TOOLS FOR LIVING –

Feb. 3, 2021 – Gooch’s debut book acts as a manual for sober and sober-curious females looking to improve their lives. The facts and figures she presents are astounding (for example, did you know the Scotch whisky industry produced 1.6 billion litres of waste liquids per year?), but it’s her personal account – along with those from other members of the tee-total sisterhood – that delve deepest into the reasons for giving up alcohol.

My own journey with sobriety really began to take shape in 2018 when I finally walked into an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting. Both Millie and I agree that what keeps us away from alcohol is human connection: surrounding ourselves with sober sisters, listening to their experiences, and learning from their strength and hope. We both found our tribes, me through AA and Millie through the Sober Girl Society.

As someone who spent hours crossing out the word “God” in AA’s Big Book and adding an “S” in front of every “He,” I considered myself a true 21st century addict. However, I still put my sobriety in the hands of older generations and traditions. Gooch, on the other hand, like a true millennial, went out and did it herself – she created a pretty-in-pink iteration of sobriety that’s easily digestible for Gen Z.

On Sober Girl Society, Gooch has also consciously removed words such as “addict” and “alcoholic” in an effort to create a space that’s free from the stigma associated with them. This is one point where Gooch and I differ: I identify as an addict/alcoholic, while she utilises the label “sober” to explain her situation. When we jump on a Zoom call, I start by asking about this.

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