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As one of the original pioneers in the ‘quit lit’ space, Jill Stark started a national conversation about the role of alcohol in our lives, turning the lens on her own rocky relationship with booze and forensically dissecting the culture that gave rise to it.

Now, ten years after the book’s first release, Higher Sobriety fills in the gaps on where life took her after she unwittingly became the poster girl for sobriety. To celebrate the release of the new book, we asked Jill a few questions about Higher Sobriety, her writing process, and finding community in quitting drinking.

Firstly, congratulations on the publication of Higher Sobriety! Obviously, a lot has happened since High Sobriety came out ten years ago — is there anything that you would tell the Jill who wrote that first book?

I would tell her that she is about to be thrust into the public eye in a way she could never have imagined. But as lovely as it is to have the book well received, her value and worth do not come from that attention. As people in creative industries, it can be daunting to put a piece of your heart and soul out into the world for public consumption and wait for a response. Whether you receive praise or criticism, it can have a profound effect on how you view yourself. It’s important to remember who you are, and to not seek external validation but to build that sense of confidence and self-assurance from the inside. I’d also tell past Jill that she is not responsible for other people’s sobriety, even if she feels invested in the journey, and to not take it personally if they have a strong reaction to her choices. Oh, and I’d also tell her to buy shares in non-alcoholic drinks companies!

How did you find the writing experience of expanding on your existing work as opposed to starting from scratch?

It was a strange experience to go back to a book that I first started writing 11 years ago. I almost didn’t recognise myself in some of the chapters, and there were a fair number of cringe moments where I wished I could go back and edit myself! But I had to remember that those chapters were an accurate historical snapshot of who I was back then, and the way the world was too. Although, I did edit some sections that, viewed through a 2022 lens, seemed a tad problematic. For example, the part where I blamed myself for a sexual assault that happened when I was drunk as a teenager. I think since the #MeToo movement there has been an incredible awakening among women about the sexual power dynamics we have been conditioned to accept, and I didn’t want to leave in anything that would lead other sexual assault survivors to feel they were being victim blamed.

At the end of the book, you share a list of communities and resources to help with advice on sobriety. What did it mean to you to be able to find these now?

The online and IRL sober communities that exist now have completely changed the game for me and my sobriety journey. It’s so much easier to be alcohol-free when you’re part of a movement of people on the same path who just get it. I’ve made some solid friendships that started in these social media communities and progressed into the real world. It’s an incredibly supportive network of people – largely women – who have strength, wisdom and hope to share.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? What does your writing routine look like?

I wish I could say I had a solid routine that is foolproof and effective, but the truth is my way is pretty chaotic! For the new chapters of Higher Sobriety, I got a Texta and an A4 piece of paper and wrote a number of headings for topics I knew I wanted to cover – for example, pandemic drinking; the growth of the non-alcoholic drinks sector; the evolution of my own sense of self – and I jotted down some bullet points under each heading. Then it was like piecing together a very complex jigsaw puzzle as I tried to get all the moving parts down in an order that made sense. The best advice I would give any aspiring writer is to read and read widely. Who are the authors you admire? Read their books with a critical eye, studying their craft and form, and borrowing bits that work for you.

And one for any other sober or sober curious readers — these days, what’s your drink of choice?

So many to choose from! I’m a big fan of non-alcoholic beers – Heaps Normal, Nort, and Sobah are some of my favourites – and also some of the alcohol-free spirits like Brunswick Aces sapir, Ovant’s Royale, and Feragaia, which is a Scottish brand with some really delicate flavours. Etch Sparkling is also a great option if you don’t want a drink that looks and tastes like alcohol. They are a local producer of natural, sugar-free drinks made from native Australian fruits and herbs.

Higher Sobriety is out now, available online and in bookshops.