Chapter 14, Hitting Bottom, (pg 212-241) Summary and Analysis

One question that Knapp and other alcoholics ask themselves is "How bad do things after to get?" What has to happen for them to finally stop drinking? Does someone have to die in a drunk driving accident? Or embarrass their loved ones? Knapp says that hitting bottom is followed by a very slow fall into alcoholism. For her friend, Abby, it happened after she was raped. For Janet it was when her husband left her. From there, both women spiraled into a drunken mess until they hit bottom. For Knapp's friend Ginny, hitting rock bottom was crashing headfirst through a windshield after driving drunk.

When Knapp's father died, she went off the deep end. During his sickness, she would leave work early to drink and then go and visit him. During his final...