Quitter

A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery

By: Erica C. Barnett

Narrated by: Jean Ann Douglass

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

"Barnett's prose style is brassy and cleareyed, with echoes of Anne Lamott." (Beth Macy, The New York Times Book Review)

"Emotionally devastating and self-aware, this cautionary tale about substance abuse is a worthy heir to Cat Marnell's How to Murder Your Life." (Publishers Weekly starred review)

A startlingly frank memoir of one woman's struggles with alcoholism and recovery, with essential new insights into addiction and treatment.

Erica C. Barnett had her first sip of alcohol when she was 13, and she quickly developed a taste for drinking to oblivion with her friends. In her late 20s, her addiction became inescapable. Volatile relationships, blackouts, and unsuccessful stints in detox defined her life, with the vodka bottles she hid throughout her apartment and offices acting as both her tormentors and closest friends.

By the time she was in her late 30s, Erica Barnett had run the gauntlet of alcoholism. She had recovered and relapsed time and again but after each new program or detox center would find herself far from rehabilitated. "Rock bottom", Barnett writes, "is a lie." It is always possible, she learned, to go lower than your lowest point. She found that the terms other alcoholics used to describe the trajectory of their addiction - "rock bottom" and "moment of clarity" - and the mottoes touted by Alcoholics Anonymous, such as "let go and let God" and "you're only as sick as your secrets" - didn't correspond to her experience and could actually be detrimental.

With remarkably brave and vulnerable writing, Barnett expands on her personal story to confront the dire state of addiction in America, the rise of alcoholism in American women in the last century, and the lack of rehabilitation options available to addicts. At a time when opioid addiction is a national epidemic and one in 12 Americans suffers from alcohol abuse disorder, Quitter is essential listening for our age and an ultimately hopeful story of Barnett's own hard-fought path to sobriety.

©2020 Erica C. Barnett (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“I can’t think of another memoir that captures the nightmare of drinking relapse like this one. Erica Barnett’s tale is brutal, maddening, and beautiful. Quitter will give hope to anyone afraid they can't ever get this thing. Hang in there. You just might.” (Sarah Hepola, New York Times best-selling author of Blackout)

“[Barnett] paints a grotesque portrait of the horror show that is alcoholism with great skill and style. I tore through this book.” (Cat Marnell, New York Times best-selling author of How to Murder Your Life)

“Quitter is all these things: a beautifully told story of one woman's descent into darkness; a rigorously researched exploration of the causes and treatments of alcohol abuse; a furious howl of pain. Erica C. Barnett has written a female story of addiction that moves beyond clichés and accepted truths. I loved this book, in all its raging glory.” (Claire Dederer, author of Love and Trouble)

Intriguing and absolutely amazing!

To hear and walk through Erica's struggle is difficult to understand how she and many others actually CAN overcome any type of addiction. Although, we all know "it" really never completely "goes away." Strong book, I'll be listening to it again.

One of the best recovery books ever!

So glad I found this one. Great for anyone who might think it’s too late. Her story will not be forgotten. Brave and inspiring.

Best, authentic story I've read/listened yet.

Truly impactful. I especially appreciated the repeated relapse theme and the insight and truth behind us all needing to figure it out on our own.

Powerful

Quite the story. It was real, and spoken from the heart. I highly suggest this one for your next read if you are in recovery.

Truthful portrayal of the insidiousness of alcoholism

Written in an honest narrative tone and calm demeanor, Ms Barnett walks you through the journey to hell and back with commentary from the point of view crafted with her journalism expertise. So real you can smell the puke.

Great read

I enjoyed the book her long-term alcoholism and all the struggles ups and downs that she went through were very insightful

Tough subject some won’t fully grasp

I have multiple people and family members in my circle who have struggled with addiction. Some once, some many times. Either way, it’s a lifelong battle and so few are successful in overcoming relapse. This book helped me have insight to their journey and how I can process and forgive. All that said, it’s a good story too. Sadly, it’s true but I appreciate the honesty of the author.

great listen

I'm sad to see some of the other reviews. I find this extremely well written. I genuinely appreciate the raw honestly of the slip ups and how they occurred. fighting your way through alcoholism while being the "A student". it's perfect and so on point. ty for this book and opening yourself up to write it.

One of the better Alcohol Addiction Memoirs

Erica's story is absolutely heartbreaking. She did an excellent job detailing her childhood and all life events that led up to her Addiction. Her numerous relapses had me gasping out loud. I can totally relate to her experience with the egomaniacal Sponsor who felt she wasn't working the Program correctly. That is a huge problem in AA. Although, I question Erica's decision to spend time in bars because that's where her friends hang out. To me, that is not wise when there are so many other things you can do with friends that don't involve Alcohol. Maybe, she just meant she doesn't avoid bars altogether and only spends time in bars infrequently. That I can understand. She does an absolutely perfect job in the final chapter of analyzing the current situation in the US regarding Addiction Treatment. Treatment for Addiction, like Treatment for Mental Illness, is an obscene joke for which providers should be ashamed. It is mind-blowing how tightly the Treatment Community holds on to 12 Step Programs at the foundation of Sobriety. I highly recommend 12 Step Programs as a supplement to medical treatment, but not as the foundation of treatment and in place of medical treatment. Medical treatment, as Erica states, should include medication and other therapy administered by appropriately qualified professionals. You wouldn't accept a Nurse's Aide as the primary administrator of your Cancer Treatment so why should anybody accept someone with random education of 2 or less years as the administrator of their Addiction Treatment. Someday soon, we will look back on how we treated those with Addiction Disease and Mental Illness in 2020 with as much horror as we have when we look back on treatments involving things like leaches for bleeding the patient.

Wow! A must read!

I couldn’t put it down. I really identified with Erica’s story! I’m a woman in recovery in the Seattle area. So much rang true for me. She verbalized a lot of my experiences in a way I could never. Thank you Erica for sharing your story with us.