Dryland: One Woman's Swim to Sobriety

Summary

Nancy is an alcoholic expat, living in Abu Dhabi with her husband Allan who works for a film company.
Nancy, a competitive swimmer in her younger days has also been a heavy drinker since 9th grade. But, hey...she gets up every morning, gets her son David to school, and holds down a full time job. What's the problem?
Alcohol gives her courage and keeps her fears at bay. Fear of the past, present, and future.
Sitting in a pharmacy one day after a long night of drinking, Nancy thinks about her life up to this point. Where she's been, how she got there, lessons she's learned, people she's met, people she has lost, and cultures she's experienced in every way imaginable.
Could there be another way to live this life? Could she stop show more fighting the "war of her own making"?

What I Liked

Nancy's bravery and adventures as a young woman. My mind was blown by the countries she'd visited and lived in by the time she was an expat living in Abu Dhabi. The expat lifestyle has always been interesting, exciting, and scary all at the same time to me. Nancy's life experiences in different countries, navigating the languages, cultures, climates, laws, etc. did not disappoint.

Literary references - Guy de Maupassant, Bob Dylan, West with the Night by Beryl Markham, A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hans Christian Andersen

The mostly equal attention and detail that Bercaw gives to life in recovery as she did to her growing alcoholism. This is the part I think is missing for a lot of people who need to hear these stories. Recovery is possible. It's not easy, and it's a lifelong process, but it's worth it.

What I Didn't Like

For someone who drank most every day of her life over many many years, making the decision to stop drinking without medical assistance was very dangerous. It happens, yes. But, Nancy was lucky. I was even more surprised that she was so concerned about withdrawal symptoms from a 20 mg. anti-depressant than she was (or seemed to be) about withdrawal from alcohol. She does mention that alcohol withdrawal usually includes "tranquilizing medication and medical support," but then she chooses to go her own route.
I'm not trying to lessen what Nancy did. I'm really not. But, people die from alcohol withdrawal. I wish that she would have at least mentioned how dangerous her choice was.

Overall Recommendation

Nancy's story is an important one, not just for other alcoholics and recovering alcoholics, but the rest of the world too. As a recovering alcoholic myself, I firmly believe there are many more women like Nancy and myself who have a problem with alcohol and either are ashamed or afraid of admitting it. It's also difficult to decide whether or not one truly has a problem with alcohol living in a society soaked with it. And even if someone does decide he/she has a problem, what happens next. The stigma has to end, and authors like Nancy who are brave enough to share their stories will keep that hope alive. show less

The author is living in Abu Dhabi where she needs a certificate to prove she is a non-native that can purchase alcohol in a country that forbids it consumption. The former swimming champion finally faces the fact she is an alcoholic and has to stop drinking. The story jumps between her days training to become an Olympic level swimmer to those as a married woman, mother of a son, working in a foreign country. She used determination that helped her become a world-class athlete to deal with psychological and physical impediments to become sober.

I was randomly chosen through a Goodreads Giveaway to receive this book free from the publisher. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are show more my own. show less