I'm curious and this may be too personal, so I understand. But two things: you said "recovered" while most of the addicts I know say "recovering" - acknowledging that it never goes away. Is there significance to that choice of language?

Second, did you find a productive or healthier substitute addiction? E.g. a friend of mine who realized he was an addict 40 years ago channeled his addiction to writing and turned it into a decent living. For him it was recognizing addiction was part of a patter of obsessions. So he became obsessively addicted to writing every day. This proved convenient as one can write anywhere almost any time without hurting one's body or any other person ;-).

As one who has not suffered substance addiction I know I will never know what it is like, really, but with so many close friends who've dealt with it (some good, some not) I strive to understand. Is it something in all of us, but in some manifests in more positive ways like what we call "drive" and "passion"?