Long-term success in recovery can stop the addiction and reduce many of the problems it caused. But deeper recovery begins when we address what addiction had been managing: shame, disconnection, and the loss of fulfillment, confidence, connection, purpose, passion, and joy.

Relapse is predictable when addiction is misunderstood. If addiction is a strategy used to manage internal discomfort, then recovery has to address more than the addictive behavior. It has to address what addiction was trying to manage.