3 ms·
In the context of substance abuse, it's not hard to see the original implication of the now-largely meaningless aphorism: People trying to beat an addiction hav
by mortenjorck 10y ago
In the context of substance abuse, it's not hard to see the original implication of the now-largely meaningless aphorism: People trying to beat an addiction have to work very hard to keep from falling back into the habit. An addicted person will often find him or herself doing the same things (hanging out with the same enablers, doing the same activities that surround substance abuse) and expecting things will be "different this time."
Thus the admonition that someone is "insane" if they expect change when they are doing the very same things they did when they were dependent.
- AstralStorm 10y agoSometimes, but rarely, that happens though. Remember, they may have created more contacts or added rules to prevent abuse.
- redwards510 10y agoInteresting. I always saw the meaning as directly related to relapse, which is a huge theme in recovery groups. That is, people get sober for a few months, think they have "fixed" their addiction and get drunk again, thinking that they won't become the same awful drunk they were before recovery.