--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a peculiar thing that happens…" description: "\"“There's a peculiar thing that happens every time you get clean. You go through this sensation of rebirth. There's something intoxicating about the pro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/anthony-keidis-220291_addiction_there-s-a-peculiar-thing-that-happens-ev_2856349.jpg" --- # There's a peculiar thing that happens every time you get… ![“There's a peculiar thing that happens every time you get clean. You go through this sensation of rebirth. There's something intoxicating about the process of the comeback, and that becomes an element in the whole cycle of addiction. Once you've beaten yourself down with cocaine and heroin, and you…” quote by Anthony Keidis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/anthony-keidis-220291_addiction_there-s-a-peculiar-thing-that-happens-ev_2856349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/anthony-keidis-220291_addiction_there-s-a-peculiar-thing-that-happens-ev_2856349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/anthony-keidis-220291_addiction_there-s-a-peculiar-thing-that-happens-ev_2856349.jpg) > ““There's a peculiar thing that happens every time you get clean. You go through this sensation of rebirth. There's something intoxicating about the process of the comeback, and that becomes an element in the whole cycle of addiction. Once you've beaten yourself down with cocaine and heroin, and you manage to stop and walk out of the muck you begin to get your mind and body strong and reconnect with your spirit. The oppressive feeling of being a slave to the drugs is still in your mind, so by comparison, you feel phenomenal. You're happy to be alive, smelling the air and seeing the beauty around you...You have a choice of what to do. So you experience this jolt of joy that you're not where you came from and that in and of itself is a tricky thing to stop doing. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know that every time you get clean, you'll have this great new feeling. Cut to: a year later, when you've forgotten how bad it was and you don't have that pink-cloud sensation of being newly sober. When I look back, I see why these vicious cycles can develop in someone who's been sober for a long time and then relapses and doesn't want to stay out there using, doesn't want to die, but isn't taking the full measure to get well again. There's a concept in recovery that says 'Half-measures avail us nothing.' When you have a disease, you can't take half the process of getting well and think you're going to get half well; you do half the process of getting well, you're not going to get well at all, and you'll go back to where you came from. Without a thorough transformation, you're the same guy, and the same guy does the same shit. I kept half-measuring it, thinking I was going to at least get something out of this deal, and I kept getting nothing out of it”” [Anthony Keidis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-keidis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sobriety brings a euphoric rebirth, but without full commitment, half‑measures lead to relapse; total transformation is necessary. **In simple terms:** Sobriety feels great; half‑effort fails. Key Takeaway Commit fully to recovery. Themes addiction recovery sobriety transformation mental health physical health Mood hopeful serious Type Addiction:1 Drug addiction:1 Happy to be alive:0 Long time:0 Mind and body:1 Psychology:1 Recovery:1 Sober:1 Time:0 Sober Long:0 Develop Sober:0 Recovery Says:0 When to use this quote - rehab programs - support groups - personal therapy - daily self‑check Key Concepts psychology neuroscience behavioral change Questions to Reflect On - What does full commitment look like for you? - How can you avoid half‑measures? A Different Perspective Half‑measures may feel easier but are ineffective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Develop Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/develop-sober-3829159/) [Drug addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-addiction/) [Happy to be alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-to-be-alive/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Mind and body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-and-body/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Recovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recovery/) [Recovery Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recovery-says-3829160/) [Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sober/) [Sober Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sober-long-1696397/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I mean, the more a man was in the Devil's power, the less he would be aware of it, on the principle that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-mean-the-more-a-man-was-in-the-devil-s-power-the-less-he-would-be/) [C. 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And I want to say unequivocally that I am very happy to be alive, that being alive is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/tomorrow-i-am-fifty-two-years-old-and-i-want-to-say-unequivocally/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I'm happy to be alive, I'm happy to be who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-m-happy-to-be-alive-i-m-happy-to-be-who-i-am/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [After you have a kid you're just so happy to be alive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-stowe/after-you-have-a-kid-you-re-just-so-happy-to-be-alive/) [Madeleine Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-stowe/) > [I am very happy to be alive. There is much fun to be had. 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You go through this sensation of rebirth. There's something intoxicating about the process of the comeback, and that becomes an element in the whole cycle of addiction. Once you've beaten yourself down with cocaine and heroin, and you manage to stop and walk out of the muck you begin to get your mind and body strong and reconnect with your spirit. The oppressive feeling of being a slave to the drugs is still in your mind, so by comparison, you feel phenomenal. You're happy to be alive, smelling the air and seeing the beauty around you...You have a choice of what to do. So you experience this jolt of joy that you're not where you came from and that in and of itself is a tricky thing to stop doing. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know that every time you get clean, you'll have this great new feeling. Cut to: a year later, when you've forgotten how bad it was and you don't have that pink-cloud sensation of being newly sober. 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