Glorious Rock Bottom: 'A shocking story told with heart and hope. You won't be able to put it down.' Dolly Alderton

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They are often people who are more self aware, and have more gratitude for the profound beauty in the simplicity of daily life. Re: rating - 3 would be too stingy, 4 is a little generous, but I'm happy to err on the side of generosity here. Alcoholism is often misunderstood, viewed as a choice rather than a disease, and I hope that this memoir will encourage empathy and understanding.

I loved the searing honesty - sometimes it's an uncomfortable read about the events that lead her to "rock bottom". I’ve read everything she has ever written, laughing out loud at The Wrong Knickers and being inspired to try Couch to 5K after reading Eat, Drink, Run. Knowing these thoughts and emotions and behaviours and cravings and outbursts I get are things other addicts experience too. In a recent interview with Fearne Cotton, Bryony states the importance of showing her readers that they are not the “worst person in the world because they haven’t heard anyone speak about it.And then, a chink of light as the hard work begins – rehab; twelve-step meetings; endless, tedious, painful self-reflection – a rollercoaster ride through self-acceptance, friendship, love and hope, to a joy and pride in staying sober that her younger self could never have imagined. I think that this tale will be relatable to many as the 80s kids reach their more analysing 40s decade. I admire her dedication to achieving sobriety, you have to want it, knowing you need it it is not enough and so many die a agonising, slowest through failure. She’s not afraid to delve into topics of shame, pain or disgust which plague most people with mental illnesses and addiction.

In parts it's a very raw, open account of active addiction and the attitudes, behaviours and barriers that addicts put in place to deny their reality and avoid doing anything about it. In soul-baring flashes to the past, to recovery and to life after getting sober, Gordon paints the reader a picture of the height of her addiction, and echoes so many messages we've heard so often - I'm not an alcoholic, *I* couldn't possibly quit drinking, going to rehab only happens to OTHER people. Her sober anniversary is my birthday, and later this month when I celebrate, I will raise a glass of non-alcoholic something to her. Reading this searingly honest memoir is hard going— it’s super readable— but hard to digest, especially as I am at the beginning of my own similar journey. Gordon's new book is a frank, sometimes wince-inducing and often very funny look at her 20-year relationship with booze.I came across her by accident a few years ago with her book about running and expected fluff and then got entertaining depth. Having been sober for around ten months, after numerous attempts over the years, I needed something to inspire me, there is a life after alcohol ! The admittance that this has often not been the case articulates bravely while we may look one way on the surface, the reality may not be the case.

Growing up surrounded by alcoholics as a kid, nothing pleases me more than to see people actively inching step-by-step towards a timely recovery.One day we had to lie down on a giant piece of paper and let someone draw an outline around our bodies with a marker. Her previous books and campaign work for mental health charities have done brilliant things in terms of opening up the conversation and helping people speak up and get help. and whether you're sober, sober curious or think you'll never be THAT person who needs to give up the sauce forever, I urge you to read this book. We still judge mothers so harshly and that shame around parenting and addiction hurts far more than it helps.

I loved the idea of alcohol as “a depressant masquerading remarkably well as a relaxant, an Oscar-winning actor”, but including it twice felt like sloppy editing. In Glorious Rock Bottom Bryony opens up about a toxic twenty-year relationship with alcohol and drugs and explains exactly why hitting rock bottom - for her, a traumatic event and the abrupt realisation that she was putting herself in danger, time and again - saved her life. The narrative jumps from Bryony’s experiences in rehab to describing the often shocking situations she was in while drinking. It also opens an interesting discussion about how as a society we see alcohol and the pressures that come with not drinking.It highlights how suffering can be hiding in plain sight and the old lesson of “don’t believe everything you see on Instagram”. Perhaps for those impacted by addiction will get the most out of it, gain an understanding from the other side. You are not alone, going mad or worthless, there is hope and a guaranteed better life without alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant masquerading remarkably well as a relaxant, an Oscar-winning actor that had me fooled for years.