Shackled to Sobriety

Inside the World of Enforced 'Sobriety'

By: Kate Seger

Narrated by: Abigail Linhardt

Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A Scathing Expose on the Harrowing World of Mandatory Rehabilitation

What begins as a blissful vacation aboard a cruise ship swiftly descends into a harrowing ordeal when the author's husband is unexpectedly ensnared in the world of enforced sobriety. This poignant memoir opens the door to a seldom-seen system, revealing the realities of a mandatory rehabilitation system that operates under the guise of care.
As the narrative unfolds, the listener is taken on a deeply personal journey that exposes the underbelly of a rehab industry fraught with systemic flaws and bureaucratic apathy. The author's account is both a critique and a raw depiction of the emotional and psychological upheaval endured by individuals who find themselves unwittingly shackled not only to sobriety but to a regime where healing is often overshadowed by punitive measures.

Navigating mandatory sessions, invasive procedures, and misdiagnoses, this book lays bare the struggle of maintaining dignity and self-worth in an environment that frequently strips away both. It challenges the listener to confront the uncomfortable truths about the inefficacies and injustices inherent within a system that is supposed to rehabilitate but often ends up inflicting more damage.

Through candid storytelling, the memoir shines a light on the untold stories of resilience and despair, battles fought in the silence of rehab clinics, and the unyielding strength required to endure a system riddled with contradictions. This book is not just an account of a personal ordeal but a call to action, urging a reevaluation and reform of rehabilitation practices that impact countless lives.

In the book lies a powerful message of hope and the need for change, making it a must-listen for anyone touched by the complexities of addiction and recovery, as well as those seeking to understand the human cost of a deeply flawed system.

©2024 Kate Seger (P)2024 Kate Seger

Alcohol Rehabilitation

This personal story shares an unwanted trip into a substance abuse program after a bizarre set of circumstances on a vacation cruise. Told from a wife’s perspective of a husband going back to his work with the railroad, their social drinking faces a bureaucracy which pegs him as a denier of his “problem.” Is this a case of Nietzsche’s famous quote, “The most common sort of lie is that by which a man deceives himself?” The husband’s blood alcohol level was only .027 (well below the legal limit to drive a motor vehicle of .050). This couple, who had thought of themselves as responsible adults who knew their drinking limits, somehow got through this crisis. If you don’t believe people are ever falsely accused, this book is an empathy builder. If you work in the rehabilitation industry, this read is a sensitivity enhancer. The author is a talented writer who ventures into creative non-fiction with this story, making our world a more-nuanced place.

When a flawed system works too well…

Kate Seger’s story of her husband getting screwed over by a technicality (barely hungover at the time of a random drug test) is heartbreaking. At the same time her scrutiny of good intentions is worth hearing.

Sobriety normally has good connotations, but when a system of sobering up, which is designed for the worst offenders, it can overcompensate its “good intentions” with a lot of overreach, and even overkill.

I was fuming at some of lack of empathy and humanity on the part of the case worker.

Systems are flawed with the human factor, and can only adapt or change from stories like this. I hope plenty of good can come from this story.