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Sober Letters To My Drunken Self
All sober people are alike, but every alcoholic is disturbed in his own way. The alcoholic rarely understands why they are unable to enjoy an alcoholic beverage like everyone else. The only option for most is a trip to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. For some, it works. For others, it's the start of a vicious cycle. By calling it a disease or blaming an "addictive personality", society takes the easy way out. I refused to take the easy way out. I looked back on my compulsive drinking with a sober eye and a heavy heart. I analyzed my behaviors and considered my motivations for making a binge and blackout drinking the standard for consumption. It's only in sobriety that you can understand how destructive you have been to yourself and those closest to you. These are the letters that I wish I had in my darkest hour, when I knew that I needed to quit but couldn't. These letters will lift you up from the ocean of despair and guilt that you're drowning in. These letters will make you understand why you drink until you can't remember what you were trying to forget. These letters might save your life or the life of someone you love...
- GenresNonfiction
102 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 23, 2018
91 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 21, 2022
I stopped drinking in 2018 after 6 years of drinking being the only thing I did in my spare time. Between 2015 and 2017 I drank around 1000 beers (to say nothing of wine and liquor) and tracked them on Untapped - an app that is basically the Facebook of beer (and maybe the most uniquely sinister app ever invented - different story).
During 2017 I spent 300 hours at bars and thousands of dollars on alcohol. I started to get the feeling that I would never accomplish any of my goals if I continued exclusively drinking alcohol in my spare time and so in 2018 I quit for a full year.
During that year, I experienced many of the same things that Ed outlines in this book. Saying no to drinking in all sorts of different environments (including bars during the Super Bowl) was very difficult, but I got through the year and I felt physically mentally and emotionally much stronger for it.
I felt in 2019 that I could control myself having reset my relationship with alcohol and over 2019-2020 I only drank around 50 hours total - a level that I’m comfortable with.
As 2021 ended I went into my Life Cycle app to see how much time I had spent drinking during the year and found that I had nearly returned to 2017 levels of drinking at 145 hours.
This was a sobering realization that I had started to slip back to my pre-2018 behaviors - fueled mostly by weddings/bachelor parties/and the (becoming more frequent) night out.
However, I am a believer that what gets measured gets managed. Seeing the numbers born out in black and white makes it easier to make the decisions that you need to make to stay on track.
I plan to drastically cut my drinking again this year and perhaps quit again in 2023. Books like this one are very helpful reminders of why people quit in the first place.
Exercising the ability to say no and be in control of what you do is a power that will spill over into other facets of your life and I’m thankful to have this book as a reminder than I am in control of the decisions I make.
During 2017 I spent 300 hours at bars and thousands of dollars on alcohol. I started to get the feeling that I would never accomplish any of my goals if I continued exclusively drinking alcohol in my spare time and so in 2018 I quit for a full year.
During that year, I experienced many of the same things that Ed outlines in this book. Saying no to drinking in all sorts of different environments (including bars during the Super Bowl) was very difficult, but I got through the year and I felt physically mentally and emotionally much stronger for it.
I felt in 2019 that I could control myself having reset my relationship with alcohol and over 2019-2020 I only drank around 50 hours total - a level that I’m comfortable with.
As 2021 ended I went into my Life Cycle app to see how much time I had spent drinking during the year and found that I had nearly returned to 2017 levels of drinking at 145 hours.
This was a sobering realization that I had started to slip back to my pre-2018 behaviors - fueled mostly by weddings/bachelor parties/and the (becoming more frequent) night out.
However, I am a believer that what gets measured gets managed. Seeing the numbers born out in black and white makes it easier to make the decisions that you need to make to stay on track.
I plan to drastically cut my drinking again this year and perhaps quit again in 2023. Books like this one are very helpful reminders of why people quit in the first place.
Exercising the ability to say no and be in control of what you do is a power that will spill over into other facets of your life and I’m thankful to have this book as a reminder than I am in control of the decisions I make.
January 9, 2019
"Alcohol is the only drug where people assume you have a problem if you don’t use it."
This book is a serious game changer if you have a problematic relationship with alcohol. Ed Latimore explores the depths of his alcoholism, and that is not an easy task, which is probably the reason to why he wrote this book after a couple of years sober. It takes guts to face your drunken demons.
Sober Letters To My Drunken Self is not a "How to" book on sobriety rather than a collection of reflections from a sober alcoholic.
Alcoholism is something very taboo and not talked about. Reading Ed's thoughts on the subject is like partaking in a deep conversation about alcoholism that you might never experience in real life.
This is a very insightful read and a great start to become a new sober you.
This book is a serious game changer if you have a problematic relationship with alcohol. Ed Latimore explores the depths of his alcoholism, and that is not an easy task, which is probably the reason to why he wrote this book after a couple of years sober. It takes guts to face your drunken demons.
Sober Letters To My Drunken Self is not a "How to" book on sobriety rather than a collection of reflections from a sober alcoholic.
Alcoholism is something very taboo and not talked about. Reading Ed's thoughts on the subject is like partaking in a deep conversation about alcoholism that you might never experience in real life.
This is a very insightful read and a great start to become a new sober you.
January 21, 2023
A really great read. I felt as if Ed was talking directly to me. Kinda like he was a friend sitting across me at the table and having a frank conversation. I believe the conversational tone of the book is one of it's greatest selling points.
Johnny Carson's first prescription for a life of misery is to ingest chemicals that alter your mood or perception. The question then is why would any normal person want to ingest a potentially toxic substance?
What is the root cause of your drinking? Ed argues that the root of an alcohol problem is an identity problem. We start drinking because we don't yet know our place in the world. He does a good job of dissecting the topic and offering solutions.
