THE DRUG WASN’T THE ADDICTION. IT WAS THE ANSWER (not to a disease!)

That may sound strange when the drug is destroying someone’s life

But from inside their experience, it was doing something

It changed how they felt

It made something quieter

Made something bearable

Gave confidence, relief, belonging, intensity, escape, certainty, whatever that person needed at the time

And that changes the question completely

Instead of – Why won’t they stop?

We can ask – What problem was this answering?

Because if we remove the drug without understanding why it became so important, we may remove the behaviour while leaving the need untouched

Sometimes that person stays abstinent and struggles for years

Sometimes another behaviour takes its place

Sometimes life simply becomes something they have to endure without the thing that once changed it

– The drug matters
– The consequences matter

But the drug is not where the story begins

The deeper inquiry is – What became true in this person’s experience that made this answer make sense?

That is where I think our understanding of addiction needs to begin