Hello, I’m Seana Smith

My quit lit memoir ‘Going Under’ is out now

With a tender touch, Smith contemplates the two truths of her childhood: the wild island adventures and the brutal eruptions behind closed doors. Standing on the precipice of her own alcoholism, she realises that reckoning with the past is the only way to shape the future.

Jenny Valentish

Author of Woman of Substances

Going Under is funny, insightful and inspiring.  This is like hanging out with a really brilliant friend who, you know, will make you a better person.

Seana Smith is the real deal – a truth-teller and a writer of immense integrity.

Kathryn Heyman, Author of Fury

Buy Going Under

In Australia: Going Under is available in bookshops and online stores in Australia and on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

Going Under Audiobook: Going Under on Audible, narrated by Seana Smith, click here.

Going Under on Spotify: Listen to Going Under on Spotify here.

With sparkling, musical prose and unflinching generosity of spirit, Seana Smith lays bare the facts of a life stalked by alcohol. A life that ricochets ‘between privilege and terror, between adventure and fear.’

So much more than a book about the booze, Going Under is an intricate, often beautiful mosaic of family, the individuals caught inside its sharp-edged cracks, and the self yearning to make sense of all it all. The story of a woman emerging from the brokenness of the past and the never-ending pressures of the present to reclaim joy. 

Honest. Tender. Laugh-cry funny. Walking with Seana through her year of Going Under is to make a new and wise friend.

Kim Kelly, author of Ladies’ Rest and Writing Room

On this website you will find writing on all my favourite subjects:

  • my published books
  • podcasts
  • alcohol-free adventures
  • ocean swimming

Latest stories

Alcohol Creep

I bet I’m not the only person who knows exactly what ‘alcohol creep’ means. It’s when you start off small, drinking just a glass or two of wine once or twice a week. Or perhaps you are not drinking at …

Read the post

Atauro Island Snorkelling + A Stay at Barry’s PLace

Snorkelling The Reefs of Atauro Island, Timor Leste The sea snake leads us on a merry underwater dance, both as it glides sinuously through the open water and as it winds itself around and through the coral. Our twins have …

Read the post

Where To Swim in Cairns: Pools, Lagoon + Snorkelling

First things first, when in Cairns there is no swimming at the beach! Too many crocodiles and too many stingers from November to June. Luckily there are some great pools and the excellent Cairns Esplanade Lagoon. Cairns Esplanade Lagoon You …

Read the post

The Best Hotel Pools in Cairns Australia

Looking for a hotel in Cairns which has a wonderful swimming pool? Let me show you the flashiest and splashiest of the best hotel pools in Cairns. I have stayed in three of these four hotels myself and gave the …

Read the post

The Big Swim Palm Beach to Whale Beach

I did this in 2015 and 2016 The Big Swim isn’t called the Big Swim for nothing. It’s big. Last Sunday, I parked the car at the playing fields near Whale Beach and jumped on the shuttle bus down to …

Read the post

Can Too

A story from a few years ago….. I’m four weeks into a training program with Can Too, and just want to do a loud shout out to this terrific organisation. Can Too runs training programs for people who want to …

Read the post

Swim The World – My Swimming Stories

  • Best places to swim in various cities around the world
  • Why swimming is so good for us
  • Australia’s best ocean swimming
  • Swimming pools and hotel pools

Alcohol-free adventures

  • best sobriety books
  • Non-alcoholic drinks to enjoy
  • Our sober journey stories

The Publisher & The Writer Podcast

Find podcasts and show notes covering all aspects of writing and publishing books in Australia.

Good to meet you, let’s stay in touch!

I send out a monthly email newsletter with information about books, writing, swimming and sobriety. It’s easy to join, and I can promise no spam!

Just fill in this form to join my email subscriber list!

I must introduce my wee poodle Maisie who is crucial to writing, swimming, podcasting, to life!!