BIPOLAR SOBER / ADDICTION

ON ADDICTION.

THE DRINK ISN'T
THE WHOLE FUCKING STORY.

01 / ADDICTION

WHAT'S
UNDERNEATH?

Drinking was the behavior. Now let's look at what's underneath.

Different ways of looking at addiction, craving, suffering, recovery, and why we keep reaching for the thing that's hurting us.

Mania. Depression. Mixed episodes. How drinking and substance use get tangled up with bipolar disorder, including when your mood is stable.

What's behind the urge to disappear? Feelings, memories, boredom, pain, fear, loneliness — or just being inside your own head.

People. Places. Feelings. Memories. Situations. Figure out what flips the switch before the switch gets flipped.

The urge. The bargaining. The selective fucking memory. Understanding what you want, what you expect it to give you, and how the craving builds.

Want it. Do it. Regret it. Repeat. Breaking down the space between an impulse and an action.

Regret. Secrecy. The shit you wish you could undo. Taking responsibility and making repairs without turning your past into your entire identity.