What was imagined to be a traditional enjoyable summer season Sunday afternoon at a buddies’ pool turned out to turn into a significant defining second for Mary Alice Stephens.

After a number of glasses of wine poolside, Stephens noticed her toddler within the pool hugging a floating noodle and “motoring round within the deep finish,” and it occurred to her that he may simply slip beneath the water.

When she heard herself proclaim (to be witty for her buddies as Enjoyable Mary), “Jake, don’t you slip off that noodle and make Mama need to put her wine down to avoid wasting you!,” she immediately realized it was inappropriate, pondering, “What sort of mother says that to her child?” However, that didn’t cease her from chugging a remaining glass of wine earlier than leaving after which blacking out whereas her husband drove them dwelling.

Even whereas inebriated, Stephens was conscious of her husband’s disgust, and she or he needed to face him and a depraved hangover the following morning. Nevertheless, this time was totally different when she realized he’d slept within the visitor room…for the very first time: “Regardless of how badly we’d argued earlier than or what number of instances I’d gone to mattress drunk, he was all the time by my aspect the following morning.” Photographs of him leaving her and custody battles flashed via her thoughts, punctuating the seriousness of her intoxication.

Her little one prone to drowning and her marriage in danger for ending, Stephens confronted the truth that she needed to make a drastic change: “I couldn’t consider what I used to be contemplating: I used to be going to need to give up consuming…endlessly.”

In her debut memoir, Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Beginning Over (Sibylline Press; Aug 2025), Stephens, a tv writer-producer and MFA in inventive writing recipient, shares her deeply private story of embarking on the trail to sobriety, transitioning from Enjoyable Mary to Sober Mary.

The narrative begins with a prologue taking readers to a hospital in Dublin, Eire in 1988, when Stephens is 23 years previous. She is finding out overseas, and one night time she endures a daunting and debilitating accident touchdown her within the ER for months. This scene is critical, as a result of it completely alters the course — and high quality — of her life, and probably turns into the catalyst to her decades-long alcoholism.

Following the prologue, the e book is organized chronologically with chapters aptly titled by the content material, and ending with the epilogue, which is “present-day” in 2022. Within the first chapter, “My Final Drink(s),” we’re propelled to that day in 2011 (when Stephens is 45 years previous) when she consumes her final alcoholic drinks (talked about within the opening scene above). That is the place we first encounter Enjoyable Mary, the lifetime of the celebration, freed from inhibitions and accountability, and in subsequent chapters we ultimately meet Sober Mary, the self-respecting and smart spouse and mom. The 2 typically collide, as Stephens writes, “Sober Mary sat like an angel on one shoulder, whereas Enjoyable Mary perched just like the satan on the opposite.”

Stephens’ memoir discloses her experiences in Alcoholics Nameless and her encounters with quite a few, perpetual triggers difficult her purpose of sobriety. In a world that reveres alcohol, the temptations had been in every single place. She writes, “How was Sober Mary imagined to overlook about booze when it was actually in my face on a regular basis?” She likens the publicity to an ex. “Like after a breakup, I noticed my ex in every single place. On the entrance to the grocery retailer, there have been floor-to-ceiling cabinets of wine, Gloria Ferrer’s Champagne billboard sparkled enticingly, and the restaurant wine menus had been so in depth that they wanted binding, but not a single non-alcoholic drink was listed.”

Her voice shines in her cleverly crafted sentences interspersed all through, resembling describing a cherished second with shut buddies, “The final time we noticed them, we spent a liquid afternoon in our sizzling tub, consuming Champagne and laughing over parenting tales. By the point we acquired out, I used to be pickled (in additional methods than one).” Her use of images and outline is vivid, and it’s simple to think about photos in our minds. Of her mom, she writes, “She stood solely 5 toes tall; I bent barely to kiss her downy cheek. All the things bodily about her was comfortable—her sweater, her posture, her gaze—however inside, she was robust Iowa farm inventory.”

There are startling moments, too, such because the time her depressed, teenage self goes to confession to ask the Father about suicide (his reply was astounding), in addition to the devastating approach during which her older brother died at 32. The astute moments are many, and when Stephens proclaims, “I didn’t wish to be on that merry-go-round once more, consuming, blacking out, apologizing. I appreciated waking up clear-headed, proud, and energized,” I used to be rooting for her success. Dealing with obstacles in her path, most readers will likely be cheering her alongside, too, hoping that she doesn’t stumble off the path.

Stephens writes with honesty and candor, permitting her readers to witness her vulnerability whereas she strikes via the twelve steps of sobriety. She digs deep into her psyche, sharing probably the most intimate particulars of her life, and she or he does this to heal. Her self-reflection results in insightful revelations. Even non-drinkers will be capable of determine with elements of her life, resembling these awkward teen years attempting to slot in or encountering comparable household conditions and relationships.

On her writing type, I notably admire how Stephens crafted and arranged the chapter, “This I Like.” She frames the chapter about an upcoming assembly along with her good friend Cara across the full story of how she met and have become buddies with Cara. This chapter reads as if it may stand alone in {a magazine} or newspaper; the content material is full-circle, with a starting, center, and finish. It’s refreshing when writers write properly!

Uncorked is entertaining and enlightening; it’s not simply one other memoir about an alcoholic. Whereas it’s no secret she made it twelve months sober, the story main as much as that, mixed with the morsels of knowledge and recommendation contained inside, make it a worthwhile learn. My copy is stuffed with highlighted passages and quotes; my highlighter ran out of ink.

As an occasional social drinker, I appreciated studying concerning the AA steps intimately and realizing that I can apply most of the teachings to my very own life. Stephens gifted many gems, together with these from her therapist Helen, who stated, “You’ll want to cease judging your self…acknowledging the reality of how you are feeling will set you free…have a good time your uniqueness….” and from her sponsor Lena, who advised that “flaws that trouble you most in others are sometimes these you share,” and “I would like you to wish for calm and contentment….” Useful classes and recommendation for all. This can be a memoir that will likely be shared amongst my literary acquaintances.