Why Recovery Philosophy?
Experience. Strength. Hope. Wisdom.
Everyone knows someone impacted by addiction!
That’s a deliberately bold statement. Maybe it is even a hot take, but maybe it’s not…
If you’re reading this, you’re a thinker.
If you think long enough about the people in your life, I have no doubt you’ll find that there’s someone who is impacted by the disease of addiction, directly or indirectly.
It has become so widespread that it’s almost ubiquitous.
Addiction is so much more than just substance use disorder(s). Behavioral addictions are also pervasive in our modern culture. A few of the more obvious and well-known ones are things like gambling, pornography use, and eating disorders.
However, some other addictions have become completely normalized. Workaholism has become celebrated as “hustle culture,” and screen addictions have become trivialized by terms like “doom-scrolling” and “binge-watching.
“A rose by any other name”…
They are behaviorally very similar to substance abuse, but we dismiss them as normal.
I was born late in 1978 and have dealt with addiction for as long as I can remember. My mother is a cigarette smoker and would send me to get them for her as a youth.
As a latch-key kid in the 80s, I spent the majority of my time after school in front of the television with a big bowl of whatever sugary cereal we had in the house. The television addiction shifted to the smartphone (now it’s YT Shorts), and sugar rears its head as a problem now and again, usually when I’ve slipped into a marijuana relapse.
Along the way, I picked up and dropped other addictions, the most stubborn being pot. I discovered the Recovery community in 2019 when I was at my ‘rock bottom’ with chemicals. I curbed that particular issue, but it took me a lot longer to kick weed.
I created this space primarily as a resource for people affected by addiction; whether it's someone you care about or yourself, I hope you find that the content here helpful.
Secondly, I created this space to discuss not only the philosophy inherent in Recovery, but philosophical ideas in general. One of the main drivers of Recovery is filling the void with something other than the addiction and creating a life that we don’t want to escape from in the first place. I think philosophy can hit both of those very effectively.
Finally, I’m doing this to help with my Recovery. I hope that being accountable to readers, having a place to discuss these ideas, creating something I can be proud of, and “recovering out loud” will all help me achieve and maintain long-term Recovery.
¨One of the main drivers of recovery is filling the void with something other than the addiction and creating a life that we don’t want to escape from in the first place.¨ That's the key. Great post!