "Whaaaaa?" when she decided to pull a Lohan. I don't get to have that because the "alcoholic bitch" crown that I wear isn't a plastic party favour that I picked up at a second hand store for a costume ball, that shit is made out of glass and rusty nails that's been sewn into my skull.

Molly does come across as thoughtful (if narcissistic but who isn't) and introspective so I doubt she even realized that her book could be upsetting. She had many awesome stories and human experiences that were totally worth sharing but the rehab thing....just no. No joke, I'm crying.

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. Epitome of entitlement. Struggled to finish. She trivialized addiction and literally prevented someone who may have actually needed a bed from getting life saving help to “re-evaluate her relationship with alcohol.”
Also in the beginning I had to turn the speed down on audible, something I’ve never done before to be able to process her speed reading and then half way through, after the death of her father part, turned it up to get through all the whining.
I could get past the narcissism and the lame attempts at being witty but what really got to me was again, her taking life saving help away from someone who really needed it to write a chapter in a book and misleadingly sell it as an addiction memoir to get sales.
“I thought maybe I’d take a break from drinking, go to some art classes... therapy and call it a fucking day... I did not think I’d be thrown in the commons with serious addicts.”

[Jess Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

BURN THAT REHAB PLACE TO THE GROUND

So much truth, wisdom and openness. I teared up a couple times but mostly I smiled as I read through the poignant reflections and perspectives on life in general. Loved the silly moments too. Ed is a sunshine baby.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for a solid (occasionally moving) if somewhat underwhelming, flippant book about someone who goes to a terrible rehab. (That place should be burnt to the ground). I found Molly’s voice a little intense on audiobook and I definitely had to get used to it. (She speaks really fast and with a raspy, valley girl accent). I really do admire her honesty, although what is often a criticism of mine is how sometimes successful writers treat mental illness or addiction as something that ALSO makes them fun and special and interesting, as opposed to something that took away from what really made them unique. My favorite part was the insights from her chiropractor/friend—I want to read his book! I feel like this lacked a little bit of depth and sincerity. I get wanting to use humor to cope with something really scary and difficult, but maybe there’s space for a little more human flaw and a little less “I was soooo skinny!” I think it can be dangerous to glamorize mental health issues and trauma (13 reasons why, anyone?) and I think what we need to see is someone willing to let the truth be less dressed up, and a little more ugly. I do know that this woman isn’t afraid to call out herself for where she struggles and how she could be better, and I think that’s something everyone could benefit from.

[Faith Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid tale

Love Molly’s personality shining through this. Love the depth. We all need this book. I relate to this book by being in my later-twenties and having been alive in a world where partying is cool. Great read. Much appreciated, like, for real: thank you for sharing, Molly McAleer.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author freely admits that she half assed this book to meet a deadline. I read this book for Sober October - if you are doing your own reading challenge, I would say skip this one.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up

[Carolyn Penharlow]

Never could figure out the title: who called her an alcoholic bitch? whose life did she "ruin"?

[Gabriela Bazan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to see a different path, but I see a lot of growth waiting for her

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not gripping, compelling, or interesting really. Privileged girl goes to rehab and realise she didn't need to. Who cares Molly. Sorry, this book was terrible.

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a peculiar book. Essentially this book is about a girl who pretty much spends half the time explaining why she is an alcoholic (bad childhood etc) and the other half of the book explaining that she really doesn't have a problem with alcohol and who needs rehab?

Her experience of rehab was pretty crappy. It's horrible to think that some people want to make money by fleecing vulnerable people. That was pretty awful. I did feel like there was more to the story than what she wrote. Maybe that's just a kneejerk reaction I had because of all the stereotypes about addicts who flee rehab and deny they have a problem. I'm sure it was pretty unpleasant in there.

