The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath

by Leslie Jamison

You could numb it, or else grant it a voice.

The more you start to need a thing, whether it’s a man or a bottle of wine, the more you are unwittingly—reflexively, implicitly—convincing yourself you’re not enough without it.

Of course my pain was real, just like everyone’s. Of course it wasn’t quite like anyone’s, just like everyone’s.