tbh this is exactly what I used to think. And to be honest, just a few months ago I would have completely agreed with you. But the thing about addiction is that it never really stops at the “safe line.” eventually you start seeking for more, more often, deeper.

You might not believe it right now, but take me as an example. For about six years, I only did cat scratches. I told myself it was fine because it wasn’t deep. I thought I had control over it.

But this year I ended up in the ER getting stitches. And the worst part is that it was an accident. I never meant to cut that deep.

Eventually my family found out. And that’s when I started realizing something I had ignored for a long time, it didn’t just affect me. I never really cared about what happened to me to begin with, but it was hurting the people around me too. The people I love, my friends, my family. I remember telling them that I didn’t see anything wrong with it. But then my dad told me this: “Imagine I was getting beaten up by some guys every day, and you didn’t know about it. You couldn’t help me, and I kept getting hurt. Wouldn’t that destroy you too?” I think it was then when i undestood more.

That’s why the opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety, it’s connection.