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2019 Sober Mindful Drinking Books

Review: 2019 Sober and Mindful Drinking Books

Just like this time last year, there are several books coming out about mindful drinking and going alcohol free. Read on for our reviews of some of them. And don’t forget that you can find and order all these books and many other Club Soda favourites in our Amazon shops – check out the lists on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

The Alcohol Experiment by Annie Grace

The subtitle of this book by our friend Annie, A 30-Day, Alcohol-Free Challenge to Interrupt Your Habits and Help You Take Control, already gives you an idea of the contents. If you have read Annie’s first book (This Naked Mind) or watched her webinars, you will know what to expect: well researched, clear and sensible discussion of the topic. The book is written in 30 chapters (so you can spend a month working your way through it), with additional ACT technique sections. ACT stands for Awareness – Clarity – Turnaround, and is a way of reflecting on your habits and behaviours. The 30 main chapters cover a variety of topics from discomfort, cravings, willpower, boredom, health, and depression.

Get Alcohol Experiment from Amazon UK

Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington

The whole title of this book is Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol. The author, English journalist Ruby Warrington has been organising sober events in New York for a couple of years. Here, she recounts her own “sober curious journey”, trying to answer the question: Would life be better without alcohol? On the way, we learn about FOMA, the fear of missing alcohol, as well as relationships, spirituality, wellness, and ways of living a sober curious life.

Get Sober Curious from Amazon UK

Try Dry: The Official Guide to a Month Off Booze by Dry January

This book is from Alcohol Change charity, the people behind the official Dry January campaign in the UK. It is written by experts at Alcohol Change, and covers all the topics that are likely to come up when taking a month off booze, from planning and preparation to considering what to do after the month. It also has a foreword by comedian Lee Mack, whose dry January has now been going on for two years!

Get Try Dry from Amazon UK

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober Journal

This follow-up to Catherine Gray’s first book, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober: Discovering a happy, healthy, wealthy alcohol-free life, is not exactly a regular book. Instead, it’s a journalling book, or a “workbook”, where Catherine takes you through the process of writing down your own sober journey, with plenty of space for your own words. We must confess we haven’t actually seen a copy of this book yet, but the idea sounds brilliant, and The Unexpected Joy has been a big hit with Club Soda members since it came out, so we are sure this book will become one too!

Get Unexpected Joy Journal on Amazon UK 

Redemption Bar: Alcohol-free cocktails with benefits

Andrea Waters and Catherine Salway run three alcohol free restaurants in London. They are fantastic venues – we’ve organised many members’ lunches in them – and now they’ve put some of their knowledge of alcohol free cocktails into this beautiful book. You will recipes for a variety of cocktails, including Lychee and Yuzu Martinis, Pineapple Margaritas, and Strawberry & Mango Daiquiris. As you’d expect from a Redemption Bar book, there are many vegan, low sugar and gluten-free recipes available. In addition, the authors give us ideas for canapes and healthy bar snacks.

Get Redemption Bar from Amazon UK

The Herball’s  Guide to Botanical Drinks by Michael Isted

Subtitled Using the alchemy of plants to create potions to cleanse, restore, relax and revive, this book “for plant lovers, foragers, fermenters, brewers and those fascinated by the healing power of herbs” is coming out in February. It is a recipe collection of natural, non-alcoholic stimulants and tranquillisers using everyday plants such as dandelions and nettles, by trained herbalist, nutritionist, aromatherapist and drinks specialist Michael Isted.

Get Herball’s Guide from Amazon UK

The Seedlip Cocktail Book by Ben Branson

Ben Branson developed Seedlip, the non-alcoholic distilled spirit. This new books is an exclusive collection of one hundred of the finest cocktails made with Seedlip. The recipes are by the world’s best bartenders. The book is beautifully illustrated, with info about Seedlip, and cocktail techniques and ingredients.

Get Seedlip Cocktail Book from Amazon UK

You can read our reviews of the 2018 mindful drinking books here.

Meet the authors at the Mindful Drinking Festival

And that’s not all! We will have several authors at our January Mindful Drinking Festival. Richard Piper from Alcohol Change/Dry January will be on our author’s panel discussion. Catherine and Andrea from Redemption Bar will be giving us an alcohol free cocktail masterclass. And though they haven’t got new books out, Clare Pooley (The Sober Diaries), Andy Ramage (The 28 Day Alcohol-Free Challenge) Shahroo Izadi (The Kindness Method) will also be there. Click here for all the details of the events. And if you are a budding writer yourself, we even have a bloggers workshop!