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Actually, I too have had the experience, and don’t think for a second that I have anything but respect for you and the fact that you beat it, or that you can freely discuss it. Because I do respect that, and you. My experience was swimming in the bottom of a bottle for many years rather than Coke/meth/heroin or whatnot. And I hurt a lot of people that I will probably never forgive myself for. I deal with it and talk to the Big Guy upstairs often about it.

My comment does not mean that I don’t have a heart or understand what addicts go through. I do know. I was one with alcohol. From 15-27ish. And I have been sober since. But “I” did what I did. And it was wrong.

I reserve my use of ‘tragedy’ for things I believe are tragic. I personally do not class self inflicted behavior as such. It may be horrid. It may be evil. But it was of my own devices, not a situation brought about by chance or bad fortune.

But that’s me. Right or wrong. Again, respect to you Laz and may your own sobriety endure.

Respect back to you sir. Remember, if you were an alcoholic and not just a heavy drinker, that you completely lost the power of choice. You no longer could 'not drink'. To me, that's when the "I did it" stopped and the "tragedy", or as the professionals put it, the disease, started.

Now, please don't think I am absolving a person of all responsibility. I'm not! But read this next line closely, and if you are in AA you will have heard it a million times:

We may not be responsible for our disease, but we ARE responsible for our recovery.

In short, the part where she fails to take the Third Step, and turn her will and her life over to the care of God as she understood Him, was the part where she screwed up. There’s no tragedy there — there is only self-will run riot. She was certainly exposed to the steps. She turned her back on them.