We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life

This is one of the most authentic, and honest memoirs about sobriety that I have ever read. Laura McKowen captures what is fleeting to most alcoholics-the ability to describe the indescribable journey of sobriety. Absolutely incredible read. Highly recommend!

After reading this book I knew the path to Sobriety was what I wanted and needed in my life. Alcohol is damaging so many women's brains and bodies. If you are questioning your relationship with alcohol this is the book for you. It is beautifully written. Laura McKowen is doing great things for the Sober Community.

I have never been much of a reader but this book was so good I couldn't put it down. Found it very relatable and felt like I could have written all the words on the pages. Definitely top quit lit!

This book was one that I savored page by page until the end. As someone new to recovery, I could relate to so much of Laura’s journey. Page by page, my shame melted away. And it’s true that this book is about so much more than recovery from addiction. If your end game is not to just stop drinking (or whatever your thing is), but to begin creating the life you have always known you wanted, this is a treasured resource. I thank Laura for her Courage.

I loved how this book went beyond getting sober and delved into the deeply layered kind of life you can experience in sobriety. A life where you connect with the deepest, truest version of yourself.

We all know know Glennon Doyle, right? Of Together Rising? Ok. So.Glennon identified this book - one which I gobbled down in 2 days flat - as one of her must-reads, alongside a little known work called "Just Mercy" and an author you've never heard of named GLORIA STEINEM. Eek.Glennon says: "This is it. This is the book for people getting sober. This is the one. McKowen’s forthcoming We Are the Luckiest is the truest, most generous, honest, and helpful sobriety memoir I’ve read. It’s going to save lives."This is a new book by Laura McKowen and it is NOT just about recovery. I don't even know if I'd really call it a sobriety memoir. The thinking and wisdom here can be extrapolated out to whatever your "thing" is. What do you do to numb out and avoid hard things in life, whether you realize it or not? Drink? Work too much? Work out? Eat? Not eat? Overfunction? Caretake? Control stuff? The possibilities are endless.Until about 5 years ago, the "thing" that ran my life was perfectionism. Pair that with a demanding career (for which I got all kindsa high fives for said perfectionism), the challenges of new motherhood, a comparison habit, catastrophic thinking, a punishing intolerance for mistakes and an under-trained ability to notice and diagnose my own feelings... and more, but you get the point... and what you've got is a legit perfect storm.It took an inability to breathe (literally: I found myself gasping for air) to heed the warning flares being sent up from my physical being. Something really, seriously had to give. And so, I set out to recover. In a series of disruptive and identity-challenging steps I confronted my own nonsense, assembled tools (yoga, therapy, meditation, all things Brene Brown) and found new and kinder ways to apply my hard-fought professional skills. In short: I got my act together.But it's not like I look back on that work and feel like I've crossed a finish line. It continues. I'm am aware of how easy it would be to slip back into old, tired, broken and dangerous ways. At the same time I'm so much happier and healthier than I was a decade ago and I'm really proud of that progress.Like the book title says, I am (one of) the luckiest.If you've got a "thing", whatever that may be, and you're figuring out how to face it... or maybe you're lost and figuring out what your thing is... or perhaps you're looking back at and metabolizing your work: this book is for you.Or, maybe you're a flawless human who just likes to read great writing. :)ORDER IT, PEOPLE!

I am so grateful to have found this book. Laura’s words, thoughts and feelings are so raw and relatable. They’ve opened new thoughts and ideas, new possibilities. I am excited for this next chapter in my life as I take her words with me.

I really love this book for its honesty and insight. My husband and I got sober 35 years ago, he died April 4, 2022 and I started drinking again, to try to kill the pain, and as alcohol does, it worked until it didnt. I picked up this book after several on line AA meetings on my shakey return to a sober life, and began reading. She reminded me of why we quit drinking and also the deep struggle it took for me and my husband to quit together, all those years ago and why being sober is a gift. Though the pain of his death is still with me, alcohol is not, thank you for reminding me of the path and the way back home. Sandra

Amazing. Laura has a beautiful and deeply reflective writing style.As someone newly sober and struggling. I’ve identified so much with what has been written. I’m 5 months sober after nearly 20 years of drinking and other addictions. To hear that it’s normal to be feeling this way is a relief.I also got the audio book version and listen whenever I get the chance. There have been times where I’ve been brought to tears with the rawness of her writing. Laura articulates her experiences and probably that of so many others in her battle to get and stay sober and most importantly dealing with the pain of living a sober life.I’ve read many sober memoirs and addiction self help books and this is by far the best ever.

When I stopped drinking Laura and Holly (via the Home podcast) were comforting voices in my ear letting me know what life could be like without alcohol. From listening to Home and Spiritualish, I thought I knew everything about Laura. I didn't. She opens up about her relationship with alcohol and sobriety on a whole new level. I'm amazed at how she articulates her vulnerability so beautifully and helpfully. The book brought up fresh, helpful questions for myself and where I am in my relationship with 'the sauce'. Plus, it is so beautifully written. I mean, honestly, buy this book. I'm sure you won't be able to put it down or stop turning it around in your mind. THANK YOU LAURA for sharing so much of yourself in a way that has enriched my life for the better.

As someone who has also struggled with alcohol dependency for years, WATL was an honest way forward. There is no easy way. Every step hurts. Ourselves and others. Our stories of how we became addicted might differ. Our stories of how we battled through and conquered addiction will differ. Whether we did it willingly and well doesn’t matter. As long as we did it. As long as we live to share our story and help someone in their journey to sobriety. Honestly.

This is a beautifully written book. I read it in less than a day, it was so absorbing. Laura tells her story with unflinching honesty. You can tell that she has arrived at a place in her story where shame doesn’t weigh her down anymore. She tells it how it is and I think that this book could be an inspiration to many women.

The best book about going sober I’ve read. I’m almost 1 year sober and read this whilst I was going through a rough patch about 9 months in. It saved me.The author absolutely gets it and articulates everything in such a clear, intelligent and compassionate way. She really gets it.Can’t recommend enough.