I am a recovered alcoholic, haven't had a drink or used drugs in 35 years. Gato's analysis is pretty much right on the money. It, of course, is going to vary from individual to individual, but generally speaking it describes nearly all the mentally ill addicts - and make NO mistake, addiction of any kind is a mental illness. Over the years, I have heard the stories of thousands of loons like myself, and we all share the characteristics cited in Gato's excellent piece. But as with alcohol and drugs, woke leftism can be recovered from!