Writing about alcoholism, the struggles associated with it, and recovery is no easy task. Yet, Rose B. has dealt with it with not only taste and balance, but with unwavering bravery and openness. Her strength of character shines through the pages.

We are taken through Rose’s life, which is important when dealing with topics of this weight, as it reminds us that something as serious as alcoholism doesn’t come from nowhere or out of the blue, but is rather an influence of our surroundings and the people in our lives. We go through her childhood, her early marriage, and feelings of inadequacy and loneliness throughout her adult life.

It’s special to find a book about hard, harrowing topics that isn’t inherently negative or hopeless. The narrative is indeed serious and heart-wrenching at times, but it is also happy and life-affirming at other times. You take away a strong feeling of “things get better” from this memoir.

It’s significant that the author has omitted her surname, and not just because it is often important for members of Alcoholic Anonymous forums and a driving force behind people’s willingness to speak up. It’s significant too because even though it is a deeply personal story, it resonates with human experience and I’m sure a number of people will read it as a parable and inspiration rather than simply one woman’s story. So by not including her surname, we are reminded that this is a problem facing society at large as well as the individual.

Rose B. has set out to share her story with the world in hopes of it reaching someone that needs to hear it. Rose is an alcoholic that for many years functioned and hid her disease. It was only after having multiple trips to hospitals and institutions for depression and suicidal thoughts that she realized what was going on and decided to take steps to fix her life.

Rose documents her progression from her first husband that left her, her second husband that was abusive, her soul mate Leslie, and her current husband Eric. Each of these people contributed to her path to get where she is today. This book is like a slide show into Rose’s life. There are some intimate details but a lot of it is an overview and explaining how she came to an acceptance that she is an alcoholic and what she has to do daily to remain in recovery. She follows. The AA step program and while she believes in God, she emphasizes that being a Christian is not a requirement for the program to work.

The Gift of Sobriety: A Spiritual Transformation is Rose B.’s way to give back to the community. She has a doctorate degree but chooses to not focus her energy there. Instead, she wants to help other people break free from the darkness that alcoholism causes. I found the book very well organized and written in a way that readers could relate and see her progression and struggles. They can see that alcoholism isn’t binge drinking at a party every night, she talks about the signs and symptoms. She does this from experience, ​not just your typical textbook telling. This book is written for those seeking help, wanting a way out of the darkness. She offers hope, comfort, and a hand to hold to take that first step.

What started as a series of journal entries, The Gift of Sobriety: A Spiritual Transformation is a chronicle of the author, Rose B, and her journey to overcome alcoholism. While the book primarily focuses on one approach (Alcoholics Anonymous), it never suggests that this is the only key to sobriety. More than the method, Rose does a great job of helping readers see the type of details the outside world rarely focuses on; namely, what drives a person into addiction. In the author’s case, a string of marital tragedies, betrayals, and time bring a highly educated, professional women to the brink of destruction.

This approach, the courage to share the story behind the disease, helps depict alcoholism with empathy. The reader never feels the need to justify the author’s drinking. At the same time, the reader never vilifies it. Because of this balance, The Gift of Sobriety lives up to its title: a gift. This book is sure to prove helpful to those who work with and interact with people suffering from addiction. And if there’s anything that Rose’s words can teach us, it’s that anyone, no matter how strong and resilient, can find themselves in a place like hers – a place where you truly need the help of others.

The Gift of Sobriety: A Spiritual Transformation by Rose B is an anonymous autobiographical novella. Not only is this book an autobiography, but it is a deep, intimate diary. Rose B is very candid in her experiences as an alcoholic. Along with her experiences that led up to her drinking. While this book was a fast read, it was an incredible one. It was very thoughtful and thought-provoking. There were several times that I stopped to think about what she was saying. One of the more important parts that stood out to me was that Rose B is also educated in psychology, and she still did not see she had a problem. This is an important piece of information as a warning that it can happen to anyone.

Rose also frequently mentioned in her book that she wants to be so honest to people can see what it was like, to see the warning signs in their own life. Sometimes, people can be too close to themselves and not see how they are hurting themselves or see they have a problem. I think Rose illustrated this throughout her raw confessions of life. I absolutely recommend this to everyone to read.

Rose B. writes about her alcoholism, her recovery and the lessons she learned in ‘The Gift of Sobriety’. The author starts by narrating her very simple childhood. Rose B. was brought up in a Swedish Lutheran family from Kansas. She writes about her family, how she married at 19 and how marriage life was. Imagine coming back home only to find that your spouse has gone, taking away everything they own. I felt the agony in the author’s words as she narrated how her husband left her. The end of her marriage broke Rose B. She was dejected for months. She felt sick and desperate. Her husband also withdrew half of their savings in the bank and that only added to her woes. The worst thing about all this was that her parents faulted her for what happened. Hos could they? Rose B. could not understand why her parents placed the blame on her.

The author shares intimate moments in her life, happy moments, hard times she experienced and awkward encounters she had in her book. For an alcoholic, you would think that Rose B. started indulging in heavy drinking while young. This is not the case. The author writes that the only time alcohol was available at home while growing up was at dinner during Easter and Christmas. Rose B. did not think alcoholism could ruin her life at the beginning. How do you explain your life falling apart as a result of drinking? Rose B. was lucky as she came to the realization that alcohol was not helping her when it wasn’t too late. She made a turnaround and vowed to face her problems without the drink. I like how the author tells her story. She is so good with words that as a reader, you feel like you are virtually present with her.
I put myself in the author’s shoes and walked with her throughout the journey. Some chapters were too painful too read. One could feel how emotional the author was when writing. Rose B. talked about depression, suicidal thoughts, Alzheimer and other sensitive issues. Even with the sad moments, Rose B. had a few times where she experienced immense joy. I enjoyed reading about her happy days. Reading about her turnaround was awe-inspiring. I loved how she chronicled her life from being the lonely and depressed individual, to gradually changing to be the new and optimistic soul. ‘The Gift of Sobriety’ is for readers who are going through life’s troubles every day, but don’t know where to start looking for solutions.

Rose B. wrote this book to encourage all who have despaired in this life. Her book may have been about battling alcoholism and transformation through AA, but there are many other pressing issues she tackles. Reading this book will give you the energy to fight the barriers in your life. Rose B. is inspiring. You will also renew your spirituality and improve your relationship with God. I like how open the author was. You could tell that she wrote from her heart. She was passionate when talking about her transformation, and brilliant when encouraging those who are in her situation. The major take in the book is that sobriety is possible. It is also important to place your self in safe spaces with loving people who will help you with your sobriety journey.

‘’The Gift of Sobriety’’ by Rose B. is a journal of the author’s life, surprising and random just like the story it describes. Rose lived a hard life, challenged by divorces and re-marriages, diseases and deaths of her loved ones, difficult relationships, domestic violence, depression and various suicidal attempts (it would be hard to not spoil the book by telling more). The chain of misfortunes was never ending, separated by brief periods of safety and joy. After years of unconscious alcoholism, the author finally realized, the ‘’glass of wine’’ she would drink when in need of some relief was becoming a disease. Her belief in a spiritual ‘’High Power,’’ guided her through life with dreams and intuition. Her spirituality became fundamental when resolving the most difficult problems in life, especially alcoholism. Rose’s experience is the best example of how tricky and complicated life can be. Life can surprise people with misfortunes at every moment, so she hopes that sharing her experience may help others. It was the mystical ‘’Higher Power’’ that Rose recognized God’s voice in, which helped her to keep going forward. Eventually, it is because of this innate deep, spiritual feeling that she wrote her book, the power that let her finally receive the Gift of Sobriety.