Combating Alcohol Addiction An Analysis of 21st Century Memoirs By Women

Abstract

newline The present research work deals with five addiction recovery memoirs of the 21st century that emphasize the theme of combat on the part of women writers suffering from addiction who are far away from inner peace and happiness. The current study aims to characterize the relationship between 21st-century memoirists and their combat with alcohol abuse. After traumatic incidents there erupts stress disorder in the life of these memoir writers. Then these memoirists combat this issue by drowning themselves in the bottles of alcoholic substances. Otherwise, many take refuge in spiritualism and find salvation. But there are a few who befriend alcohol. They believe that they can sink their sorrows and sadness in the ocean of alcohol. Being escapists, they run away from the realities of life and find temporary shelter in alcohol. newlineThe research taken in hand emphasizes true personal transformation by the five contemporary female memoirists. The five memoirs chosen for my research work are Brenda Whilhelmson s Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife, Sarah Hepola s Blackout: Remembering Things I Drank to Forget, Elizabeth Vargas Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction, Jenny Valentish s Woman of Substances: A Treatise of Woman s Lib and Holly Whitaker s Quit like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol. The 21st-century memoirs bespeak about the five authors personal lives highlighting two significant phases: the first phase is full of stress, traumas, and an escape into the world of addiction, and the second phase is about their respective struggles, true endeavours to change themselves, battling their addiction and ultimately conquering their selves to meet their creative auras. The memoirists design a new identity to make them more empowered. newlineDuring their journey of rediscovering themselves, they suffer a lot and experience the pangs of acute stressful moments.