And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭20

Addiction is lonely business. And it’s funny because we often enter into it looking for friendship and fellowship.

We end up pushing away the very folks we aspired to be friends with, though. The glue that brought us together became the all encompassing focus and substitute for real relationships.

If we aren’t alone yet, it’s just a matter of time. The real alcoholic, the real addict, will almost invariably push others to the sidelines of their life.

It’s a terrible place to live. We both want relationships and the fulfillment we get from our vices. We are using every tool for the wrong purposes.

We use people and they flee from us. We cradle our vices and they latch hold.

Through it all, there remains hope until the end. No matter how far we walk away, God is faithful and just. And he promises to never leave us.

We are capable of walking off the cliff; he won’t force us to submit. But when we are ready to turn around, he is there.

The path is there. The way out is available to us.

And even better, the path is full of people who’ve returned just like us.

God, help me see myself as you do.