[mexicocitinluez]

> it’s precisely because of personal responsibility that you are so successful.

No it's not. It's absolutely not personal responsibility that gets people through addiction.

And if you read the entire article, this should stand out:

> I don't tell this story because I think it is clean, heroic, or universally applicable -- It isn't. I made TERRIBLE choices. I hurt people who loved me. I wasted chances that other people would have killed for. And even when I finally started doing the right things, I still needed luck, help, timing, forgiveness, and people willing to judge me by what I could do next instead of only by what I had done before.

That doesn't sound like personal responsibility that sounds like having people around you that stick around even after you mess up.

I've been an addict for over 20 years (and spent the last 10 clean). I've been in close to a dozen treatment centers. What set me apart from the others (and why I technically "made" it) had very little to do with me. What set me apart was having an insane support system and grace from people who loved me.

[gavinray]

I think it's a bit of a mix of both.

I could not have climbed out of the hole I dug on my own, that I am almost CERTAIN of.

At the same time, if I had felt as though I were owed "more", and indignant about being "wronged", I think it would have made me slightly vindictive and less-positive.

To me, "Libertarianism" is about the power of personal-effort and opportunity. Not everything will pan out if you "just try hard and long enough", but at least THINKING it will (even if you know it's unlikely) feels like a better mindset to me than the alternative.

[anthonylevine]

I was commenting too much, and thus can't reply with the same account, but I wanted to say I do agree with the fact that while you can't control what happened to you in the past (and maybe even what led you to drugs in the first place), your addiction is yours and having a victim-complex (warranted or not) is pretty detrimental to getting clean.

I was pretty fortunate in that while I may not have had the picture perfect childhood, my family was always there for me and in no way shaped my decisions to use. So even if I wanted to feel like a victim, I'd get snapped out of it pretty quickly.

When I look back at what set me apart from most others (I've been in numerous treatment centers, jails, and hundreds of NA meetings), the one thing that stood out to me the most was my support system. Others probably had a greater desire or more to lose, but because desire alone isn't enough, didn't always make it through. One example, my mom would drive hours each weekend to come visit me in treatment. That just didn't exist for the others I was there with.