Quit Like a Woman

The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol

By: Holly Whitaker

Narrated by: Holly Whitaker

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “An unflinching examination of how our drinking culture hurts women and a gorgeous memoir of how one woman healed herself.”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed

“You don’t know how much you need this book, or maybe you do. Either way, it will save your life.”—Melissa Hartwig Urban, Whole30 co-founder and CEO

The founder of the first female-focused recovery program offers a groundbreaking look at alcohol and a radical new path to sobriety.

We live in a world obsessed with drinking. We drink at baby showers and work events, brunch and book club, graduations and funerals. Yet no one ever questions alcohol’s ubiquity—in fact, the only thing ever questioned is why someone doesn’t drink. It is a qualifier for belonging and if you don’t imbibe, you are considered an anomaly. As a society, we are obsessed with health and wellness, yet we uphold alcohol as some kind of magic elixir, though it is anything but.

When Holly Whitaker decided to seek help after one too many benders, she embarked on a journey that led not only to her own sobriety, but revealed the insidious role alcohol plays in our society and in the lives of women in particular. What’s more, she could not ignore the ways that alcohol companies were targeting women, just as the tobacco industry had successfully done generations before. Fueled by her own emerging feminism, she also realized that the predominant systems of recovery are archaic, patriarchal, and ineffective for the unique needs of women and other historically oppressed people—who don’t need to lose their egos and surrender to a male concept of God, as the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous state, but who need to cultivate a deeper understanding of their own identities and take control of their lives. When Holly found an alternate way out of her own addiction, she felt a calling to create a sober community with resources for anyone questioning their relationship with drinking, so that they might find their way as well. Her resultant feminine-centric recovery program focuses on getting at the root causes that lead people to overindulge and provides the tools necessary to break the cycle of addiction, showing us what is possible when we remove alcohol and destroy our belief system around it.

Written in a relatable voice that is honest and witty, Quit Like a Woman is at once a groundbreaking look at drinking culture and a road map to cutting out alcohol in order to live our best lives without the crutch of intoxication. You will never look at drinking the same way again.

©2020 Holly Whitaker (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“An unflinching examination of how our drinking culture hurts women and a gorgeous memoir of how one woman healed herself. It will change your relationship with alcohol—and it has the power to change your relationship with your entire life.”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed

“A funny, fast-paced, and bracingly candid dispatch from the realm of the self-actualized, but Holly Whitaker is no polished model of self-help evangelism, nor is her memoir-manifesto selling a one-size-fits-all solution. Her story is a messy human one and all the more convincing that sobriety is a feminist issue.”—Melissa Febos, author of Whip Smart and Abandon Me

“As a culture, we have a weird and often dysfunctional relationship with alcohol. This thoughtful, moving book will help a lot of people get to a healthier place.”—Johann Hari, author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections

This is a call to arms for women.

This book is a well-written, incredibly informative and motivating call to arms for women against the many oppressive forces in our culture, starting with alcohol addiction. It was eye-opening and, once learned, this information cannot be un-learned.

incredible, raw, beautiful

I picked up this book on a weekend that I needed some time to myself but I had no plans for what I might do. Melissa Urban suggested this book on her Instagram that Friday and I bought the book on audible and dove deep into it. The first chapter of this book will knock you on your feminist ass and open your eyes to a new layer of society and ideas that are so provocative and also the most supportive things you've ever heard in your life. Read it, digest it, You won't regret it. getting to hear Holly's voice in the sharpness of her tongue as she tells her story makes it even better.

awesome and refreshing!

Loved it! Holly's feelings in so many ways mirror my own about being an addicted woman in this patriarchal, repetative society and i am so inspired and feel so understood -- hope restored!

Her Cocaine/Alcohol comparison makes the whole world make more sense!!!

Seriously that part alone was so mind blowing and downright funny! Substitute cocaine in for alcohol....no one would accept that around them like we do alcohol. You can truly see the soceital issues anyone faces if they want to live an alcohol free life. And i agree that labels do very little to address the root cause of real issues, it just slaps a convenient label on it so we can throw it in a box.

Highly recommended!!

Loved it! By far the best recovery book out there. I felt like every word spoken /written were my own. From her experiences with alcohol, men and thought process. Amazing! Thank you Holly Whitaker for sharing your world with us. 🙏

Unlike Anything Else I’ve Heard or Read on the Topic

Holly is brilliant. She has discovered the truth and is unlocking the truth for others.

Amazing

I loved this. It changed my view. Almost instantly something clicked. She was so easy to listen to, her stories were very relatable for me. I am now 50 days alcohol free and have zero regrets.

Incredible

Everyone needs to read this it’s essential for living a real life that is honest and truthful

Incredible.

I'm on day 38 and I can say this book helped me get here. Thank you Holly!

Perfect Read for Women

It was just like Holly knew what I needed to hear. I’d recommend this book to anybody no matter where they are on their journey with alcohol.