Glorious Rock Bottom: 'A shocking story told with heart and hope. You won't be able to put it down.' Dolly Alderton

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Her previous books and campaign work for mental health charities have done brilliant things in terms of opening up the conversation and helping people speak up and get help. She is the presenter of the Mad World podcast and in 2016 she founded Mental Health Mates, now a global peer support network which encourages people with mental health issues to connect and get out of the house. As I painted my body with glitter, purely because it looked nice, I wondered if I was taking part in an elaborate con. Her experiences at rehab shine a light on the hard work that those courageous enough to fight addiction face.

p>Read about how we’ll protect and use your data in our Privacy Notice. She’s not afraid to delve into topics of shame, pain or disgust which plague most people with mental illnesses and addiction.And then, a chink of light as the hard work begins - rehab; AA meetings; endless, tedious, painful self-reflection - a rollercoaster ride through self-acceptance, friendship, love and hope, to a joy and pride in staying sober that her younger self could never have imagined. Glorious Rock Bottom tells how bone-suckingly hungry Bryony Gordon is for sobriety, how hard (and expensive) it is to get there, and what a wonderful place it turns out to be. It highlights how suffering can be hiding in plain sight and the old lesson of “don’t believe everything you see on Instagram”. Until mainstream society realises that “mental health awareness” cannot be sanitised and palatable, no real awareness will ever be achieved.

This very readable book is a crucial reminder that change - of any kind - isn't going to happen with a quick fix but that sometimes it can truly hurt and undo us but that there is a way out of the darkest places. So much of this book resonates with me and I’ve never heard anyone else talk about my experience so closely and so honestly about what it’s really like. Her account does not suggest that sobriety will be an easy journey, but does suggest that to her, it was worth it. One day we had to lie down on a giant piece of paper and let someone draw an outline around our bodies with a marker.It felt like she didn’t want to blame anyone but herself, which is very gallant—but I did wonder about her childhood family dynamic. There are parts that I found insanely difficult to read (there's a bit with her little girl and a hand drier that broke my heart) but, Bryony is very clear early on in the book that she isn't going to sugarcoat anything and my god she doesn't.

Absolutely love Bryony's honesty and rawness, as well as her self-deprecating humour, no matter what topic she covers. Knowing these thoughts and emotions and behaviours and cravings and outbursts I get are things other addicts experience too. Fearne CottonBryony Gordon is a respected journalist, a number-one bestselling author and an award-winning mental health campaigner.In some other ways this book made me feel a little sad though, as Bryony was honest about her ability to overcome her addiction thanks to a lot of the privileges and support she had, I reflect on those who are not able to secure the help they need because of lack of access to finances and practical support, I think of how our country could better support those in need.