Not Drinking Tonight: The Workbook: A Clinician’s Guide to Helping Clients Examine Their Relationship with Alcohol

Help clients pivot away from the question “Am I an alcoholic?” and consider instead “Would my life be better without alcohol?”

Amanda E. White, mental health clinician, creator of the popular Instagram account @therapyforwomen, and author of the best-selling book Not Drinking Tonight, is back with this must-have resource for her professional peers: Not Drinking Tonight: The Workbook. Having been sober for 8+ years herself, Amanda tackles therapists’ most pressing question: How can I help clients whose alcohol use has become problematic but who don’t identify as “alcoholics” or have no interest in traditional abstinence-based methods like rehab or 12-step groups?

Using a harm reduction approach, each chapter contains worksheets and exercises that will help clients examine why they drink and allow them to change their relationship with alcohol as they learn to:

• Regulate their emotions without alcohol
• Set and maintain healthy boundaries
• Redefine what authentic self-care looks like
• Navigate sober socializing, dating, and sex
• Create a relapse prevention plan
• Build a sober life they love
• And more!

“A beautiful follow-up to her previous book, Not Drinking Tonight: The Workbook is a compassionate and thoughtful guide for supporting clients as they navigate the often-daunting work of addiction recovery. With her personable and non-shaming approach, Amanda provides the language that clinicians need to help clients explore their relationship with alcohol, set better boundaries, and avoid falling into old patterns of behavior—all in service of creating a richly rewarding life.”
—Nedra Glover Tawwab, LCSW, therapist and author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free

“So many people struggle with ‘problem drinking,’ and it can be a gray area for clinicians and clients alike. With its accessible harm reduction approach, not only does this workbook provide tools that help with making better choices, but many of the worksheets and exercises go beyond just drinking and facilitate overall well-being. This is a useful book for people seeking a self-help tool, as well as for clinicians seeking a guide for therapeutic work.”
—Ramani Durvasula, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of Should I Stay or Should I Go?

“Not Drinking Tonight: The Workbook is the guide I was searching for as a new therapist. This workbook is filled with useful, targeted interventions that can be utilized immediately. Most workbooks are strictly focused on extreme cases of substance use and addiction. This one has tools that can be used by clinicians at the highest level of care and when working with people who are simply re-evaluating their relationship with alcohol. I highly recommend this workbook and believe it is a vital tool for clinicians working with a wide array of therapeutic concerns.”
—Whitney Hawkins Goodman, LMFT, author of Toxic Positivity and owner of The Collaborative Counseling Center

“Amanda does such an incredible job of providing the most effective action steps for clients who are looking to build a sober life and examine their relationship with alcohol. The actionable worksheets in this workbook are wonderful tools that I use in session and that my clients work on at home. Amanda includes an array of practical strategies that focus on the client’s specific goals while helping them learn how to regulate their emotions without alcohol. This guide helps create a wonderful toolkit for people working on their sobriety.”
—Alison K. Seponara, MS, LPC, author of The Anxiety Healer’s Guide, host of The Anxiety Chicks, and founder of The Anxiety Healing School

“This is a comprehensive resource for clinicians. Amanda’s detailed and helpful workbook covers a wide variety of skills and tools necessary for this work. Not Drinking Tonight: The Workbook will enhance your work with your clients so they can improve their relationship with alcohol.”
—Tracy Dalgleish, PhD, C.Psych., psychologist, writer, and relationship expert

“Practical, relatable, and easily applicable to everyday life. Amanda gives the reader tangible strategies to gain objectivity to their relationship with alcohol, fostering a strong sense of hope and empowerment.”
—Jaime Zuckerman, PsyD, @dr.z_psychologist, host of the podcast It’s Me, Dr. Z