Push Off from Here, Laura McKowen
Push Off from Here, Laura McKowen
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Push Off from Here
Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety (and Everything Else)

Author: Laura McKowen

Narrator: Laura McKowen

Unabridged: 7 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/07/2023


Synopsis

From the bestselling author of We Are the Luckiest and founder of the international recovery community The Luckiest Club comes a modern exploration of addiction that offers nine foundational building blocks that anyone at any stage of sobriety can use.

“I wish I had it when I first got sober, but I’m glad I have it now.”—Anne Lamott

No matter how far astray you’ve gone or how many times you’ve tried and failed before, as long as you’re still sitting here, breathing, and reading these words, freedom and joy are still possible.

When Laura McKowen was two years sober, she received an email from a woman whose sister was struggling with alcohol addiction. McKowen had barely climbed out from the dark place the woman’s sister was in, but she made a list of the things she most needed to hear when she was deep in her own battle.

1. It is not your fault. 
2. It is your responsibility.
3. It is unfair that this is your thing.
4. This is your thing.
5. This will never stop being your thing until you face it.
6. You cannot do it alone.
7. Only you can do it.
8. You are loved.
9. We will never stop reminding you of these things.

In Push Off from Here, McKowen delves deeply into each of her nine points: what they mean, how they work, and how every person can live them. She addresses topics such as the correlation between trauma and addiction, the importance of radical honesty, letting go of the illusion of control, the value of community, a reminder that healing is a continual process, and that the process is a gift. Whether you’re just starting out or have been sober for decades, McKowen instructs us to be kind to ourselves: Change is messy and progress is rarely linear, but we can always push off from here.

The stories and advice McKowen shares are specific to alcohol addiction, but the tenets are universal in their application and useful no matter what challenge you face. With profound honesty and boundless compassion, Push Off from Here provides an actionable framework for healing what pains us and proves that a life of sobriety can be synonymous with a life of magic, peace, and freedom.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tori on May 11, 2023

I listened to the audio version of this book and I wish I had my own physical copy so I could do a better job of reflecting! Officially 2 months sober as of May 6th :]......more

Goodreads review by Tammi on January 27, 2023

I have been sober for 26 years and counting and I don't read much "quit lit". However I read Laura's first book We Are The Luckiest and this is a fantastic extension (not exactly a follow-up, per se) of it! I appreciate how deeply Laura fleshes out the 9 Things from We Are The Luckiest. She delivers......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on December 08, 2022

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of McKowen's latest book! I found it to be very helpful. I read her previous book We Are the Luckiest shortly after I stopped drinking five years ago and was so pleased to see Push Off from Here. I enjoy the way she writes and this book is broken down into p......more

Goodreads review by Elaine on January 25, 2023

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC :) I was so excited to get this because it outlines the framework for the community I’m part of. Honored to give Laura one of her first reviews. if you’re thinking about entering your Sober Era look out for this one!......more

Goodreads review by Kaitlyn on January 23, 2024

I read this book because I am sober curious. It’s a fantastic read, regardless of your relationship with sobriety. Laura suggests that everyone has a “hurt” and everyone has a “thing”; the thing is what you use to cope with the hurt. For her, it is alcohol, but it’s different for everyone. Whatever......more


Quotes

“This is the book, and Laura McKowen is the voice. Push Off from Here offers one of the bravest and boldest takes on recovery I’ve ever read, and there is no one who won’t be comforted, supported, and empowered by Laura’s words.”—Melissa Urban, co-founder and CEO of Whole30 and New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Boundaries

“The writing sparkles on every page, but the biggest gift of this book is Laura McKowen’s insistence that we all deserve grace for who we’ve been in the past and permission to get busy building the lives we’ve always wanted.”—Christie Tate, New York Times bestselling author of Group

“Wise, practical, empathetic, beautifully written, above all USEFUL. Reading this book is like having coffee with your big sister whose been through itloving but clear-eyed about how to get through the next stretch.”Shauna Niequist, New York Times bestselling author of I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet

“Whether letting go of addiction, healing a broken heart, or looking for a new direction in life, the answers are here for you.”—Kelly McDaniel, LPC, therapist, and author of Mother Hunger

“The clarity and succinct simplicity in Push Off from Here make this required reading for all humans struggling with any level or type of addiction. Countless lives will be changed by McKowen’s grounded, compassionate truth. No matter where you are on the path, wrap McKowen’s words around you and push off from precisely where you are.”—Elena Brower, bestselling author and host of Practice You