Drunk-Ish - by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

About the Book

"From the author of Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay, a hilariously candid and refreshingly honest account of Stefanie Wilder-Taylor's journey to breaking up with alcohol for good. When Stefanie Wilder-Taylor became a mother, being able to connect with other moms over drinks or enjoy a glass of wine at the end of a stressful day felt life-affirming. From liquor cabinet concoctions in high school to tequila shots in her early stand-up comedy days to grocery store wine in young motherhood, alcohol was the seasoning that could give almost any activity more flavor. A drink instantly took the edge off and made even the most difficult adversary (be it a tough crowd in a comedy club or a judgmental PTA mom) not just bearable but fun. As the years go by, Stefanie wonders if her relationship with alcohol is different from other people's. Is everyone else struggling this hard to moderate? Is it even legal to watch The Bachelor without a glass of white wine? Having spent a lifetime grappling with the question of whether or not she is a "real" alcoholic, one evening brings Stefanie close to the edge of losing it all. Miraculously unscathed, she decides that she doesn't need to dive all the way down to a stereotypical rock bottom before deciding to stop drinking; if sobriety will improve her life, that's a good enough reason to quit. Stefanie's memoir is a tender and funny farewell letter to a beloved but toxic friend"--

Book Synopsis

This "perfect balance of bold honesty and riotous wit" (Shelf Awareness) from the author of Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay explores Stefanie Wilder-Taylor's journey to breaking up with alcohol for good.

For Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, alcohol was the seasoning that could give almost any activity more flavor--from liquor cabinet concoctions in high school to tequila shots in her early stand-up comedy days to grocery store wine in young motherhood. A drink instantly took the edge off and made even the most difficult adversary (be it a tough crowd in a comedy club or a judgmental PTA mom) not just bearable but fun.

As the years go by, Stefanie wonders if her relationship with alcohol is different from other people's. Is everyone else struggling this hard to moderate? Is it even legal to watch The Bachelor without a glass of white wine?

Having spent a lifetime grappling with the question of whether or not she is a "real" alcoholic, one evening brings Stefanie close to the edge of losing it all. Miraculously unscathed, she decides that she doesn't need to dive all the way down to a stereotypical rock bottom before deciding to stop drinking; if sobriety will improve her life, that's a good enough reason to quit. A tender and funny farewell letter to a beloved but toxic friend, Drunk-ish is "a roller coaster of a book. You will love this candid and funny memoir even if you're not sober. Trust me" (Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author).

Review Quotes

"Drunk-ish [is] a brave, entertaining book, with much to say about living in our times ... told with wit, intelligence, and engaging honesty."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Drunk-ish is raw, hilarious and intoxicating. We ride the waves of self-revelation much as one would a sugar-high--with wild, rollicking glee and the unavoidable crash into a sober and ultimately more gratifying life."
--Melissa Bond, author of Blood Orange Night

"[A] vivid, self-skewering portrait of alcoholic delusion and dysfunction...[DRUNK-ISH is] funny, neurotic, and woozily uplifting."
--Publishers Weekly

"Currently sober, pregnant, and working from home, reading Drunk-ish felt like a warning and a memory at the same time. Any alcoholic will recognize themselves in Stephanie's story, but so will any parent who loves parenting, and any parent who secretly worries they might hate it. This book is honest in a way that's scary, funny and exciting--like having a therapist who's way too good at their job."
--Rosebud Baker, standup comic and Saturday Night Live writer

"From the fog of her youthful indiscretions to the trick mirror of mommy wine culture, Wilder-Taylor is relentlessly and often hilariously self-scrutinizing. But even as she states difficult truths, the heart of her story is one of enduring forgiveness."
-- Meghan Daum, author of The Problem With Everything

"Honest, funny, tender...a roller coaster of a book. You will love this candid and funny memoir even if you're not sober. Trust me."
--Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of Let's Pretend this Never Happened

"I expected Stefanie's account of her love affair with drinking, and subsequent sobriety, to be laugh-out-loud hilarious and eye-opening. I didn't expect it to also be incredibly poignant and intimate. Drunk-ish blew me away. You'll want to turn to the person next to you and read passages aloud (I did). It's clever, vulnerable, and real."
--Laura Cathcart Robbins, author of Stash

"Wilder-Taylor's inimitable ability to latch onto humor even in the darkest of times is most refreshing. A perfect balance of bold honesty and riotous wit takes the edge off her culpability as she faces startling truths enroute to accepting the empowerment of sobriety."
--Shelf Awareness