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Known for her trademark honesty, Bryony re-lives the darkest and most terrifying moments of her addiction, never shying away from the fact that alcoholism robs you of your ability to focus on your family, your work, your health, your children, yourself.
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.I was sad to read that all was not well after her marathon, but glad she sought the help she needed. In others it's another 12 step memoir; by which I mean that recovery through the programme involves a series of steps that addicts work through and that enable the to re-narrate their addiction, address it, and overcome it. For me one of the most memorable parts is when she's sober for the first time at Christmas, and is able to observe how other people handle alcohol - sipping it slowly, just having one glass, choosing not to drink because they need to get up early etc, and the understanding that it's been a totally different experience for her, she could never have behaved in a reasonable, "sensible" way around alcohol. The narrative jumps from Bryony’s experiences in rehab to describing the often shocking situations she was in while drinking. While simultaneously describing the gregarious life and soul of the party she appears to be, Bryony lets us in on the fact that her interactions with her friend are underlined by the question of when they will have their next drink or line of cocaine.
Because that’s what books like this do - you’re drinking, you feel like the worst person in the world, but a little spark in you identifies with what she went through and you think maybe you could do it too. Her descriptions of cringe-inducing “therapy speak” are hilarious, while her frustration and pain as she battles her cravings made me want to reach through the page and comfort her. This book, warts and all, is a beacon of hope and is a testament to the human ability to persist and endure. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. After my own day of anniversary planned excess and fun though I’ve changed my rating - she’s human and was trying to deal with life by living it - surely that’s always better than trying to deal with life by not experiencing and pushing the boundaries?Alcoholism is such a misunderstood illness and I just wish this book could be read by those people who seek to punish addiction instead of getting to the root cause and offering the best treatment. Writing this review as someone with an intimate knowledge of the disease of addiction, I can say that this is written by a lady who certainly knows her stuff, I identify with you, Byrony, all the way, I just wish I had your gift with words. I was surprised to learn that Bryony was suffering at the height of her success - when she’d written best-selling books, ran a marathon and became widely revered as a mental health advocate. I can imagine this book was a terrifying, but cathartic memoir to publish and I wish Gordon all the success.
There were some real light bulb moments for me and this is powerful reassurance that I am not alone and that everything I am experiencing is normal and part of the process.Shame and guilt are universal, and Bryony’s sincerity shows us a way to look at our own lived experiences with compassion, without self-flagellation. And then, a chink of light as the hard work begins – rehab; AA 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. This is a much darker, grittier read than her other memoirs, but given the subject this is unsurprising. I already adore this lady (I once ran past her during a 10k event and was so starstruck after following her for years, all I did was just shout "Bryony, I love you!
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.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. I found this quite a frustrating read on first reflection, as the simple ‘pour me, pour me’ bandwagon is always too easy to jump on and she was a mother with multiple vices - as a fellow mother my set life perspective screamed how could she do this? No, it is not easy but no matter how much pain you have to put yourself through to get it, it is by far the most wonderful thing one can possibly do.
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