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You can’t heal when you won’t cut out the infection, and that’s just what addiction is. An infection.

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If you spend the majority of your time in worlds where people are accomplishing incredible things, all of a sudden that starts to seem normal.

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We should not forget that pain can also be an excellent teacher.

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You feel guilty for slowing down other people, for constantly having to duck out of plans at the last minute and for being irritable and touchy when the pain is bad.

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Gone are my sense of safety, my belief that the universe is an orderly and predictable place, my unflinching trust that I know what’s going on in my own body.

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As soon as the sickness started, it spread fast. The X Virus, as we began to call it, moved to every city and was present in every state. What was baffling was that not every person became infected.

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But most of all, I’ve learned that I’m more than my cancer. I’m a human being. I’m not my cancer. Yes I have cancer, but I’m also an actress. Yes I have cancer, but I have a beautiful girlfriend.

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addicts never feel quite right in their own bodies. They struggle with feeling like two people. They feel feelings very deeply. They care a lot about what others think of them. They’re codependent. The drugs are a SYMPTOM of the disease of addiction, and for a while, help become a temporary escape from the disease. The drugs are NEVER the cause. It doesn’t work like that.

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Before momma let them take me away, I started getting sick. Sometimes, I can’t stop from shaking. I get bad headaches and soreness all over my body. Sometimes, my arms are so stiff they’re hard to bend. It made momma sad and scared.

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“Mental illnesses aren’t beautiful. They don’t make you special and don’t make people suddenly care about you. They’re monsters that destroy lives.”