Writing Your Recovery with Ann Dowsett Johnston, Author of Drink, The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol

On the ChangeMaker Leader Podcast, we are speaking live with the author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, a book named one of the year's top 10 by the Washington Post. Part memoir, part journalistic exploration, the book exposes the “pinking” of the alcohol industry. Together, we will explore: How writing memoirs, personal essays, or even short reflections can help you process big life transitions, grief, burnout, or change your relationship with alcohol. Ann Dowsett Johnson is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and psychotherapist. For more than 25 years, she worked at Maclean’s magazine, where she was perhaps best known as the chief architect of the Maclean’s university rankings. She worked as Vice-Principal (Development, Alumni and University Relations), McGill University. Since writing Drink, Ann has worked hard to destigmatize mental health and addiction, earning an honorary Doctor of Laws from Queen’s University for her efforts. She is also the recipient of a Transforming Lives award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the American Research Society on Addiction’s Media Award, plus the T. A. Sweet Award from the Ontario Psychiatric Association for helping address stigma related to mental health and addiction. Ann followed a dream to get a Master’s of Social Work program at Smith College and now has a psychotherapy practice specializing in working with women in life transitions. Writing Drink was one of the happiest experiences of my life, and when the book was finished, I knew I had broken the taboo. Drink: The Intimate Relationship with Women and Alcohol Ann is the bestselling author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, named one of the 10 best books of 2013 by the Washington Post. Purchase Writing Your Recovery: A Powerful Online Memoir Course We all have a story—or stories—to tell. Excavating those narratives, finding the courage to give voice to our secrets, takes time. I believe writing is a process of discovery. At the heart of good writing is finding a compelling, authentic voice. To locate that voice, each individual must get in touch with what is most integral in their experience. Learn More

You can listen to Writing Your Recovery with Ann Dowsett Johnston, Author of Drink, The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Writing Your Recovery with Ann Dowsett Johnston, Author of Drink, The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol is an episode from thriveinmylife's podcast by Leigh Mitchell.

This episode is 41:54 long.

This episode was published on Dec 20, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from thriveinmylife's podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.