Much of this resonates. I’ll also say, though, that the individualistic notion of “confronting pain” only goes so far. For many who contend with housing deprivation, poverty, racism, colonialism, ableism, etc., the world is designed to enact pain (and isolation, social exclusion, etc.), and getting sober won’t change that. This is why I’m such a proponent of both harm reduction and legalizing all illicit drug use. I strongly suspect that if every illicit drug user were to get sober today, suicide rates would trump fatal overdose rates. Until we address the structural inequalities that product high intensity usage, it’ll be a very valid survival strategy.