Martha Carucci
Books
Almost everyone knows someone who is affected in some way by addiction. You may see a bum on the street with a brown paper bag and assume that he is an alcoholic. But how about the mom sitting next to you at the PTA meeting or in the stands at her child’s soccer game? She may be just as miserable, if not more so. We all have our struggles and crosses to bear, whether it is depression, anxiety, addiction (of any kind–alcohol, food, drugs, gambling, etc), an abusive relationship, an unhappy marriage–but it’s never too late to turn things around. By owning our story, we have the chance to write the ending. Working on owning my story is one of the best things I have ever done for myself.
Sobrietease 2: Make It a Double digs deeper into what life without booze looks like for a suburban mother of three who is surrounded by it. In a culture that promotes socializing around the bottle with book clubs that spend more time reading wine labels than actual books, and playground sippy cups filled with something stronger than just juice for moms a life of sobriety is no easy choice. While Carucci swims upstream in the “mommy needs vodka world,” she accepts the challenge with a sense of humor, grace, and overwhelming gratitude.
Martha is a contributing author to On The Rocks: Straight Talk about Women and Drinking. Existing portrayals of women who drink typically fall into two categories: disturbing stories of women hitting “rock bottom,” resulting in ruined careers, families, and futures, or amusing stories of fun and harmless “girls’ nights out,” with women drinking and overindulging as a temporary escape from a never-ending list of work and family demands. Drawing on original research and extensive interviews with a diverse group of women, author Susan Stewart challenges these stereotypes, revealing women’s complex relationships with alcohol and factors associated with its use.