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Books over booze - top 'Quit Lit' titles and resources for anyone looking to take a break from alcohol 

At Manchester Libraries, we have a range of print and electronic books to help you explore your relationship with alcohol.  We've partnered with Manchester Metropolitan University and organisations such as Alcohol Change and Hinterland (based in Manchester) to bring you a selection of recommended titles.

You can find many of these books on the shelf in the Health section in City library, or on our display stand throughout January.  You can also reserve books for collection at your branch. If you can't get to a branch, we have eBooks and eAudiobooks too that you can download to your phone or tablet from home. If you're not already a member of Manchester Libraries, it's free to join - you can use the 'Join the Library' link at the top of this page.

Resources

The Dry January® Challenge resources https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/dry-january-in-your-community ​ ​

How ‘Dry January®’ is the secret to better sleep, saving money and losing weight https://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/47131  ​ ​

The Dry January® Challenge Mythbuster https://alcoholchange.org.uk/blog/dry-january-mythbuster 

More ideas for books, podcasts and social media channels: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/blog/top-quit-lit-books-and-resources-for-anyone-looking-to-take-a-break-from-booze 

Bee Sober - Sober Experiment: https://www.beesoberofficial.com/join-the-sober-experiment/ 

Soberistas: https://soberistas.com/home

Events

  • Hinterland are holding a Silent Reading Club on Saturday 3rd January 2026 at 6.30pm - book a spot on Eventbrite
  • More book related events are planned at Hinterland during 2026.
  • There will be stall in Manchester Central Library on the ground floor near the café on Saturday's in January, starting on Saturday 10th January 2026, promoting the new titles in our book collection and there will be representation from organisations in the Manchester area that can offer support and guidance.
  • Save the date for our talk on the Temperance movement taking place on Tuesday 27th Jan 2026 at 6pm in Manchester Central Library featuring Dr MacAllister from Lancaster University - more details to follow soon.

Explore the Archives

Did you know that Vimto was first created in Manchester in 1908 by John Noel Nichols, a wholesaler of herbs, spices and medicines, and its origins have links to the temperance movement?

Explore the Manchester Libraries image collections here - https://images.manchester.gov.uk/collections/?s=temperance&filter[subject.summary.title.keyword][]=Temperance