Do I think she doesn't have a problem? Well, anybody who doesn't have a drinking problem would probably not bother to write an entire book to explaining that they are fine. It's human not to want to face these things... I don't judge her denial because I think everyone probably does it to an extent. I do think she is going to cop a lot of flack though. I enjoyed the read. I didn't think she was a bad person and she made me laugh. I just found the book very weird.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly what it was supposed to be. It's not earth shattering writing or a clever story. It's just experiences as the author experienced them. As a fan of Molly McAleer's web presence, this eBook felt like a friend sharing a story. She writes like she talks and there's something I love about that. I also really loved that her rehab experience was a negative one; it didn't fix her life, it didn't feel like a safe space, she almost broke her skull and no one cared. Most 'recovery memoirs' aren't like this one and it was an interesting take. She doesn't apologize for the self-indulgence or ego and she shouldn't have to. It was a breezy, few-hour read that I think would probably be relatable to a lot of humans, even those who haven't gone to rehab, lost a parent, or had a lengthy journey of trying to find the right medications to be the person you know you want to be.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it the way I enjoy all of Molls' writing. I love her simple, honest, keep-it-real style. She has her own unique voice and story, and I've always been a fan. A few typos here and there that were a bit annoying, but it's an eBook, so OK.

One thing that totally threw me was her talk of God and "my faith." Thinking back to several blog posts, I always thought she was an atheist. I'm pretty sure she's said that in the past. She doesn't get preachy or overbearing with religion talk or anything, but she does mention God quite a bit in the book. I'm just so curious about that. Like, when did that happen, what's the story there, elaborate please! Am I alone in that?

[Fernando Andrade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute and short read. Great for long time fans of Ms. McAleer's vibrant voice. My issue with this ebook, is that the title is very misleading. From what we can read here, Molly is a fun and caring person, there aren't enough instances where she behaves like a "bitch". Here she mentions, one or two people that she has fallen out with in the past, and that according to her, they have the right to call her a bitch. Thing is, she should have interviewed those people, instead of her close friends, whom obviously (and rightfully so) have great things to say about her. This way we as readers could have a better understanding of Molly's struggles.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick & honest read. Molly owns up to her behavior and flaws, which I find to be a very brave and admirable thing to do. There's even a section where she "interviewed" a few of her friends to get honest feedback about her past, with questions like, "Have I ever disappointed you?" and "Did my substance use/abuse ever hurt you?" I liked that chapter the most. Of course when Molly's telling her story, it's from her own perspective, and so it was interesting to hear it from another angle, from the people around her.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read her blog or listened to her podcast, none of this book would surprise you. I think molls is as straight up and honest as she can be, but she's holding back. It's crazy to read that half of her friends thought she had a problem and half didn't - but she still went to a rehab that sounded terrible. I think this book misses the mark and could have been a really great introspective, but instead it kind of glosses over everything that could have been poignant.

[Elizabeth Gooch Hood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly is very talented and I have been a fan of her work across various mediums (twitter, podcast, Hello Giggles). This ebook (as she emphasizes) is an exploration of her 20s and her relationship with sobriety. I was intrigued by this concept and can relate to many of the quandaries she poses. I enjoyed it, but I look forward to her next (e)book and exploring more topics throughout rather than focusing solely on sobriety and her relationship with her family.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Molly was a close friend of mine in middle school and early high school, so not an unbiased review at all. I still love her though I have not seen or talked to her in over 10 years. I appreciated the honesty and humor throughout the book. I enjoyed reading about Molly's life so far, including her experiences in LA that are so far away from my own life.

[mm-d · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bitch

is my hero!!!

This book is raw and painful and real.
I laughed. I cried. I want all the best for Molly McAleer.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny and sad at the same time. Parents: be good to your kids!

[Marcelle Karp · Rating 3 out of 5]

purchased, kindle

Molly's raw and uncompromising memoir, talons and all, gives you a glimpse in how complicated it is to be a woman and surviving.

[Laurel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just missing the sentence, "In high school, I was voted Most Likely to Complain That She's Chilly."

[Stella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Molly's writing but this was lacking the heart that she usually puts into her stories.