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Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife

By: Brenda Wilhelmson
Narrated by: Brenda Wilhelmson
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Publisher's Summary

"A gripping, firsthand story of personal triumph and recovery by a wealthy American housewife who appeared to have it all but who was, in reality, losing life's most important moments in an alcohol-induced haze." (Hazeldon Betty Ford, publisher)

Brenda Wilhelmson was like a lot of women in her neighborhood. She had a husband and two children. She was educated and made a good living as a writer. She had a vibrant social life with a tight circle of friends. She could party until dawn and take her children to school the next day. From the outside, she appeared to have it all together. But, in truth, alcohol was slowly taking over, turning her world on its side.

Waking up to another hangover, growing tired of embarrassing herself in front of friends and family, and feeling important moments slip away, Brenda made the most critical decision of her life: to get sober. She kept a diary of her first year (and beyond) in recovery, chronicling the struggles of finding a meeting she could look forward to, relating to her fellow alcoholics, and finding a sponsor with whom she connected. Along the way, she discovered the challenges and pleasures of living each day without alcohol, navigating a social circle where booze is a centerpiece, and dealing with her alcoholic father's terminal illness and denial.

Brenda Wilhelmson's Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife offers insight, wisdom, and relevance for listeners in recovery, as well as their loved ones, no matter how long they've been sober. Winner of a Bronze IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Awards), Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife was called out by the Today Show as "striking a nerve".

©2011 Brenda Wilhelmson (P)2018 Brenda Wilhelmson

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A hard listen

I listened all the way to an interaction between Brenda’s father and Seth (a child) and couldn’t hear anymore. Some of the anecdotes involving children made me feel really uncomfortable - eg the sandwich scenario with the authors mother and her son Van. Additionally, the small-mindedness and bitchiness of the author’s group of friends was excruciating to listen to. The endless gossip and nasty behavior did not endear me, as a reader, to the author at all ( or her friends). Also, I hope the AA people are ok with what was written about them. They would readily be able to identify themselves. They’re already a vulnerable group, so this seemedvpotentially harmful? I am unsure whether the book got better after the “father and Seth” incident (the father was drunk), as I fast forwarded to the Canyon camping trip at the end and caught the last 10 mins. I was glad Brenda found happiness and maintained sobriety, but unfortunately, I just couldn’t bear the majority of this book. I wouldn’t recommend it (my apologies to the author).

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Trapped in a discourse

While I applaud the author/narrator for relinquishing alcohol in an alcohol-soaked culture, it was hard to overlook how very narrow her beliefs were in relation to the central topic. Not only was the author trapped within the dominant discourse and self-proclaimed wisdom of AA (through failure to question much of it whatsoever), but it was striking just how entangled her whole life (and AA culture) is unquestionably suffocated by patriarchy as well. If you are going to listen through this (rather long and prosaic) journey, listen to Holly Whittaker’s Quit Like A Woman alongside it. The juxtaposition will be illuminating.

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