[elliottcarlson]

Every one will have a different experience, and some people will need more help than others. I was a meth addict (but was also a frequent abuser of a large variety of other substances) and quit cold turkey during a cross country bus ride to the east coast. Ever since then I have been clean, and only take part in drinking alcohol. That first year was insanely hard, and the mere thought of meth would make my hands clammy, as if my body was still wanting it. I have no problems now with restraint, and I can be around people doing drugs and can easily sit back with no temptations. I didn't need NA or AA, but as you said, they still have some merit and may be the necessary crutch that some people require to get out of the hole.

[0x420]

Yes, that was more or less my point. I'm wary of analyses of addiction that try to conflate every survivor's experience into a single, monolithic thing. There are similarities, to be sure, but it's more complex than most people realize.