--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had to de-program myself. From myself…" description: "\"I had to de-program myself. From myself. Had to reinvent rituals of purification. So full of the vagrant pollutions of others. It was time to detox. No..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/lydia-lunch-13008_alcohol_i-had-to-de-program-myself-from-myself-h_3011762.jpg" --- # I had to de-program myself. From myself. Had to reinvent… ![“I had to de-program myself. From myself. Had to reinvent rituals of purification. So full of the vagrant pollutions of others. It was time to detox. Not only from alcohol, sex, and drugs, but from needy leeches who looked to swab me with their sores. Detox from my own needy lechery. Had to locate…” quote by Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/lydia-lunch-13008_alcohol_i-had-to-de-program-myself-from-myself-h_3011762.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/lydia-lunch-13008_alcohol_i-had-to-de-program-myself-from-myself-h_3011762.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/lydia-lunch-13008_alcohol_i-had-to-de-program-myself-from-myself-h_3011762.jpg) > “I had to de-program myself. From myself. Had to reinvent rituals of purification. So full of the vagrant pollutions of others. It was time to detox. Not only from alcohol, sex, and drugs, but from needy leeches who looked to swab me with their sores. Detox from my own needy lechery. Had to locate the center wound and cauterize. Undo the original sin, the origin of my sickness...Had to learn to replace Them, It, Want, Hurt, Anger, Sorrow, Loss, with Power, Healing, Wisdom, Fulfillment, Satisfaction.” [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She recounts a profound inner cleansing, removing harmful habits and toxic relationships, and replacing negative emotions with positive virtues. **In simple terms:** She detoxed from bad habits and toxic people, choosing healthier emotions. Key Takeaway Identify and purge toxic influences, then cultivate positive qualities. Themes self‑detox personal growth healing transformation empowerment Mood reflective determined hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - overcoming addiction - setting boundaries - healing trauma - building resilience - practicing mindfulness Key Concepts psychology of addiction emotional intelligence spiritual renewal Questions to Reflect On - Which habits truly harm you? - How can you sustain new positive habits? A Different Perspective Detox alone may not address systemic issues or external pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Detox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detox/) [Detox Needy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detox-needy-4832594/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Fulfillment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Lechery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lechery/) [Leeches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leeches/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Needy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needy/) [Original sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-sin/) [Pollution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pollution/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Purification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purification/) [Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual/) [Rituals Purification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rituals-purification-4832596/) [Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfaction/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Sores Detox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sores-detox-4832595/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Time Detox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-detox-4832597/) [Vagrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vagrants/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounds/) ## Related quotes > [Lechery is secretive, but must finally reveal itself to at least one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/lechery-is-secretive-but-must-finally-reveal-itself-to-at-least-one/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Already I am no longer looked at with lechery or love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/already-i-am-no-longer-looked-at-with-lechery-or-love/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [The Bible, in which these things are taught, favors drunkenness, murder, slavery, lying, stealing and lechery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-chilton-moore/the-bible-in-which-these-things-are-taught-favors-drunkenness-murder/) [Charles Chilton Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-chilton-moore/) > [Lechery, lechery; still, wars and lechery: nothing else holds fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lechery-lechery-still-wars-and-lechery-nothing-else-holds-fashion/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [It provokes the desire but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery: it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/it-provokes-the-desire-but-it-takes-away-the-performance-therefore/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Every time I tried to express my most heartfelt desires to be morally good I met with contempt and ridicule; and as soon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/every-time-i-tried-to-express-my-most-heartfelt-desires-to-be-morally/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“There's looking and there's looking. When some men look at you it's a greasy thing. It makes you want to have a bath. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/there-s-looking-and-there-s-looking-when-some-men-look-at-you-it-s-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Kinkiness comes from low energy. It's the substitution of lechery for lust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/kinkiness-comes-from-low-energy-it-s-the-substitution-of-lechery-for/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [My Lord, I find thy face apelike and thy form misshapen. Thy beard, moreover, is an offense against decency, resembling more closely the scabrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/my-lord-i-find-thy-face-apelike-and-thy-form-misshapen-thy-beard/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [All intellectual missionaries tend to lechery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-engel/all-intellectual-missionaries-tend-to-lechery/) [Marian Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-engel/) > [“lechery?" he asked with a wink, guessing from the hour that I had been with some palace kitchen-maid. "Oh aye, most vile," I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/lechery-he-asked-with-a-wink-guessing-from-the-hour-that-i-had-been/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [ Accumulating knowledge is a form of avarice and lends itself to another version of the Midas story ...man \[is\] so avid for knowledge that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/accumulating-knowledge-is-a-form-of-avarice-and-lends-itself-to/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [There is to some men a great Lechery in Lying, and imposing on the understandings of beleeving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-aubrey/there-is-to-some-men-a-great-lechery-in-lying-and-imposing-on-the/) [John Aubrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-aubrey/) > [God bids you not to commit lechery, that is, not to have sex with any woman except your wife. You ask of her that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/god-bids-you-not-to-commit-lechery-that-is-not-to-have-sex-with-any/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things . . . nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/drink-sir-is-a-great-provoker-of-three-things-nose-painting-sleep-and/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Lydia Lunch > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [I decided to lock myself in. A forced segregation. Sabbatical. A retreat into myself. My selves. Play hide and go seek in the looking-glass.