50 People Who Refused To Lose Their Life To Addiction And Took Back Control (Best Of All Time)

To learn more about The Addict's Diary and how it came about in the first place, we got in touch with the page's founder, Kevin Alter. Kevin was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share what inspired him to start this community.

"I was looking for an outlet for myself and others to show what life in addiction and recovery is really like," Kevin says. "Essentially, taking the anonymity out of it. Seeing it become so popular over the years and watching so many people get help from the resources provided by us has been a blessing."

We also asked Kevin why he believes it's necessary to tell these stories. "I think it’s important because, at the end of the day, the one thing that we all need is hope. Without it, there is nothing to fight or strive for," he shared.

And if you want to recover but aren't sure where to start, Kevin encourages you to take the first step. "Reach out to us! Go to a local meeting. Or if you’re not ready for that because of how bad you’re using, I always think a detox and treatment center are a great place to start," he told Bored Panda.

Kevin also shared some advice on how loved ones can be there for those struggling with addiction. "They can support them by walking that line of supporting them through the challenging time of early recovery and making sure they don’t enable them if they’re using," he says.

We were also lucky enough to get in touch with A. Tom Horvath, PhD, ABPP, President of Practical Recovery, to learn even more about the struggles of battling addiction. First, we wanted to know what makes recovery so difficult.

"In severe addictive problems, the addictive behavior has become involved in many or most aspects of life. Similarly, if you are right handed, your right hand engages in many actions for you. If you were to switch hands, you would notice the change throughout the day. You would also likely get quite frustrated. With your other hand, life does not go as well (and it would not for a long time). It would be very easy to go back to using your right hand," Dr. Horvath explained.

If you want to get sober but don't know where to start, Dr. Horvath recommends identifying what your addictive problem does for you and looking for new ways to obtain that benefit. "If your substance helps you relax, there are other methods you can learn," he shared.

And if you'd like to support a loved one who's on their journey to sobriety, the expert says, "Ask what [they like] about the addictive problem. What does it do for them? Listen carefully and non-judgmentally, and acknowledge the benefits obtained from the behavior."

We also asked Dr. Horvath if he could dispel some common misconceptions about addiction.

"That is it all or none," he shared. "Alternatively, it would be good to recognize that all of us probably have several addictive behaviors of various sizes (eating chocolate, watching too many streaming series, romance novels, etc.)."

The expert says that there is not only "one way" to change an addict, as there are as many ways as there are individuals. He also shared that it's not necessarily essential to get help, as many people change primarily through their own efforts.

Finally, he noted that it's commonly believed that addicts are powerless over the addictive problem. "Alternatively, although the powerlessness perspective is helpful to some, there are also effective self-empowering approaches," Dr. Horvath says.