Reading had been a passion as a child, but by my 20s I was prioritising alcohol. Paperbacks were pushed out amid the growing pressures of adulthood, when work was full on and weekends a drunken whirlwind spent ricocheting around nightclubs.
Until that morning in January 2022, when, in something of a lightbulb moment, I asked myself: if drinking had stopped me reading, could reading stop me drinking? Could committing to finishing one book a week, while abstaining from alcohol, improve my cognitive function? I decided to try.
In our distracted digital age, we spend on average over five hours online a day, only half of UK adults read regularly, and just 34.6 per cent of eight to 18-year-olds surveyed by the National Literacy Trust recently said that they enjoy reading in their spare time – the lowest level recorded by the charity in 19 years. This is all why I believe books are more important than ever.
At the start of my challenge I decided to read paper books, rather than a Kindle – studies show we are more likely to become immersed and focused on a book on paper than on screen – as well as a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, often bought from charity shops to keep costs down. My first – Bernhard Schlink’s The Reader, ironically – had been languishing in the dresser for years.
Clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist Clare Cogan suggests alcohol-dependent patients rediscover their love of books, because like alcohol, reading releases dopamine, the neurotransmitter that motivates us to do something pleasurable. “Addictions are controlled by dopamine, and if you’re low in it, you are more likely to desire a drink.”
Meanwhile, a University of Sussex study found reading the most effective way to reduce stress, with just six minutes slowing participants’ heart rates and easing tension in their muscles by up to 68 per cent. And as I ploughed through Katherine May’s Wintering (week six), Timothy Snyder’s Bloodlands (week 11) and John Grisham’s The Firm (week 15), I realised engrossing myself in other narratives made the pressures of work deadlines and parenting two children ease.
Experts advise we read to our children from when they are babies to foster enthusiasm for the habit – one psychotherapist I interviewed for work told me even teenagers enjoy being read to. They also say watching parents read encourages children to read themselves.
As the year progressed, my personality changed. I had always been prone to narcissistic self-loathing, convinced everyone thought I was a failure, but reading abated this self-obsession, opening my eyes to others’ experiences and reassuring me that, actually, nobody was thinking about me at all.
What genre we read doesn’t matter, she adds, as long as it absorbs us. “People think of meditation as sitting still with your legs crossed and eyes closed, but in fact reading can be very meditative.”
I was single for years - now I fear becoming the smug girlfriend I used to hate
Read MoreA lifelong insomniac, reading helped me nod off – in a study in the National Library of Medicine 42 per cent of participants said reading before bed bettered their sleep quality. Of course my sleep was further improved by the lack of alcohol-induced chemicals jolting me awake at 3am.
Closing my last book of the year-long challenge on New Year’s Eve, before enjoying a raucous, but sober, evening with family and friends, I felt proud and exhilarated by my achievement, and amazed by the brain’s capacity to forge new habits, even in midlife.
Nonetheless, having the time and focus to read this much is one reason my alcohol intake remains reduced, at around a half bottle of wine a week. And as another New Year approaches, I find myself eyeing up my dresser for more dusty, unread books – and wondering if I might do it all again.
FIVE EASY READS TO REIGNITE YOUR LOVE OF FICTION
You Are Here by David Nicholls
A love story set on a hike, One Day author Nicholls’s most recent book, and like his others (Starter for Ten is my favourite), a poignant, hilarious, wincingly accurate portrait of humanity.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A thought-provoking but funny story about a female scientist struggling to be taken seriously in the 60s. This was my last book of my challenge and lived up to the hype.
The People on Platform 5 by Claire Pooley
As good as her memoir, The Sober Diaries, which helped me stop drinking, Pooley’s tale of an eclectic group of train passengers is bursting with compassion, intrigue and relatable characters.
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
About a boy stuck on a boat with a tiger. I didn’t think I’d like it either, but its awe-inspiring narrative of love, fear, faith and survival – told so cleverly – had me hooked.
Sun Damage by Sabine Durrant
Show me a scary TV programme and I’ll hide behind a cushion. Give me a scary book and I can’t look away. This story about con artists is the last psychological thriller I read and I finished it in two sittings.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( I quit booze, gained confidence and transformed my sleep – by reading more novels )
Also on site :