--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mine crept up on me instead of hitting me…" description: "\"“Mine crept up on me instead of hitting me fast, but after a while, it was the same—so that if I didn't have a…a salve, I couldn't function, and I'd st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/meljean-brook-8838_clinging_mine-crept-up-on-me-instead-of-hitting-m_2615034.jpg" --- # Mine crept up on me instead of hitting me fast, but after… ![“Mine crept up on me instead of hitting me fast, but after a while, it was the same—so that if I didn't have a…a salve, I couldn't function, and I'd start planning my day around just getting it," she said quietly, and had to swallow before she continued. "And you tell yourself that it makes you…” quote by Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/meljean-brook-8838_clinging_mine-crept-up-on-me-instead-of-hitting-m_2615034.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/meljean-brook-8838_clinging_mine-crept-up-on-me-instead-of-hitting-m_2615034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/meljean-brook-8838_clinging_mine-crept-up-on-me-instead-of-hitting-m_2615034.jpg) > ““Mine crept up on me instead of hitting me fast, but after a while, it was the same—so that if I didn't have a…a salve, I couldn't function, and I'd start planning my day around just getting it," she said quietly, and had to swallow before she continued. "And you tell yourself that it makes you feel good—but really, you're just getting by. Because you feel like shit with it, but you really feel like shit without it, so you need it to get through the day. And after a while, you‟re desperate to get through the day without it, but know that stopping will feel worse than going—and you don't know if you're clinging to it as much as it‟s clinging to you. But you‟re constantly looking for a way to get rid of it without hurting yourself…but there‟s no way. And eventually you hate it as much as you need it. (..) So I never, ever want to be anybody's salve.”” [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An addiction to a coping mechanism feels both necessary and destructive, creating a paradox of dependence and desire for freedom. **In simple terms:** Addiction feels essential yet harmful, and quitting seems worse. Key Takeaway Seek healthier coping strategies. Themes addiction dependence self‑care Mood cautious hopeful Type self‑help psychology When to use this quote - mental health - substance use - stress relief - recovery Key Concepts psychology paradox survival Questions to Reflect On - What healthier alternatives could replace this reliance? - How can you tolerate discomfort without the crutch? A Different Perspective Stopping may feel more painful than continuing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clinging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinging/) [Feel Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-worse/) [Hurting yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurting-yourself/) [Really Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-feel/) [Rid Hurting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rid-hurting-2059873/) [Stopping Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopping-feel-2059872/) ## Related quotes > [I could paint for a hundred years, a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/i-could-paint-for-a-hundred-years-a-thousand-years-without-stopping/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [I know what it's like to start something and have it suddenly grow out of control. And you want to get rid of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-start-something-and-have-it-suddenly-grow/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Francesca couldn’t say anything, because that would just make her mother feel even worse, and so instead they stood there as they always did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/francesca-couldn-t-say-anything-because-that-would-just-make-her/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [Dividers seek to make themselves look or feel better by making others feel worse. They damage relationships, fracture teams and organizations, and create havoc…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/dividers-seek-to-make-themselves-look-or-feel-better-by-making-others/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [I fall in love try and hurt feel so worse being so fooled now this day I will know that never be fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-fall-in-love-try-and-hurt-feel-so-worse-being-so-fooled-now-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So often, grooming is meant to make you feel better about yourself, and a lot of times, we use it to make ourselves feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-van-ness/so-often-grooming-is-meant-to-make-you-feel-better-about-yourself-and/) [Jonathan Van Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-van-ness/) > [But I was never, you know, when I see some kids today who are close to their parents, close to their friends... I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/but-i-was-never-you-know-when-i-see-some-kids-today-who-are-close-to/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [Every blessing ignored becomes a curse. I don't want anything else in life. But you are forcing me to look at wealth and at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/every-blessing-ignored-becomes-a-curse-i-don-t-want-anything-else-in/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I stand between two worlds. I am at home in neither, and I suffer in consequence. You artists call me a bourgeois, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/i-stand-between-two-worlds-i-am-at-home-in-neither-and-i-suffer-in/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [What's funny about me is that when I try and relax, and my body is in a fatigued or - you know, my muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryson-dechambeau/what-s-funny-about-me-is-that-when-i-try-and-relax-and-my-body-is-in/) [Bryson DeChambeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryson-dechambeau/) > [ “I try to picture where in my body I feel the most anxious. \[...\] At first it makes me feel even worse and I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-sugg-aka-zoella/i-try-to-picture-where-in-my-body-i-feel-the-most-anxious-at-first-it/) [Zoe Sugg (aka Zoella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-sugg-aka-zoella/) > [I know I've done the right thing but I couldn't feel worse about it, and I suppose that is part of what it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-know-i-ve-done-the-right-thing-but-i-couldn-t-feel-worse-about-it/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [Why does everything always feel worse at night?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-roberts/why-does-everything-always-feel-worse-at-night/) [Gillian Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-roberts/) > [Maybe that's why people have friends at all. Not because they like them so much but because they don't make them feel so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/maybe-that-s-why-people-have-friends-at-all-not-because-they-like/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. I mean I've left schools and places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/what-i-was-really-hanging-around-for-i-was-trying-to-feel-some-kind/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) ## More by Meljean Brook > [“Goddammit. Can't I save you just once ?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/goddammit-can-t-i-save-you-just-once/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“Stories were so easy to control. Lady Lynx escaped because Zenobia created an escapable situation, and if anything unexpected happened to her characters, Zenobia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/stories-were-so-easy-to-control-lady-lynx-escaped-because-zenobia/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“If Helene was with child, either Basile Auger had astonishing ejaculatory capabilities, impregnating her from halfway around the world, or she’d lain with another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/if-helene-was-with-child-either-basile-auger-had-astonishing/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“He expelled a long breath, smiled slightly as if in memory. “I heard them in their room. She said she was a bit tired,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/he-expelled-a-long-breath-smiled-slightly-as-if-in-memory-i-heard/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“I've never understood it. That is always the first thing someone asks: Where are you from. Not 'What do you like?' or 'What do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/i-ve-never-understood-it-that-is-always-the-first-thing-someone-asks/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“And even though she could remember most of the sentences and every plot point, the story would never be what it had been. