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Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum section, general knowledge seemed to be the only one fitting for this rather specific topic. My question is in relation to alcoholism and addiction. I can only imagine that Stef has addressed the topic in the past but I can't recall, does anyone know where his best discussion on this is? I grew up in a religious institution that was very rigid and determined at age 24 that it was not making me happy anymore. I figured at that point I was atheist and began studying in the area of philosophy to come to a better understanding what my individual perspective was, and not what others had taught me. What also occurred though was a period of experimentation and trying new things as I was now untethered from dogmatic moral restrictions. I believe issues with depression and anxiety and a relative confusion as to how to deal with that left me prone to struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. For the last 3-4 years I've dealt now with an entirely knew community that seems to be steeped in its own brand of dogma. I don't want to single out the AA and 12 step philosophy but it is the dominant one. These past few years I have developed a belief that the entire rehabilitation business is capitalizing on an epidemic ailment in modern society without any definitive and apparent impact. I can't say my rehab experiences were entirely without merit, but I feel like they are addressing mindfulness more than really determining the biological problems that exist and occur in people who become addicts (or always were addicts) however you want to term it. It seems to me there is a HUGE lack of philosophical perspective on this dilemma. The psychology community has all but given it over to this rehabilitation money mill as I believe there is economic incentive to do so. Anyway, I'm essentially looking for more opinion, ideas, and thoughts in the area of reason when it comes to addiction. I believe there is far more to the problem of addiction then merely being genetically predisposed. In my experience, I've recognized a rather fundamental existential crisis that lies at the core of my personal struggle. In terms of the recovery community, I am not keen on the idea that now my life is essentially defined by being "in recovery". This isn't to say I want to be able to drink or use recreational drugs, but I'm opposed to some of the black and white thinking, the dogmatic perspectives, on what it takes to either remain sober or avoid the pitfalls of substance abuse.I've said a lot so I'll leave it out there to the folks to bat around. Any response will be appreciated Thanks Mike V