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  • High Sobriety

  • My Year Without Booze
  • By: Jill Stark
  • Narrated by: Vannessa Coffey
  • Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (71 ratings)

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High Sobriety

By: Jill Stark
Narrated by: Vannessa Coffey
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Publisher's Summary

I'm the binge-drinking health reporter. During the week, I write about Australia's booze-soaked culture. At the weekends, I write myself off.

Born and raised in Scotland, the home of whisky, Jill Stark had booze in the blood. Alcohol had dominated her social life ever since she had her first sip of lager, at 13. She thought nothing could curb her love of big nights. Then came the hangover that changed everything.

In the shadow of her 35th year, Jill made a decision: she would give up alcohol. But what would it mean to stop drinking in a world awash with booze?

This lively memoir charts Jill's tumultuous year on the wagon, as she copes with the stress of the newsroom sober, tackles the dating scene on soda water, learns to watch football minus beer, and deals with censure from friends and colleagues, who tell her that a year without booze is a year without mates.

In re-examining her habits, Jill also explores the global love affair with alcohol, meeting alcopop-swigging teens who drink to fit in, beer-swilling blokes in a sporting culture backed by booze, and marketing bigwigs blamed for turning binge drinking into a way of life.

And she retraces her drinking steps to Scotland, where getting p***d is seen as a birthright. Will Jill make it through the year without booze? And if she does, will she go back to old habits, or has she called last drinks? This is a funny, moving, and insightful exploration of why we drink, how we got here, and what happens when we turn off the tap.

©2013 Jill Stark (P)2014 Audible Ltd

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Worth listening to 👍

Love it, so real, honest & Australian. Would recommend this Audible book to all that think that “Life is To short to be Wasted”

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interesting and funny but a teeny bit preachy

Great voiceover, story was enlightening, funny and well researched. i did feel it pushed the message a bit hard towards the end...i got the well crafted message pretty early. Overall though interesting and a good book.

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So Relatable. So Melbourne. So Worthwhile.

From the beginnings of an AFL scandal, Maccas run, sessions at Cherry Bar, for those in Australia, especially Melbourne this is relatable tale.
Then it’s gets to the nitty gritty, makes your laugh, explore yourself, and cry. Bravo Jill for sharing this story, and how alcohol free life and alcohol free drink options has changed since you wrote this. Making your initial time away from alcohol, and this story all the more powerful. I’m @boozefreedad and this story is valuable for all people, no matter where you are in your relationship with alcohol.
Thank You!

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I encourage all social drinkers to read this

Well researched and expert storytelling make this a digestible, informative and inspiring listen. As relevant now in 2023 as it was a decade ago.

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boring expansion of a newspaper article

Seriously boring. It was like she had expanded on every sentence in her newspaper article and transcribed all her notes/facts/research. I forced myself to listen to the end because it was set for bookclub but omg what a bore. I hope I never hear another statistic about drinking in Australia and Scotland again.

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2 people found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.