--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I tried everything. I moved a thousand…" description: "\"“I tried everything. I moved a thousand miles away from home to Chicago and a new environment. I studied art; I desperately endeavored to create an int..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_art_i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-mi_142768.jpg" --- # I tried everything. I moved a thousand miles away from… ![“I tried everything. I moved a thousand miles away from home to Chicago and a new environment. I studied art; I desperately endeavored to create an interest in many things, in a new place among new people. Nothing worked. My drinking habits increased in spite of my struggle for control.” quote by Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_art_i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-mi_142768.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_art_i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-mi_142768.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_art_i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-mi_142768.jpg) > ““I tried everything. I moved a thousand miles away from home to Chicago and a new environment. I studied art; I desperately endeavored to create an interest in many things, in a new place among new people. Nothing worked. My drinking habits increased in spite of my struggle for control.”” [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes repeated attempts to change environment and habits, yet addiction persists despite effort. **In simple terms:** Changing location and trying new activities didn't stop drinking. Key Takeaway Seek deeper support beyond surface changes. Themes addiction change desperation Mood frustrated hopeful Type personal narrative cautionary When to use this quote - relocation - new hobbies - social circles - therapy Key Concepts self‑efficacy environmental influence Questions to Reflect On - What deeper needs remain unmet? - How can you address addiction beyond environment? A Different Perspective Surface changes often don't address underlying dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ## Related quotes > [As a working-class girl, receiving free school dinners, I studied art history. Having never had the chance to visit art galleries, I devoured the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/as-a-working-class-girl-receiving-free-school-dinners-i-studied-art/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [I was born in Seoul, South Korea; then I moved to New York City at the age of seventeen. In New York, I studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sung-jin-park/i-was-born-in-seoul-south-korea-then-i-moved-to-new-york-city-at-the/) [Sung Jin Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sung-jin-park/) > [ As I developed as an artist and studied art history, I noticed that all the great works were dealing with the human condition. \[Art\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/as-i-developed-as-an-artist-and-studied-art-history-i-noticed-that/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [I studied art history and philosophy and took economics and political science classes. I just took whatever I wanted and I didn't worry about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-studied-art-history-and-philosophy-and-took-economics-and-political/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I would have been an artist, because I studied art and history in school and college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/i-would-have-been-an-artist-because-i-studied-art-and-history-in/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [“I have studied the art of the ancients and the art of the moderns, avoiding any preconceived system and without prejudice. I no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/i-have-studied-the-art-of-the-ancients-and-the-art-of-the-moderns/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [The visual information of art history is going to students seamlessly, without the enormous trouble those of us who are older had when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-nelson/the-visual-information-of-art-history-is-going-to-students-seamlessly/) [Robert Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-nelson/) > [I haven't studied art and I haven't studied typography, but I've still gone out and done it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-haven-t-studied-art-and-i-haven-t-studied-typography-but-i-ve-still/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I studied art at Queens College, taking very few courses in literature. But I've always loved reading poetry and grew up enjoying the so-called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-florian/i-studied-art-at-queens-college-taking-very-few-courses-in-literature/) [Douglas Florian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-florian/) > [What I loved about wrestling was just being foolish, so I studied clown. I studied clown. I studied the art of clown. I actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-lynch/what-i-loved-about-wrestling-was-just-being-foolish-so-i-studied/) [Becky Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-lynch/) > [ Between 18 and 19 years old \[in the 1950s\] I came to Paris. I studied art. And that experience really did change my life.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/between-18-and-19-years-old-in-the-1950s-i-came-to-paris-i-studied/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [I studied art just short of the level where you can earn a degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pj-harvey/i-studied-art-just-short-of-the-level-where-you-can-earn-a-degree/) [PJ Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pj-harvey/) > [Certainly, in college, I had no idea what I wanted to do, I studied art history and had a great time, but I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/certainly-in-college-i-had-no-idea-what-i-wanted-to-do-i-studied-art/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [But I studied art in Belgium from the age of 17 to 18, and I learned French when I was there. Very reluctantly so.