Higher Sobriety: My Years Without Booze

Journalist Stark (Happy Never After) chronicles a year of sobriety in this witty memoir. She shares how she started binge drinking as a teenager in Scotland and continued after moving to Australia, where she reported on the “nation’s drinking habits” for The Age while maintaining a hard-partying lifestyle. At age 35, a grueling New Year’s Day hangover convinced her to quit alcohol for a year. Her health rebounded even as she discovered that staying on the wagon complicated her social and dating life, as when her friend declined to accompany her to a rooftop bar, saying, “I just don’t like the idea of being out of control when you’re in control.” Stark also feared that going on dates sober would be “dispassionate” before she came to appreciate the greater clarity she gained from viewing potential partners “without my beer goggles.” Though she began drinking in moderation after her year of sobriety ended, she eventually returned to complete abstinence, finding that “it’s easier than moderation.” Despite a slew of clichés, the humor lands (“Teetotalism is a crime punishable by death” in her native Scotland), and Stark’s candid reflections reveal the outsize role booze plays in many people’s social lives. It’s a spirited tale of kicking addiction. (Aug.)