Addiction doesn’t just steal your health, your money, your sanity. It steals your sense of belonging. That’s why I keep coming back to this truth—over and over, with my clients, my friends, and in my own story: the opposite of addiction is connection.
I know, I know. When you’re in the thick of it, connection sounds like a nice idea for other people. For the “normal” folks who seem to have it all figured out. But if you’re reading this, I want you to know: connection isn’t just for the lucky or the healed. It’s for you, right now, messy and magnificent and maybe a little raw around the edges.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years as a coach, a counselor, a business owner, and a proud Wisconsinite who’s seen winter and addiction both try to freeze people out of their own lives: Real recovery happens when you let yourself be seen, even when you’re scared. When you risk reaching out, even when your brain tells you to hide.
So, what does that look like in real life? Let’s keep it simple—because progress is progress, and life is really simple, but people insist on making it complicated.