Right at the beginning of the book you learn it's about accountability. There is no one to blame for your problem. Assigning blame does nothing but prevent you from learning from your mistakes and improving.
One thing that has stayed with me was pointing out that it's the way they felt that people will remember more than the exact details of an event. The way you leave people feeling after being inebriated often is negative. Keeping this in mind helps give context. Often we justify actions intellectually without considering the emotional impact.
Ed does a good job of covering the overall topic he even looks at reasons why we fall off the wagon. My key takeaways from this section were that you cannot expect people to change as the same rate as you, that real change can only be made from internal motivation and that we are all social creatures and would rather snap back to old habits than develop a new identity.
At the end of the day, we have to work on developing our identity, take ownership of our actions and be persistent in showing up in the world as we the person we want to be.
Johnny Carson's first prescription for a life of misery is to ingest chemicals that alter your mood or perception. The question then is why would any normal person want to ingest a potentially toxic substance?
What is the root cause of your drinking? Ed argues that the root of an alcohol problem is an identity problem. We start drinking because we don't yet know our place in the world. He does a good job of dissecting the topic and offering solutions.
Right at the beginning of the book you learn it's about accountability. There is no one to blame for your problem. Assigning blame does nothing but prevent you from learning from your mistakes and improving.
One thing that has stayed with me was pointing out that it's the way they felt that people will remember more than the exact details of an event. The way you leave people feeling after being inebriated often is negative. Keeping this in mind helps give context. Often we justify actions intellectually without considering the emotional impact.
Ed does a good job of covering the overall topic he even looks at reasons why we fall off the wagon. My key takeaways from this section were that you cannot expect people to change as the same rate as you, that real change can only be made from internal motivation and that we are all social creatures and would rather snap back to old habits than develop a new identity.
At the end of the day, we have to work on developing our identity, take ownership of our actions and be persistent in showing up in the world as we the person we want to be.
January 20, 2019
I respect Ed Latimore's courage to overcome limitations and share with the world his journey. The fact he self publishes is also praise worthy. These letters are plainly written, deeply personal and inspiring. Worth a read and contemplation whether you face the alcohol demon or not to better understand a challenge numerous humans endure. I highly recommend sharing this book with loved ones and random people.
June 20, 2020
Excellent
Im almost speechless... This book is exactly what I needed right when I needed it. It is so insightful and literally nailed everything I have going on AND provides solutions helping me think through my addiction ...I partied my 20s away and now that I’m into my 30s, I realized what I thought was a phase is anything but... sober letters to my drunken self is an instant help! I read it in one sitting I couldn’t put it down. I now have more clarity, direction, and hope to finally beating this!! nothing in this book left me thinking “ok I get the logic, now what”. I’m so ready to leave the old me behind and discover who I really am! Thank you thank you seriously, thank you!!!
Im almost speechless... This book is exactly what I needed right when I needed it. It is so insightful and literally nailed everything I have going on AND provides solutions helping me think through my addiction ...I partied my 20s away and now that I’m into my 30s, I realized what I thought was a phase is anything but... sober letters to my drunken self is an instant help! I read it in one sitting I couldn’t put it down. I now have more clarity, direction, and hope to finally beating this!! nothing in this book left me thinking “ok I get the logic, now what”. I’m so ready to leave the old me behind and discover who I really am! Thank you thank you seriously, thank you!!!
August 1, 2022
Not what I expected
I chose this rating as this book did not read as letters but multiple points with little to no examples for readers to make a connection to their own lives. In addition, the author repeats himself often. However, I did find at least 10 phrases I thought noteworthy and put in my journal.
I chose this rating as this book did not read as letters but multiple points with little to no examples for readers to make a connection to their own lives. In addition, the author repeats himself often. However, I did find at least 10 phrases I thought noteworthy and put in my journal.
October 31, 2020
I wish I could heart instead of star this book.
July 11, 2020
As I am already 6+ years sober, I found nothing here new or terribly useful in my own continued sobriety. There are many works I have read that this has indeed been the case insomuch as I have discovered other things that were not immediately apparent to me in overcoming my addiction.
The writing is strong however, albeit somewhat harsh from the onset. It resonated with me a 'tough love' approach to recovery and this method rarely works.
However this approach does have it's merits and I am certain will be valuable in the right hands.
The writing is strong however, albeit somewhat harsh from the onset. It resonated with me a 'tough love' approach to recovery and this method rarely works.
However this approach does have it's merits and I am certain will be valuable in the right hands.
May 18, 2020
This is a solid book that gets right to the point with no BS. All of the advice is helpful and reconfirms the struggles with giving up the hooch, and the timeline that comes before the decision. Even if there isn't much that is groundbreaking, it is presented in a fresh way and it is always helpful to hear fresh perspectives.
October 13, 2019
Wide words delivered with honesty and humility
I enjoyed this book for its down to earth, authentic delivery. I'd recommend it to anyone who feels alcohol is holding them back from reaching their full potential or who knows deep down their life would be better without it.
I enjoyed this book for its down to earth, authentic delivery. I'd recommend it to anyone who feels alcohol is holding them back from reaching their full potential or who knows deep down their life would be better without it.
February 25, 2019
A unique take on coming at this subject. Practical, honest, insightful, actionable, and realistic. Not overly-verbose or wordy to bolster the page count.
May 19, 2019
A helpful book for those desiring sobriety
Well done. Easy to follow. Good information and suggestions.
Open and honest. Shared reference to self which made it more meaningful.
Well done. Easy to follow. Good information and suggestions.
Open and honest. Shared reference to self which made it more meaningful.
September 1, 2024
Fantastic read. Loved it. 💛
July 29, 2025
Not what I expected and could’ve been just one essay :/
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews