There is something about addicts in recovery that people do not always understand. It is something that doesn’t get talked about enough. We are funny. No, seriously, we are. Not the type of funny that you may see in stand up comedy, but resilient, funny. The kind of funny that shows up in the middle of chaos. The sarcasm you didn’t know you needed from someone, that just tends to make you loosen up a bit. We are the funny that slips out in group meetings, court rooms, awkward dinner table conversations, and moments that most people would crumble in.
My favorite thing about addicts is no matter how bad it gets, we can still laugh. We laugh, not because things are light, but because we’ve survived heavy. We know that no matter how tough it gets, we are tougher.
People in recovery just get it. There is an unspoken understanding between us all. The kind where you can say something completely unhinged, and suddenly the whole room is laughing. We have been to places that most people spend their whole lives trying to avoid; mentally, physically and emotionally. We’ve sat in the dark long enough to realize even the smallest glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. So, when something absurd, ironic or painful happens, we know how to shift the perspective, and find the joy.
What I love about addicts in recovery is our ability to say, yes, that was awful but, look at me now! We are all about reclaiming moments that broke us and turning them into something that no longer define us; and sometimes, that can be found through humor. Because when you have lived through addiction, everything on the other side feels a little bit like a miracle…and sometimes, miracles look like laughter over coffee, or joking about things that used to destroy you with someone else that came out of an addiction too.
This kind of humor is layered. It carries pain, growth, humility and strength all at once. It says, “I’ve seen the worst and I am still here, with a smile”. We are not this way because it was easy but because we learned over trial and error, time and time again, that things do not have to stay heavy forever.
For those of you that have ever sat in a room full of people in recovery, or had a conversation one on one, and have laughed until your stomach hurt over something that used to make you cry, then you already know.
That type of laughter…that’s healing. And that’s my favorite kind.
The next time you catch yourself laughing at something that used to break you, I encourage you to pause, and recognize how far you have come. And if you’re not there yet, you can borrow my hope. One day, you’ll be laughing, and helping someone else believe they can too.
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