
…as a redemption story for the public as well, I do find myself left with one final closing thought. I imagine that in order for us to ever dismantle the social stigma of drug use and addiction, and in order for us to get at real solutions for addressing what breeds addiction and fosters wellness, it is quite possible that we may have to become willing to part ways with the good ‘ole recovery as a redemption story framework.
Second, if we position recovery as redemption and redemption requires a fall from grace, how do we ever expect to combat the social stigma of drug use, addiction, and lapses in abstinence during abstinence-based recovery? In a very real way, sharing the recovery journey as a tale of redemption perpetuates the social sti…
…ply that these human beings fell from grace and are in need of redemption is unfair and inaccurate. We ought to be asking questions like “what happened to you?” rather than asking and implying “what have you done?” We ought to be asking ourselves: is it really these human beings who fell from grace or was it more…