Monday 7 January 2019

Sober and Pissed Off by Jane Zarse

Sober and Pissed Off discusses: The difference between physical and emotional sobriety, the misconception that after one quits drinking the work is over and they are immediately cured, the importance of addressing alcoholism as a mental disorder, the constant work required to maintain sobriety, how addiction and relapse are two forms of self-sabotage and the correlations between anxiety, depression and addiction.


About the Author
Jane Zarse was born and raised in Lake Forest, Illinois. She graduated from Boston University on the Dean's List before acting in New York City and trading in Chicago. She spiraled into alcoholism before joining Alcoholics Anonymous and finding her way back. Sober and Pissed Off is the second book for Zarse. Her first book, Love and Compassion is My Religion (A Beginner's Book Into Spirituality) is a guide for finding one's spiritual self.

Zarse's first book received excellent reviews and gained worldwide attention. She has built an impressive author platform with tens of thousands of people who are in recovery following her on social media and is a top 2% Twitter influencer.

Follow @zarsejane on Twitter, On Instagram On Facebook On Goodreads Amazon Author page
Buy Sober and Pissed Off


About the book
Sober and Pissed Off is a book for recovering alcoholics who are struggling with emotional wellbeing. In Sober and Pissed Off, Zarse describes how she regained her emotional sobriety after becoming a dry, miserable alcoholic. She took her newfound freedom for granted and paid dearly for it. Sober and Pissed Off illustrates why sobriety is so much more than not drinking. This book is for the countless people in recovery who are physically sober and emotionally struggling.

Review
Zarse writes with a lot of passion, conviction and vigour. I can imagine her words will and have already resonated with plenty of people in similar situations, and also friends and family members of said people. Kudos to her for opening up and for taking apart her own struggle bit by bit. Examining her own emotions and thought processes to try and comprehend what makes her disease tick, in an effort to find a path to recovery.

For the author her personal path to success is connected to her spirituality and faith. It is also anchored in the teachings and support of Alcoholics Anonymous, which is based in faith and belief instead of logic, science or medical explanations. Which begs the question, whether this is part of the reason many alcoholics find it hard to maintain sobriety, because the go-to treatment for alcoholism is an antiquated and ineffective method for a large number of alcoholics.

On the flip-side there are many, who like Jane, have found inner strength and support in the teachings of religion. The strength to face the daily battle of addiction, and for whom AA and religion is the foundation of their sobriety.

I think Zarse is someone who not only wants to help herself, but also help others. More importantly I believe as an author she wants to start a discussion about recovery and sobriety both emotionally and physically, so alcoholics, recovering alcoholics and non-alcoholics can better understand the internal and external struggle.

The author is brutally honest about her own journey, which is the most helpful kind of read when it comes to addiction. She tries not to gloss over her mistakes and acknowledge her failings, as she perceives them and experienced them. She is aware that all of that is subjective, and that hindsight isn't always an objective observer.

I admire the strength of her conviction and the acknowledgement of her own battle. It's what makes this an eye-opener of a read.

Buy Sober and Pissed Off at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Buy Love and Compassion Is My Religion: A Beginner's Book into Spirituality by Jane Zarse

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