I know this isn't the most efficient way to learn the language but it has helped somewhat since I am new.

This is hurting you. Efficiency aside, this is the wrong way to learn the language, and will leave you with big gaps in your understanding, inadequacies and kludges in your code, and a cargo-culting approach to programming with Perl. Starting with Perl::Critic and working backwards into a mastery of the language is not going to work. Cease! Desist! :)

Start with Learning Perl, from O'Reilly, and then move on to Intermediate Perl, also from O'Reilly. Along the way, read a substantial portion of Perl's POD. There are other resources that would work well too (in lieu of the two O'Reilly books I mentioned), but I know those two will leave you with enough of a foundation in Perl that when you do finally start reading Perl Best Practices (O'Reilly), you'll already know how to program effectively with Perl. Then you will hopefully have the basic knowledge necessary to know when, which, and how to apply the suggestions from Perl Best Practices thoughtfully. Only then, can Perl::Critic be a useful tool.