As a recovering alcoholic I'm incredibly grateful to have built a toolkit to stay sober. Getting sober is a nightmare in the best of times. People in AA – which I haven't attended regularly for a few years – talk about being a "grateful alchoholic". It bothered when I heard that. I just wanted to have some bourbon and not put myself and others at risk. But over time I realized that they're grateful because getting sober forced them to deal with life in healthier ways. Or to deal with it at all.

While I don't think all of people that are overdosing are "addicts" per se, I know many non-addicts that don't deal well with life that great. Sure, they're fine when everything is going pretty well, but they fall down when the going gets tough.

I feel for people. I've never felt despair or shame like I did when I hit bottom.

Much luck and love to everyone out there. Life gets difficult, and sometimes it gets really, really difficult. Lean on people if you can, anyone that you can. Find a community if you can, online or not.

I know this advice rings hollow when people are worried about putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their head or just trying to stay safe. But you can do this. Don't worry about thriving, just survive.

Sorry, for the rambling, this just really hit home.