The following are my favorite quotes from Jordan Barnes's One Hit Away: A Memoir of Recovery.
- It was a realization that changed everything--if a lone wolf doesn't make the kill, he'll starve to death unless scraps are thrown his way.
- For too long, drug dependency has robbed me of the simple things in life that make it worth living, like deep or uninterrupted sleep.
- When he spots me shambling toward him, a smirk from Luiz says he knew I'd be back again. It's business. Bad business, but still business. We have a love-hate relationship that makes me resent the power he and every other dealer will forever reign over me.
- I have no problem taking whatever I wanted, whenever I want to feed my habit--the irony is that charity is hard to accept.
- The very nature of my addiction is a self-imposed imprisonment, one that requires me to return to my dealers like an animal to a watering hole .I have no control or independence regardless of how tough I act. No matter how I cut it, there is no free will here. Dependence has taken away any illusion of choice.
- I'm overwhelmed by my first actual step, taken on my own accord, to disassociate myself from the lifestyle I have long struggled to endure. Rising to the occasion is more than just empowering--it's authentic.
- When the desire to use instinctively crosses my mind, I have to remind myself that I'll ruin a good thing if I'm allowed to.
- Don't let your past poison your future.
- There's no shortcut to any place worth going.
- I'm looking forward to developing and renewing my faith, joining my family again as a loving son and brother, and having healthy relationships built on trust. Most importantly, I'm looking forward to loving myself, which starts with facing my hurdles and tackling them one at a time.
- I realize that I can fight for something without ever raising a fist. I can fight for myself and my sobriety without letting others stand in my way or knock me off track. Bennett challenged me to lose my cool, and for a moment, I did. I have to work on that self-control and remember to rise above the bullshit as Mike so eloquently puts it.
- I respect his maturity in acknowledging that waving the white flag is actually a sign of strength. There is no shame in tapping out when you know that continuing will only wreak havoc.
- I saw enough progress in the mirror that I became a firm believer that if you do the right thing, you get the right results.
- Remember, if you're anything like me, your best thinking probably got you to where you are, so if you don't know what to do, don't do anything at all.
