An addict's life can be lonely. That's because their only friend is the alcohol or drug that props them up and gives them a reason for living.
At a meeting last week a woman told her story of addiction. She said she had come to Arizona within the last month from out of state. She came here, she said, to escape her addiction and start a new life. However, once she arrived, she found that she met herself as soon as she arrived. She'd brought her old addict self with her, her same thinking patterns and coping skills.
Through her tears, she described how lonely she felt. She only had a family member who lived here. And the family member - while supportive - didn't want to spend time with the woman. After all, she had her own life to live and didn't have the time or inclination to deal with an addict's issues.
So, what the woman did was pick up several 12-step meeting lists and planned to spend her days attending a series of meetings. From past experience she knew that she'd encounter people just like her, people who had been through the loneliness and anxiety of early recovery. Her intense meeting schedule left her little time to be lonely and would give her a chance to make friends in a new city.
There are few excuses for us to not get sober. And this woman's solution was the perfect one for someone who was feeling the pangs of loneliness.
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