This piece was written as a way to give language to the internal damage addiction caused, damage that wasn’t always visible to others. Writing “Dear Addiction” allowed me to separate myself from the substance and confront it as something that invaded my life, altered my identity, and slowly erased parts of who I was. It reflects how addiction didn’t arrive violently or obviously, but quietly filled emotional gaps during moments of exhaustion, pain, and vulnerability.
The letter exists to explain a kind of loss that isn’t acknowledged enough: the grief of surviving while no longer recognizing yourself. It captures the shame, dissociation, and self-erasure that addiction leaves behind, even after sobriety or survival. Ultimately, I wrote this to process that grief, to honor the version of myself that was lost, and to help others understand that “making it out alive” doesn’t mean escaping without lasting wounds.