The Sober Lush

I'll start this review with—I am not, technically, sober.

My parter has been, for a little over a year. Because I am a social drinker, and because quarantine has meant that said partner is pretty much the only person I've seen for about a year, I haven't had much to drink. Once it's safe to go to bars and restaurants again, it's likely that I'll have a cocktail with friends at happy hour, or a glass of wine with dinner. But, after a year of being mostly sober, thinking about the way our society glamorizes drinking to excess, and especially after reading this book, I know my relationship with alcohol is forever changed.

When my partner recommended this book, I was skeptical if it would be for me, as someone who doesn't identify as sober. But I was pleasantly surprised by how universal this book felt. Sure, sometimes it talks about the dangers of alcohol—how it can numb us, make us forgetful or mean. But ultimately, this book is about the many ways there are to manifest exactly what the subtitle promises—a decadent, adventurous, soulful life—without alcohol. Or with it, if that's for you. This book isn't judgmental towards those who drink, it simply offers alternate options if you should choose.

This book is a love letter to life itself, to living with intention and joy and awareness. For the authors, it was their relationship with alcohol that was holding them back from experiencing and enjoying their lives to the fullest extent. Whether or not that resonates with you, many of us have had or currently have a hurdle to leap before getting where we want to be. Maybe this book can help us see what's on the other side.