A Good Look At The Dual-Diagnosis...

Drugs and alcohol are fun, until they're of equal weight with despair, until they're heavier than the despair that kills. "Girl Walks Out of a Bar" isn't a comic look at addiction as the publisher's summary states it is. While candid and not taking itself overly seriously, it's not comic at all. Instead, it's a bio of an illness, especially of the dual-diagnosis of mental illness treated by self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. Smith is very open about how necessary it all is at the beginning, a way of dealing with depression and feelings of inadequacy, of always trying to shoot for more as a way of feeling good enough. It's a necessary and fun part of being with friends who drink and party, but not as hard as you do. It's a necessary way of getting through the stresses of a job, the stresses of daily life.
And what do you do when the shakes start, and you start vomiting blood? Smith shows how recovery is hard and not for the faint of heart, but for those struggling to survive even one more minute.
While parts of "Girl Walks Out of a Bar" did drag a bit, mostly since it goes heavily into her past, as in: every single event is remembered, I found the book on the whole to be quite worth it. Not everybody understands how addiction is sometimes (heck, probably "mostly") used to self-medicate, and the book paints a vivid portrait of alcohol and drugs as a singular coping mechanism. The initiated will appreciate it, friends and family going through this will appreciate it.
And the blessedly uninitiated might find it to be a portrait of everyday courage in the face of what some view to be a self-inflicted disease.
It's frank, honest, a fine portrayal.

50 people found this helpful

Missing important details

The story is interesting, and the author shares details of her addiction which are frightening. However the stories are never fleshed out. It is almost as though she is afraid to cover negative or personal details about others in her story. This is most apparent in the epilogue where she mentions in passing interesting things that have happened to her since being in recovery. These are the kind of stories (related in depth) that your audience is interested in! For a superior memoir of recovering from alcoholism I highly recommend Blackout by Sarah Hepola, or maybe Dry by Augusten Burroughs, or even Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe.

5 people found this helpful

Just as it is...

If you could sum up Girl Walks Out of a Bar in three words, what would they be?

Raw, Real, and Eye-opening.

What did you like best about this story?

I sure did learn a lot about what addiction does to a person, on the inside (literally and figuratively) and to the people we surround ourselves with. I'd have to say this author has some beast courage. I love that the honesty began to roll off of her tongue when lying was really the familiar habit. She was so ready that lying wouldn't come.

Any additional comments?

Thank you. I so needed to learn how it really is. I'm the people we surround ourselves with....the Mommy.

16 people found this helpful

Not good, not bad, just ok

What three words best describe Hillary Huber’s performance?

Hillary Huber's performance was fine. Not particularly memorable, but also not particularly memorable in an annoying way either.

Any additional comments?

Meh, only ok. Worth the daily deal, not worth a full credit.

4 people found this helpful

very worth it

If you could sum up Girl Walks Out of a Bar in three words, what would they be?

Sarcastic, compelling, calm

What was one of the most memorable moments of Girl Walks Out of a Bar?

When Lisa's marriage fell apart or really any time she told a story of something outragious she did when she was drinking

Which character – as performed by Hillary Huber – was your favorite?

Lisa's mom

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

12 people found this helpful

Love love love

I loved everything about this book! I did not want it to end! I love the way Lisa writes, it is so real. I do not suffer from her addiction, I could relate! The narrator is perfect! You would have thought she wrote the book herself! It can be dark and depressing at times, but it is so worth the read!

2 people found this helpful

NO PUNCHES PULLED

This lady has put herself out there for sure. This is truly a story that has been written from the heart. I commend her and the story.

2 people found this helpful

Just too repetitive

Inspiring true story, but could have been better without so many renditions of the same narrative of drinking, drugs and lying about it.

Give the author credit for being able to tell her story to help others.

2 people found this helpful

Good but not outstanding

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Hm.. this is a difficult question. While I found the book interesting insight into an addict's life, and how she got on the road to addiction - and then to recovery - it wasn't anything outstanding in this genre. I don't think there was anything that made this special and worth recommending.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that Lisa was very self-aware about her problem - and maybe this was hindsight - but at the same time she struggled with making the change. I also liked that there wasn't one huge "rock bottom" moment that made her change. it was just that one day she woke up and couldn't do it anymore. Not every HAS a huge life-changing moment. Sometimes it just happens, and I feel like that was the most interesting part of this memoir.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Hillary Huber?

No, oh my gosh. I feel like she ruined the book with her whiny tone. She made Lisa sound much more petulant and childish than I think was intended.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

This would not make a great movie. It would mostly be Lisa drinking, drinking, getting sick, drinking some more, etc.

Any additional comments?

If you're interested in a narrative look at a person in the throes of addiction, this might be the book for you. It's not too long so it would only take a few sessions (or one, if you're like me and have eight hour work days to listen to an entire audiobook), so I would consider that a plus. It's certainly not a bad book, but there was nothing too thrilling either.

I would probably recommend reading, rather than listening, mostly because the narrator's voice was just too whiny for me.

2 people found this helpful

Loved it!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it was great I couldn't put it down.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Girl Walks Out of a Bar?

When she was already in a cab on our way to go see her brother's first child his daughter being born and she turned around because her coke dealer called and she would rather go do that then meet her niece.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

One Day At A Time

Any additional comments?

This book has honestly opened up my eyes to how bad someone could actually get addicted to drugs, drinking, smoking, eating, well anything really. I mean the only thing I've ever really heard about addiction and coming off of it is detox after that nothing I had no idea it was like that like for real. I couldn't imagine having to live one day at a time like that, it takes a very strong person to do that

10 people found this helpful