Journalist Jenny Valentish takes a gendered look at drugs and alcohol, using her own story to light the way. Mining the expertise of 35 leading researchers, clinicians and psychiatrists, she explores the early predictors of addictive behaviour, such as trauma, temperament and impulsivity.

Drawing on neuroscience, she explains why other self-destructive behaviours – such as eating disorders, compulsive buying and high-risk sex – are interchangeable with problematic substance use. From her childhood in suburban Slough to her chaotic formative years in the London music scene, we follow her journey to Australia, where she experiences firsthand treatment facilities and AA groups, and reflects whether or not they are meeting the needs of women.

Woman of Substances is an insightful, rigorous and brutally honest read. In Australia it was nominated for a prestigious Walkley Book Award.

'Employing expert interviews and research, each rich personal episode is contextualised within the under-examined issue of women's substance abuse. Detailed, insightful and told with a feature writer's narrative flair' Bookseller and Publisher.

'Engages readers with storytelling while presenting scientific findings and theories in a way that is accessible to a broad audience' Broadsheet.

'Part monograph, part memoir, part Ginsbergian howl of outrage at a culture in which gender bias is a tenet. It is a work of compellingly articulate anger' The Australian.

'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' The Saturday Paper.

'We need books like this, and writers like Valentish, to give voice to our frustrations and concerns, to help legitimise and mobilise' Kill Your Darlings.

'Valentish's passion lies in exploring the underlying causes and their effects and, in the most female of ways, offering companionship and reassurance for her readers' The Monthly.

'Doesn't mince her words' Sydney Morning Herald.

This is the inspiring story of a life lived outside the rules for women. It is an unflinchingly honest portrayal of a woman's journey beyond marriage, career and a nice house in the country. What happens when she leaves all that behind to follow her heart? Find out in this round-the-world voyage of self-discovery. Lisa's life is high-glamour and high-octane, publishing bestselling books and walking the red-carpet at movie premieres. But the reality behind the gloss is very different: she is stuck in an unhappy marriage, stressed out in a toxic job, and grieving for her parents. She begins to rely on alcohol to get her through it all and embarks on an illicit affair. Lisa leaves her husband, hoping to find absolution and happiness in a new relationship, but the world of dating for a 43-year-old is not what she expects. She discovers sun, sea, sand and sex on the beaches of the world, but the younger men she encounters can't offer her anything more than a holiday romance and heartbreak. Then, in a small seaside village in Goa, Lisa discovers discovers yoga and a sober, spiritual life. She meets a tribe of inspirational women who show her a new path to freedom and independence, leading to self-forgiveness and breaking the lock on a secret she's been carrying inside her since she was a little girl. When The Most Handsome Man in Goa walks into her life, Lisa must decide if her new-found solo freedom is more important than having a man by her side. If you enjoyed Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and Wild by Cheryl Strayed, then this inspiring, uplifting book is for you