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Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife cover art

Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife

By: Brenda Wilhelmson
Narrated by: Brenda Wilhelmson
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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

What listeners say about Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife

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Excelent but that voice!!

Really enjoyed this book but l wish she she hadn't narrated it herself. Her voice is absolutely awful. Made her sound like she had swallowed a frog and was half asleep.

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Made me question my own drinking habits

Loved it, really interesting how others reacted to Brendas decision to quit drinking, loved her voice and the way she read her book
Don’t forget you can change the speed which makes a massive difference in how a voice sounds
Thanks for the insight x

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boring and no substance

totally disappointed in this book. no real emotion haven't idea how or why this got published. as a memoir it lacked any connection to the writer

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Diary of a housewife who once drank a bit and then stopped.

I’m a fan of this genre of memoir, I guess you’d call it recovery lit, and I’ve listened to quite a few on audible. This one was by far the dullest. Clearly no one ever advised the author that just because you call it a “diary” does not mean you have to subject the reader to every last detail of your humdrum life.

We get descriptions of her child’s potty training and flatulence, tedious descriptions of conversations with friends and family and accounts of AA meetings (which I thought were supposed to be anonymous anyway).

If you want to read a gripping (as opposed to griping) account of alcoholism, Liz Fraser’s Coming Clean or Caroline Knapp Drinking A Love Story are both great as is Sarah Heppola’s Blackout.

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Not great

What is this actually about. It’s boring, and honestly a waste of credits. First half an hour ok, then it falls off a cliff

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