Listen Linda

Did you know that addiction is often described as a life lived elsewhere, because the one suffering from it is never fully present in their own reality. How they think, feel, react, behave are dictated by a need to satisfy their cravings—whether its for alcohol, drugs, or other addictive behaviors. It creates the emotional divide between us and the world around us. It leaves us physically present but emotionally and psychologically absent.

This experience of isolation is one of addictions’ cruelest aspects. Even when we are surrounded by families, friends, or even strangers, the one who suffers remains trapped within their own compulsions. It’s understood that addiction erodes genuine connection and warps priorities, placing our next use above relationships, responsibilities, and even self-preservation. Even though they might go through the motions of life like holding conversations, attending events, engaging in work—but every moment is overshadowed and influenced by the pull of addiction.

Granted this weight of existence becomes unbearable. Being sick and tired of being sick and tired runs a gambit that comes from living in this vicious cycle of existence. Addiction is just physically draining—it breaks people down emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Everything starts to fall apart—our relationships, finances, our health—and the person sees, painfully, that our disease of addiction has stripped us of everything meaningful. This is usually what we call our bottom—our Rock Bottom.

So, with recovery, that despair becomes an unlikely strength. That deep suffering caused by addiction serves as a reminder of where we’ve been and why we never want to go back. So, the twelve-step philosophy emphasizes this transformation: Our pain becomes the driving force for change. Thus, pushing ourselves to embrace the hope that recovery offers. And by working our program, attending meetings, committing to a life of sobriety. We can learn how to replace chaos with a newfound sense of connection and purpose.

In the end, recovery isn’t escaping our disease, it’s about reclaiming life in its fullness. The pain of addiction doesn’t just vanish, but it does evolve into a foundation for resilience and hope. And if this is nurtured, that pain remains a permanent reminder why we fought so hard to get sober.

https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/articles/recovery-paradoxes