--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not until I stopped doing drugs…" description: "\"“Not until I stopped doing drugs altogether did I feel like a man. Not until I walked out of that fire did I have any idea what the word even meant.”\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/jerry-stahl-4491_feel_not-until-i-stopped-doing-drugs-altogeth_97643.png" --- # Not until I stopped doing drugs altogether did I feel like… ![“Not until I stopped doing drugs altogether did I feel like a man. Not until I walked out of that fire did I have any idea what the word even meant.” quote by Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/jerry-stahl-4491_feel_not-until-i-stopped-doing-drugs-altogeth_97643.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/jerry-stahl-4491_feel_not-until-i-stopped-doing-drugs-altogeth_97643.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/jerry-stahl-4491_feel_not-until-i-stopped-doing-drugs-altogeth_97643.png) > ““Not until I stopped doing drugs altogether did I feel like a man. Not until I walked out of that fire did I have any idea what the word even meant.”” [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sobriety revealed a sense of identity and purpose that had been obscured by addiction, equating personal redemption with emerging from danger. **In simple terms:** Quitting drugs restored his feeling of manhood and clarity. Key Takeaway Recovery can redefine self‑worth. Themes addiction identity redemption self‑discovery Mood reflective hopeful Type personal testimony philosophical When to use this quote - rehab programs - post‑addiction counseling - support groups Key Concepts psychological transformation masculinity constructs Practical Applications - Encourage narrative therapy that links sobriety to personal identity Questions to Reflect On - How does society shape our notion of masculinity? - What role does personal narrative play in recovery? A Different Perspective The link between substance use and gender identity is culturally specific and may not apply universally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“Someday is a dangerous word. 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Early on, to be able to work with some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-definitely-count-my-blessings-i-feel-like-i-ve-had-such-a-great/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) ## More by Jerry Stahl > [“This was, I sometimes thought, the last gift my father gave me. And the best: His death stood out as the supreme-o excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-was-i-sometimes-thought-the-last-gift-my-father-gave-me-and-the/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [I think there's a phenomenon of people who want to be around something that seems "dangerous." It makes them feel more real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/i-think-there-s-a-phenomenon-of-people-who-want-to-be-around/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [I always figured I myself would never be lucky enough to die, I'd just live on and on in this increasingly dreary spiral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/i-always-figured-i-myself-would-never-be-lucky-enough-to-die-i-d-just/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“This book, for me, is less an exercise in recall than exorcism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-book-for-me-is-less-an-exercise-in-recall-than-exorcism/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“Not doing something crude right off is about as close as a guy like me ever gets to class.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/not-doing-something-crude-right-off-is-about-as-close-as-a-guy-like/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [A waft of sweet hash drifted by, and I wanted to float after it like Wimpy levitating at the scent of a hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/a-waft-of-sweet-hash-drifted-by-and-i-wanted-to-float-after-it-like/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [I always tell myself, when I remember the non-stop self-generated hell party that used to be my life, I wouldn't be here if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/i-always-tell-myself-when-i-remember-the-non-stop-self-generated-hell/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [My own theory is that people are just so desperate for somebody they can feel better than, in America. Now that everyone's going broke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/my-own-theory-is-that-people-are-just-so-desperate-for-somebody-they/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“...with enough rock in your system, you could hear every noise in the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/with-enough-rock-in-your-system-you-could-hear-every-noise-in-the/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [I think that a lot of people are in love with stress. It's the dirty little secret of Western civilization. People often mistake stress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/i-think-that-a-lot-of-people-are-in-love-with-stress-it-s-the-dirty/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“There are stories you don't want to tell, and there are stories that scald your brainpan right down to the tongue at the mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/there-are-stories-you-don-t-want-to-tell-and-there-are-stories-that/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [Heroin spread that soft blanket over everything. But once the blanket was ripped off, it took a layer of skin with it, leaving nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/heroin-spread-that-soft-blanket-over-everything-but-once-the-blanket/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“In some odd gush of patriotism, my mother had once vomited on the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, and a bust of Benjamin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/in-some-odd-gush-of-patriotism-my-mother-had-once-vomited-on-the/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“Being a junkie, when you broke it down, was nothing more than a crazed day job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/being-a-junkie-when-you-broke-it-down-was-nothing-more-than-a-crazed/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“When life becomes sub-human, sub-humans come alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/when-life-becomes-sub-human-sub-humans-come-alive/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) [Explore all 110 Jerry Stahl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) ## More Feel quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [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/) > [I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-feel-i-handle-the-pressure-situations-well-and-that-s-why-i-want-to/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [I like to wear bodysuits and things that make me feel really active and athletic and also really sensual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hawley-weld/i-like-to-wear-bodysuits-and-things-that-make-me-feel-really-active/) [Sophie Hawley-Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hawley-weld/) > [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/) [Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/) > [You make me feel brand new today. Even my day is full of trials and pain…Thanks for everything...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lantapi/you-make-me-feel-brand-new-today-even-my-day-is-full-of-trials-and/) [Richard Lantapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lantapi/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I don't know how people feel,that's the beauty of TV, is they can see us, but we can't see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-don-t-know-how-people-feel-that-s-the-beauty-of-tv-is-they-can-see/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/) [Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/) Browse all 26,675 Feel quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Not until I stopped doing drugs altogether did I feel like a man. 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