What I didn’t do differently,

My parents are/were addicts. Many close to me

are addicts (in recovery and active addiction)

I get asked often, why not you? What did you do differently?

The answer: Nothing.

The long answer: I have other addictive features.

I have OCD and anxiety and it has run my life. I have poor body image, poor treatment of self. I haven’t cared very well for myself. I have been self destructive. I have hurt family and friends. I have done things that I am not proud of and things that aren’t true to myself.

I am not an addict of alcohol or drugs, but I am in recovery.

It wasn’t like I came to a fork in the road and had to make a choice between drugs and obsessing over how to perfect my life and all the poor behavior that comes with that. It’s just the way my life played out for me.

See, the answer is all of us picked poor coping skills. All of us are in need of recovery. All of us are in need of help and healing. And none of us are less than the other for the way we coped.

All of us have experienced unimaginable trauma and weren’t given the tools or space or time to cope. Leaving us to our vices.

I can’t speak for all addicts, but what I know is an addict is just someone who has been hurting for too long. And the only way to truly help them once they’ve gotten sober is to see them, love them and help them build a better tool box of coping skills.

This meme, now that I have fixed it, is much more helpful to all of us than blaming the addict for not having a good perspective.