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/but-i-studied-art-in-belgium-from-the-age-of-17-to-18-and-i-learned/) [Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/) > [I love to draw and paint. I did all the illustrations in my books, so I always have my watercolours with me. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/i-love-to-draw-and-paint-i-did-all-the-illustrations-in-my-books-so-i/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) ## More by Alcoholics Anonymous > [“and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/and-i-actually-talked-about-god-the-one-who-had-abandoned-me-when-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“New Year’s resolutions I recycled for a dozen years while my drinking and my life kept getting worse. Alcohol had enslaved me. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/new-year-s-resolutions-i-recycled-for-a-dozen-years-while-my-drinking/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“The horrors grew. Inner horrors. On the surface it looked as though I was more or less keeping it together, but day by day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/the-horrors-grew-inner-horrors-on-the-surface-it-looked-as-though-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“How I ran my home, I don’t know. I went on, realizing what I was becoming, hating myself for it, bitter, blaming life, blaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/how-i-ran-my-home-i-don-t-know-i-went-on-realizing-what-i-was/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Acceptance is the answer to all my problemskey to all my problems today.When I am distrubed, it is because I find some person, place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/acceptance-is-the-answer-to-all-my-problemskey-to-all-my-problems/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“It’s like a man standing on a bridge in the middle of a river with his pants on fire wondering why his pants are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/it-s-like-a-man-standing-on-a-bridge-in-the-middle-of-a-river-with/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“But in the light of the new understanding that I have found in A.A., I have been able to interpret that defeat and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/but-in-the-light-of-the-new-understanding-that-i-have-found-in-a-a-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I actually wanted a drink, besides feeling that I had to have a drink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-actually-wanted-a-drink-besides-feeling-that-i-had-to-have-a-drink/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“When I got home in the evening, I drank at least half the fifth in front of the television set and watched reruns until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/when-i-got-home-in-the-evening-i-drank-at-least-half-the-fifth-in/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I wondered how this misery would end. I was full of fear. I was afraid to tell others what I felt lest they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-wondered-how-this-misery-would-end-i-was-full-of-fear-i-was-afraid/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Dishonest thinking, prejudice, ego, antagonism toward anyone and everyone who dares to cross him, vanity, and a critical attitude are character defects that gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/dishonest-thinking-prejudice-ego-antagonism-toward-anyone-and/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go, for we are liable to drink if we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/we-must-lose-our-fear-of-creditors-no-matter-how-far-we-have-to-go/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“So I continued spinning fantasies, and now alcohol fueled my dreams. I would make great discoveries, win the Nobel Prize in medicine and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/so-i-continued-spinning-fantasies-and-now-alcohol-fueled-my-dreams-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Above all, I am grateful to A.A. for my sobriety, which means so much to my family, friends, and business associates, because God and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/above-all-i-am-grateful-to-a-a-for-my-sobriety-which-means-so-much-to/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I knew, I would start working on the half gallon again, despite the fact that I was still very ill from the night before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-knew-i-would-start-working-on-the-half-gallon-again-despite-the/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) [Explore all 105 Alcoholics Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I tried everything. I moved a thousand miles away from home to Chicago and a new environment. I studied art; I desperately endeavored to create an interest in many things, in a new place among new people. Nothing worked. My drinking habits increased in spite of my struggle for control.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alcoholics Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-miles-away-from-home-to-chicago/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-miles-away-from-home-to-chicago/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_art_i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-mi_142768.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_art_i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-mi_142768.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_art_i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-mi_142768.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I tried everything. I moved a thousand miles away from home to Chicago and a new environment. I studied art…” — Alcoholics Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alcoholics Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I tried everything. I moved a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-miles-away-from-home-to-chicago/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-miles-away-from-home-to-chicago/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```