'If anyone is qualified to give a firsthand account of the ways addiction, treatment and recovery are deeply gendered experiences, it’s certainly Jenny Valentish, who has more than enough knowledge of addiction to fill any number of memoirs. Fortunately, Valentish also has the mind of a journalist, and in her new book, Woman of Substances, she combines investigative rigour with illustrative snippets from her own life. The book accomplishes its balancing act well, being both gripping memoir and an illuminating investigation into the specific experiences of women with addiction. Valentish uses her own story of early trauma, teenage rebellion, alcoholism and addiction as a case study for understanding the latest research into how addiction functions. In straightforward, lively prose she relates even her darkest moments without self-pity or aggrandisement, and often with a streak of gallows humour, leading to more laugh-out-loud lines than you might expect.' (Introduction)