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/i-decided-to-lock-myself-in-a-forced-segregation-sabbatical-a-retreat/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [I'm nihilistic, antagonistic, violent, horrible - but not obliterated, yet. I just refuse to be beaten down. I think it's stubborness that keeps me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/i-m-nihilistic-antagonistic-violent-horrible-but-not-obliterated-yet/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [I would be humiliated if I found out that anything I did actually became a commercial success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/i-would-be-humiliated-if-i-found-out-that-anything-i-did-actually/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [I am a humanist not a feminist. There's a big difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/i-am-a-humanist-not-a-feminist-there-s-a-big-difference/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [“I knew that my trauma, no matter what it was, was not unique. I knew that pain was the universal driving force of so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/i-knew-that-my-trauma-no-matter-what-it-was-was-not-unique-i-knew/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Part of the charm of what I do is the fact that it's completely unrelated to everything that came before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/part-of-the-charm-of-what-i-do-is-the-fact-that-it-s-completely/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Honesty works against you in the entertainment field. I try to be a journalist and a documentarian, but that doesn't mean that people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/honesty-works-against-you-in-the-entertainment-field-i-try-to-be-a/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [The female format is a beautiful one in which to function. Foolhardy as it may be. I change my image all the time, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/the-female-format-is-a-beautiful-one-in-which-to-function-foolhardy/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Women are denied masturbation even more severely than men and that's another method of control-they're not taught to please themselves… Most women-it takes them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/women-are-denied-masturbation-even-more-severely-than-men-and-that-s/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [The problem with music was always that the sound system often obliterated the words, and words, not music, have always been what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/the-problem-with-music-was-always-that-the-sound-system-often/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Living in Barcelona, I have my own little ghetto utopia. There are 3,000 ghost towns in Spain, and I've used the images of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/living-in-barcelona-i-have-my-own-little-ghetto-utopia-there-are-3/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Part of the charm of what I do is the fact that its completely unrelated to everything that came before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/part-of-the-charm-of-what-i-do-is-the-fact-that-its-completely/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [The need to document my insanity is an affliction I have not yet cured myself of...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/the-need-to-document-my-insanity-is-an-affliction-i-have-not-yet/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Just because my bank account hasn't swelled astronomically I don't consider myself any less of a success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/just-because-my-bank-account-hasn-t-swelled-astronomically-i-don-t/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) [Explore all 52 Lydia Lunch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) ## More Alcohol quotes > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Stronger than alcohol, vaster than poetry, Ferment the freckled red bitterness of love!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rimbaud/stronger-than-alcohol-vaster-than-poetry-ferment-the-freckled-red/) [Arthur Rimbaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rimbaud/) > [And, when night Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-when-night-darkens-the-streets-then-wander-forth-the-sons-of/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [You can get a new phone or new trainers (sneakers) but you've only got one body so you have to look after it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyson-beckford/you-can-get-a-new-phone-or-new-trainers-sneakers-but-you-ve-only-got/) [Tyson Beckford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyson-beckford/) > [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [In 1969, I gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-best/in-1969-i-gave-up-women-and-alcohol-it-was-the-worst-20-minutes-of-my/) [George Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-best/) > [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Alcohol is like Photoshop for real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/alcohol-is-like-photoshop-for-real-life/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) [David Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-norman/) > [Blunt force didn't knock out the drug epidemic. 21 million Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol. And half of all federal inmates are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-botticelli/blunt-force-didn-t-knock-out-the-drug-epidemic-21-million-americans/) [Michael Botticelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-botticelli/) > [I go to parties sometimes until four, it's hard to leave when you can't find the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-walsh/i-go-to-parties-sometimes-until-four-it-s-hard-to-leave-when-you-can/) [Joe Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-walsh/) > [I can't fill the hole with money. I can't fill it with alcohol, or drugs, or sex, so what do I need to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-victor-hansen/i-can-t-fill-the-hole-with-money-i-can-t-fill-it-with-alcohol-or/) [Mark Victor Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-victor-hansen/) > [Cocaine decisions that you make today, will mean nothing later on when you get nose decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/cocaine-decisions-that-you-make-today-will-mean-nothing-later-on-when/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [I take really good care of myself. I promised myself long ago that I would never miss a hunting season, never poison my sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/i-take-really-good-care-of-myself-i-promised-myself-long-ago-that-i/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) [Browse all 1,953 Alcohol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had to de-program myself. From myself. Had to reinvent rituals of purification. So full of the vagrant pollutions of others. It was time to detox. Not only from alcohol, sex, and drugs, but from needy leeches who looked to swab me with their sores. Detox from my own needy lechery. Had to locate the center wound and cauterize. 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