05/20/2026
An addict fell in a hole and couldn't get out.
A businessman went by.
The addict called out for help.
The businessman threw him some money and told him to buy a ladder.
But the addict could not find a ladder in this hole he was in.
A doctor walked by.
The addict said, "Help, I can't get out."
The doctor gave him some drugs and said,
"Take this, it will relieve the pain."
The addict said thanks, but when the pills ran out while he was still in the hole.
A renowned psychiatrist rode by and heard the addict's cries for help.
He stopped and said, "How did you get in there?
Were you born there? Did your parents put you there? Tell me about yourself, it will alleviate your sense of loneliness."
So the addict talked with him for an hour, then the psychiatrist had to leave, but he said he'd be back next week.
The addict thanked him, but was still in his hole. A priest came by and heard the addict calling for help.
The priest gave him a Bible and said, "I’ll pray for you.
The priest got down on his knees and prayed for the addict, then left.
The addict was very grateful and he read the whole Bible, but he was still stuck in that hole.
A recovering addict happened to be passing by. The addict cried out, "Hey, help me, l'm stuck in this hole."
Right away, the recovering addict jumped in the hole with him.
The addict said, "What are you doing? Now we're both stuck here."
But the recovering addict said, "It's okay, I've been here before, I know the way out."
The moral of the story is that empathy and shared experience can reach where education, money, or good intentions alone cannot.
The recovering addict could help because he understood the hole. Not from theory, but from lived experience.
The opposite of addiction is connection.
Go help someone and let’s keep trudging together! (Except that in Celebrate Recovery we don’t “trudge”. We celebrate recovery together!)
