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Her theory is that our conscious (surface level) attention may know these facts but it is our subconscious mind that makes the decisions. And it is the part of us that has been programmed to do so with alcohol consumption. Have fun, loosen up, relieve stress, be more socially acceptable, advance your career- she looks at all these myths of the benefits of drinking and disassembles them. I just don’t know if reading a book can change us on the basic level she is seeking. But it has helped many people.
What’s important...is to realize that your perception creates your reality. If you look at the 31 days as punishment that you will have to ‘get through’, they will become a punishment. If you are certain you will be miserable at a party without drinking, you will be.One of the book’s main points is that people have trouble stopping or even recognizing their drinking has become a problem because we live in a culture in which the majority of the population drinks, and where drinking is celebrated. This affects us on an unconscious level so that even when a conscious decision to quit drinking is made, there’s cognitive dissonance which sabotages efforts to change. It does a great job of constantly questioning your assumptions, conscious or subconscious, about drinking. I recently listened to the audiobook on Annie Grace’s ‘This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol: find freedom, discover happiness and change your life.’ For reasons I almost don’t need to explain, on starting the book I did not add it to my currently reading list on Goodreads. This is despite the fact that I ALWAYS add whatever book I’m reading to Goodreads, even if it’s embarrassing. I’ve added self help books aplenty this year, and although I’ve felt a little awkward admitting to reading them, I always added the damn book. Because ultimately I’m not ashamed to be striving for personal growth, even if it means adding books on depression and anxiety. (That adding books on anxiety to my reading list causes me anxiety is an irony that is not lost on me.) But this was different. In adding this book, I was admitting that I didn’t have full control over my relationship with alcohol, and that’s something massive, or that’s what society has always told me anyway. Alcohol dependency has such a stigma attached to it that we don’t want to let on even to ourselves that we think we might have a problem in controlling it. If I publicly admitted to reading this book, then it felt like I was publicly admitting to having a problem. I had high hopes for this read, but was somewhat let down. To preface, I didn’t see myself as having a problem with alcohol, however, since I did enjoy it regularly, I wanted to read this book as a way to become more aware of my relationship to the drug. Reading this did bring some awareness to my drinking habits, and ultimately changed my attitude towards alcohol, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. Still, in part thanks to this book, I’ve decided to give alcohol a rest for a month, so on the other hand maybe I would recommend it.
The book does contain some real science, but what is there--the kind of information I was really wanting--is delivered in the most dry, textbook-y way imaginable. And the practical advice? Essentially nonexistent. "Tips" like "you have to starve those cravings, allow them to die" followed by doomsday predictions of you in the gutter provide no real tools. The Naked Mind: Manage Alcohol Intake, Find Freedom, Happiness and Be in Control offers a unique approach to managing alcohol consumption. Unlike traditional methods that focus on willpower, The Naked Mind takes a scientific approach to understanding the true nature of alcohol addiction.
Customer reviews
Honestly, I’m a little surprised this book made it to market. The publisher is Avery of Penguin Random House. I think they knew it would sell because the title is promising and appears to be open-minded and almost Buddhist. However, what lies behind the cover is inconsistent and sometimes simply wrong. Anyway, there's still some really good shit in here and I admire Grace for getting sober and producing such a comprehensive and useful guide to sobriety. I will probably re-read at some point.
The only part I found useful was how she highlighted how alcohol is deceptively marketed to us with promises of happiness, a better sex life, among other things. This has allowed me to become more conscious whenever I see an alcohol advertisement.I don’t disagree with many of the points in this novel: alcohol is bad for you, advertisements/Hollywood glamorize it, etc. I think a lot of people can benefit from either quitting alcohol or being mindful about when they choose to drink (mood, quantity etc). If this book helped you get sober or helped you live a life with alcohol in a healthy way, I am genuinely happy for you. Annie uses clear logic, credible science, and the voice of experience to compel the reader to let go of societal conditioning and face the fact that alcohol causes more problems than it fixes. She gives you hope that with some honest work you can free yourself from alcohol’s grip and never feel like you’re being denied any enjoyment. Disclaimer: It might be forever depending on how the year goes. I'm still new at this and I'm trying to go about this at my own pace. I want to be mentally happy with this decision.) There are 10 times more mentions in popular media about the benefits of alcohol (as it makes a good reading) than the risks, even though there are many more risks The Naked Mind is also a valuable resource for family members and friends of those struggling with addiction. The book provides insight into the challenges of addiction and offers practical tools for supporting loved ones.
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