On our way back from Maine, we stopped at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Up in a corner, near some sort of coffee shop like gathering place, there was this, written on a wall that was made to look like the album of “The Wall”. It didn’t have the whole story, apparently Roger Waters had a reckoning with his addictions and choose to face them.
"To deny my addiction and embrace that ‘comfortably numb’ but ‘magic-less’ existence or accept the burden of insight, take the road less travelled and embark on the often painful journey to who I was and where I fit.
“The Wall was the picture I drew for myself to help me make that choice”
– Roger Water Summer 1995
I think too many people stop when it gets to the painful part. They return to the addiction or switch to a new one that is maybe less destructive but still not constructive. They take the focus off of their self-discovery and lash out at others who are more wrong than they are.
It’s easy to find a cadre of others to share the addiction, even if the addiction is to wallow in self-pity because they “discovered” life is hard. This is observed in AA meetings, where the members need someone to be addicted so they can have a purpose supporting them. If fresh members don’t appear, someone relapses.