Author of “Drunk Mom,” on addiction, recovery, and relapse

In 'Drunk Mom,' Jovita Bydlowska offers a frank memoir about alcoholism intersecting with motherhood and family responsibilities. The book narrates her personal experiences, exploring how substance use affected relationships, parenting, and self-identity. Through candid reflection, she addresses stigma, shame, and the complex path toward recovery. The memoir situates personal story within broader social attitudes toward women and addiction. It aims to foster understanding and compassion by revealing the messy realities of living with alcohol dependence and rebuilding life afterward.

In 'Unshaming: A Memoir of Recovery, Relapse, and What Comes After,' Jowita Bydlowska revisits her relationship with alcohol years after her first memoir, examining relapse, secrecy, and the ongoing process of healing. The book opens with a dramatic alcohol-related bike accident and moves through episodes that illuminate how shame and the pressure of being seen as a 'poster child' for sobriety affected her. Bydlowska combines personal narrative with reflections on what unshaming — speaking truth to reduce shame's power — can look like, including therapy and public disclosure. The memoir interrogates the neat redemption arc often expected in recovery stories and emphasizes the commonality of relapse in long-term recovery journeys. It aims to foster compassion and conversation about addiction's broader impact on families and communities.