I spent most of my life denying that I was an addict/alcoholic or trying to preserve my right to (party) till the bitter end when I lost everything more than once, not even i could deny it anymore. Today it is great to see people of all ages getting clean/sober early before having to lose everything as addiction becomes more widely understood. Our common bonds male or female, black or white, short or tall, gay or straight, rich or poor…. We learned that we could not control or could not say with 100% certainty that once we started drinking or drugging when we were going to stop, sometimes we could stop, but some or often times we would end up hurting others or paying consequences ourselves. I learned the hard way that when I pick up it is kind of like playing Russian Roulette. And just because I got clean/sober does not mean that life is all snow cones and orgasms.
I learned that addiction is as real as the nose on my face and through time i learned how tricky it was. For many years I heard that “If you take a drunken horse thief and sober them up, what do you have? Answer: A sober horse thief *
I learned the hard way that my addiction wants me to Isolate, addiction wants me to stay the same, in my own head and spin out mentally, till eventually I MUST have a drink or drug or go crazy!
Recovery from addiction Ive learned is all about action – (Does that mean I never isolate?) No…. Its my nature it seems for me. At least now I can identify it and do something about it, or because I have have taken enough action the past few years, I actually have friends and mentors that genually care, that will help me pull out.
So I went from not really understanding/believing in addiction and swearing I would never be an addict/alcoholic. (Cant physically see addiction or touch it)
To accepting it was as real as the nose on my face and later learned it wants me to isolate and eventually drink / use. (Almost like a lower power that centers in my mind)
And at first i did not understand recovery – (Cant physically see recovery or touch it either) both are kind of like electricity or the wind. Though I was in enough pain that I learned i had to quit drinking/drugging. I found out shortly after I was still in pain mentally, I would lock myself in my apartment and try and think my way out of it.
And eventually was turned on to ( Action ). As time went by I learned that recovery can center in my mind as well, if I took the action.
Today I wont even get into the style of recovery I found – though I promise its all about action.
Id like to try and make one more point about staying in action, reaching out and getting out of the house.
Once we do these things to get out of our own minds. And we are out in public or we are reaching out to others.
It is then that we (give a Higher Power a chance to work in our lives) and the right answers & actions will come.
We can not see or touch Addiction – Though we know it wants us to isolate, stay in our heads and eventually use again
We can not see Recovery – Though we know that we must stay in action, stay out of our heads, and eventually we will be lead to a solution.
Eventually on the journey we get to see them both in our lives.
One day at a time, this can apply for normies as well I believe
Can you identify or expand on this 
– Kelly Kettle