I take a brutal look at myself. I'm raddled. I'm the sort of woman that my mother would describe as having 'let herself go.' I'm two stone overweight, and most of that is on my belly. I can't remember the last time I made it through to the end of a movie before passing out on the sofa. But then I wake up at about 3am, tossing and turning, sweating booze and hating myself.
It feels like my whole life has been sucked into a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. I used to be so fearless, so ambitious and optimistic. Yet now I feel anxious all the time. And the booze, my trusty old pal, that used to take the edge off and make me feel invincible, I suspect is only making things worse.
I have to stop.So, this glass I'm clutching is my last. Tomorrow is Day One.
Is it possible to live without alcohol in a world where you're more likely to be offered a glass of wine at a playdate than a cup of tea? Where Facebook is filled with references to 'wine o'clock'? Where every social event is fuelled by gallons of booze? Is there life after wine?
I guess I'm going to find out....

Like many women, Clare Pooley found the juggle of a stressful career and family life a struggle so she left her successful role as a Managing Partner in one of the world's biggest advertising agencies to look after her family. She knew the change wouldn't be easy but she never expected to find herself an overweight, depressed, middle-aged mother of three who was drinking more than a bottle of wine a day, and spending her evenings Googling 'Am I an alcoholic?'

This book is the bravely honest story of a year in Clare's life. A year that started with her quitting booze and then being given the devastating diagnosis of breast cancer. By the end of the year she is booze-free and cancer-free, she no longer has a wine belly, is two stone lighter and with a life that is so much richer, healthier and more rewarding than ever before. She has a happier family and a more positive outlook. Sober Diaries is an upbeat, funny and positive look at how to live life to the full.

Interwoven within Clare's own very personal and brilliantly comic story is research and advice as she discovers the answers to questions like: How do I know if I'm drinking too much? How will I cope at parties? What do I say to friends and family? How do I cope with cravings? If I stop drinking will I lose weight? What if my partner still drinks? And many more.