The recovery movement tells us we are more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. If we believed otherwise, wouldn’t the alcoholic just stay in the gutter, an XXX bottle tipped to her lips like a cartoon drunkard? What would be the point of even trying, if we’re only going to be defined by our shittiest moment? The idea of redemption is crucial to the survival of the drunk, the addict, who must believe in a future that is at least a little free of what she was.
