Soberful: Uncover a Sustainable, Fulfilling Life Free of Alcohol

Description

"No thanks-I'm not drinking tonight." In a culture that equates alcohol with enjoyment and social acceptance, making this simple statement can make us feel like we're depriving or even punishing ourselves. "When we realize we can no longer drink safely, it can feel like the only choices are to spiral out of control or embrace a joyless life," says sobriety expert Veronica Valli. "But it's not true! Sobriety can be a path filled with fun, excitement, belonging, relaxation, and romance." Soberful offers a practical and straightforward program on how we can get sober and stay sober by increasing our self-worth, energy, and participation in life. Valli begins by debunking widespread beliefs about alcohol and sobriety-including the illusion that alcohol itself is the problem. She then focuses on the emotional skills we need to build for a fulfilling life without alcohol. Through the five pillars of sustainable sobriety-Movement, Connection, Balance, Process, and Growth-she shares effective and empowering strategies for processing the uncomfortable emotions we once numbed with alcohol. "When we change how we experience the world, we can stop trying to escape our feelings with alcohol," Valli says. Written with gentle humor and compassion, Soberful provides a road map to a life beyond drinking-one that is expansive, fulfilling, and joyously free.

Veronica Valli is a former psychotherapist who now works as a sobriety coach. With almost twenty years of experience, she has helped thousands of people live happy, healthy lives and reach their full potential by being alcohol free. She's been the keynote speaker at annual conferences such as Women for Sobriety and Soberistas, and she is the cohost of the popular Soberful podcast. Learn more at soberful.com.

"Veronica gets it, and this book is the missing piece for people who want to live a vibrant life without alcohol. If you're questioning your relationship with alcohol in any way, this is the book you need right now. In straight-talking chapters filled with compassionate advice and accessible tools, Veronica delivers a message that is both hopeful and actionable." --Laura McKowen, bestselling author of We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life "I love Veronica Valli's new book for its clarity, approachability, and basic common sense. Persuasive without being preachy in the slightest, this is a fabulous book and essential reading for anyone wanting to kick the booze." --Lucy Rocca, founder of Soberistas, coauthor of The Sober Revolution: Women Calling Time on Wine O'Clock, and author of Glass Half Full: A Positive Journey to Living Alcohol-Free "Valli posits a new and different narrative about the perception of alcohol, its pervasiveness in our culture, and how it has historically (and systematically) affected our behaviors and belief systems. Soberful suggests that we can change our misguided beliefs about the benefits of alcohol by revising our perspective, learning a new language, and realizing the power of connection. Valli's Five Pillars of Sustainable Sobriety provide the inspiration and structure necessary for us to discover the root of the problem and attack it with gusto." --Laurie Dhue, National Recovery Advocate and former CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News anchor "Veronica Valli has written a comprehensive guide to getting sober. This simple, straightforward program will help anyone who applies it. Based on her years of experience as a therapist and coach, Veronica takes the reader through a process that will not just get them sober but help them live an empowered, expansive life. Highly recommended." --Sherry Gaba, LCSW, coauthor of Love Smacked and Infinite Recovery and the go-to expert on VH1's Celebrity Rehab "For those of us who happened upon the 'cyber-sober sphere' in and around 2010, Veronica Valli was already a bit of a legend in the recovery blogging space. A woman in long-term recovery herself, Veronica has always excelled at delivering a no-nonsense, inclusive, and easy-to-understand message to people either exploring their relationship to alcohol or trying to save their lives from alcohol destruction. Being a skilled therapist helps her hammer home the simple truth--life is better when we show up for it fully present. This book is a distillation of decades of Veronica's work and is a welcome addition to the burgeoning literature devoted to recovery from behavioral health issues." --Dawn Nickel, PhD, founder of SHE RECOVERS(R) Foundation "Soberful, the new book by my friend Veronica Valli, is a discussion of the great big sober secret: you can get to the land of fun, excitement, belonging, connection, relaxation, rewards, and romance without alcohol. Sober does not mean somber; it simply means awake to all that life has to offer. This book will walk you through the process, answer questions, and open your eyes to new possibilities." --Mary Gauthier, Grammy(R)-nominated American folk singer and author of Saved by a Song "With over 21 years of sobriety, Veronica is an oracle of all things alcohol-free and shows that happy and sustainable sobriety is not only possible but wonderful too." --Millie Gooch, founder of the Sober Girl Society and author of The Sober Girl Society Handbook "Recovery is a lifestyle, and Veronica Valli has established herself as a leading ambassador of this beautiful lifestyle. Soberful provides readers with practical solutions for trying on a new pair of glasses in their approach to life, addressing many of the common fears and roadblocks that people face along the way. I am proud to add Soberful as the latest book to my recovery library, and I will be enthusiastically recommending it to my clients, students, and members of my recovery circles." --Jamie Marich, PhD, author of Trauma and the 12 Steps: An Inclusive Guide to Enhancing Recovery and founder of the Institute for Creative Mindfulness and the Dancing Mindfulness approach to expressive arts therapy "Soberful is an insightful read for anyone seeking change in their relationship with alcohol. Veronica Valli's personal and professional expertise combine to give her a level of compassion and wisdom that informs and resonates." --Jean McCarthy, author of UnPickled Holiday Survival Guide and The Ember Ever There and host of The Bubble Hour podcast "Soberful is a great road map from a sober legend who knows the pitfalls and the joys of the sober path, which gently and expertly guides you through the transitions of early sobriety to a place of happy and sustainable sobriety. This book is going to help so many people to embrace a sober and full life." --Kate Baily, coauthor of Love Yourself Sober "In Soberful, author Veronica Valli offers a gentle self-accepting path forward to live the life you crave, one that substances have robbed you of feeling you actually deserve. The practical steps in this book to help you rediscover a meaningful sober life make this an indispensable guide for those who want to take the first step and also for those who work in the recovery field." --Alina Frank, cofounder of EFT Tapping Training Institute and author of How to Want Sex Again "A must read for anyone who is concerned about their own drinking or someone else's. Wise, simple, practical advice written with compassion and genuine concern." --Joe Schrank, clinical social worker, founder of The Fix, and executive editor of The Small Bow "Veronica is the voice of wisdom we all need in the ever-growing jungle of alcohol addiction and recovery books. She is an accomplished professional with years of education, training, and practice, who also has personal experience living a healthy, vibrant life without alcohol for 21 years. If you are questioning your relationship with alcohol, this book offers you clear guidance for making sense of this relationship. With the Five Pillars of Sustainable Sobriety, Veronica has developed a sustainable program for shifting your mindset, doing the work, and truly transforming your life." --Lynn Matti, clinical psychotherapist, addiction specialist, and host of The Sober Therapist podcast "Refreshing, hopeful, and compassionate. Veronica has a gift for breaking down the true key to lasting sobriety and creating logical guidelines that make achieving it possible for anyone who reads this book. No overwhelming science jargon, just understandable and truthful concepts to help you get where you want to go." --Kelly Fitzgerald Junco, founder of Sober Senorita "Veronica Valli is filling a gap in the recovery and sobriety space by providing a road map with in-depth and thought-provoking concepts. I really appreciate her discussions of race and inclusion that are needed and often overlooked by others." --Grachelle Sherburne, LCSW