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/and-even-though-she-could-remember-most-of-the-sentences-and-every/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“She'd never thought of it as a colony. Instead it had been invaded, occupied, enslaved. She supposed colonized was more palatable to those who'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/she-d-never-thought-of-it-as-a-colony-instead-it-had-been-invaded/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“Mara gave you my letter?" "Yes." "You must have been astonished." She had exposed her heart in that letter. His eyebrows shot up. "'Astonished'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/mara-gave-you-my-letter-yes-you-must-have-been-astonished-she-had/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“Aghast, Yasmeen gaped at her before looking to the duke. "It's worse than I thought. Not just the Horde, not just the police- you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/aghast-yasmeen-gaped-at-her-before-looking-to-the-duke-it-s-worse/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“Mina’s mouth dropped open, and he bent his head as if to kiss her. She jammed her gun barrel under his chin. He grinned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/mina-s-mouth-dropped-open-and-he-bent-his-head-as-if-to-kiss-her-she/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“When you're surrounded by stupidity, self-preservation isn't a sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/when-you-re-surrounded-by-stupidity-self-preservation-isn-t-a-sin/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“Breathe, Newberry. If you faint in the Blacksmith’s laboratory, only the stars above know what might be grafted to your body when you wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/breathe-newberry-if-you-faint-in-the-blacksmith-s-laboratory-only-the/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“Perhaps we should see what comes next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/perhaps-we-should-see-what-comes-next/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“Freedom is having a choice to make, to be who we want to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/freedom-is-having-a-choice-to-make-to-be-who-we-want-to-be/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“There was much more she would have liked to tell her brother. But within a few months, she would be able to tell him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/there-was-much-more-she-would-have-liked-to-tell-her-brother-but/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) [Explore all 77 Meljean Brook quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) ## More Clinging quotes > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [I hate to see prudence clinging to the green suckers of youth; 'tis like ivy round a sapling, and spoils the growth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/i-hate-to-see-prudence-clinging-to-the-green-suckers-of-youth-tis/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [I don't think people ever were free of fear of death, but clinging to life and being so unprepared for it is a modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/i-don-t-think-people-ever-were-free-of-fear-of-death-but-clinging-to/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [Blaming mother is just a negative way of clinging to her still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-friday/blaming-mother-is-just-a-negative-way-of-clinging-to-her-still/) [Nancy Friday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-friday/) > [Jobs are a centuries-old concept created during the Industrial Revolution. Despite the reality that we're now deep in the Information Age, many people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/jobs-are-a-centuries-old-concept-created-during-the-industrial/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose Once there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-m-so-afraid-to-love-you-but-more-afraid-to-loose-clinging-to-a-past/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [If conservatives don't want to be seen as bitter people who cling to their guns and religion and anti-immigrant sentiments, they should stop being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/if-conservatives-don-t-want-to-be-seen-as-bitter-people-who-cling-to/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Sam, clinging to Frodo's arm, collapsed on a step in the black darkness. 'Poor old Bill!' he said in a choking voice. 'Poor old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sam-clinging-to-frodo-s-arm-collapsed-on-a-step-in-the-black-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And one fine day the goddess of the wind kisses the foot of man, that mistreated, scorned foot, and from that kiss the soccer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/and-one-fine-day-the-goddess-of-the-wind-kisses-the-foot-of-man-that/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/i-am-tired-of-clinging-though-i-cannot-see-it-with-my-eyes-i-trust/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Some people have a very strange idea that material success does not coincide harmoniously with self-realization, which is absurd. The aversion to material success,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/some-people-have-a-very-strange-idea-that-material-success-does-not/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [How mutable are our feelings, and how strange is that clinging love we have of life even in the excess of misery!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-mutable-are-our-feelings-and-how-strange-is-that-clinging-love-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we cling to belief in God, we cannot likewise have faith, since faith is not clinging but letting go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-cling-to-belief-in-god-we-cannot-likewise-have-faith-since/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am not saying that you should renounce things, that you should escape from your home and renounce the marketplace. No, don't misunderstand my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/i-am-not-saying-that-you-should-renounce-things-that-you-should/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Augustine says that we may, out of our dead sins, make stepping stones to rise to the heights of perfection. What did he mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stalker/augustine-says-that-we-may-out-of-our-dead-sins-make-stepping-stones/) [James Stalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stalker/) [Browse all 336 Clinging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Mine crept up on me instead of hitting me fast, but after a while, it was the same—so that if I didn't have a…a salve, I couldn't function, and I'd start planning my day around just getting it,\" she said quietly, and had to swallow before she continued. \"And you tell yourself that it makes you feel good—but really, you're just getting by. Because you feel like shit with it, but you really feel like shit without it, so you need it to get through the day. And after a while, you‟re desperate to get through the day without it, but know that stopping will feel worse than going—and you don't know if you're clinging to it as much as it‟s clinging to you. But you‟re constantly looking for a way to get rid of it without hurting yourself…but there‟s no way. And eventually you hate it as much as you need it. (..) 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