Addiction reorganizes the addict’s world and consumes their identity so that the person becomes unrecognizable to themselves and others.

The Ten Stages
Addiction reorganises the addict’s world and consumes their identity so that the person becomes unrecognisable to themselves and others. Since the truth is too painful to face, the addict constructs an alternate reality where drugs and alcohol aren’t a problem and the addict is doing exactly what other people want and hope for them. They say they’ve been clean for weeks when, in truth, they got high just a few hours ago. They say they landed a great new job when they’re actually dirt poor and homeless.