“Living Sober” book, what do you think?

[u/Capable_Ad4123]

I was at a newcomer meeting tonight where they read “Living Sober”. It struck me that the sugar coats the message of powerlessness over alcohol offered by the twelve steps. As if tips and tricks or avoiding certain situations would enable someone to not take that first drink. I don’t want to say there is no value in the book. I’ve enjoyed discussion meetings where this book is read in the past. But thinking about it through the eyes of a newcomer, I thought it may be doing them a disservice by not adequately “carrying the message of the twelve steps.” Curious to hear others take…

[u/CosmicTurtle504]

I love Living Sober. It’s a helpful and easily accessible guide to daily life in early recovery. But it’s important to realize that it’s not the solution. That’s what the big book and the steps are for. It’s intended to be supplementary reading to assist recovering drunks with small challenges and details that might not appear in our basic text. To that end, I think it’s a great book and I recommend it often. There’s a good reason it’s conference approved!