--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did spend years as an addict, so I know…" description: "\"I did spend years as an addict, so I know that world, although I wish I didn't.\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/stephen-king-13_addict_i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know_2143797.jpg" --- # I did spend years as an addict, so I know that world… ![“I did spend years as an addict, so I know that world, although I wish I didn't.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/stephen-king-13_addict_i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know_2143797.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/stephen-king-13_addict_i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know_2143797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/stephen-king-13_addict_i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know_2143797.jpg) > “I did spend years as an addict, so I know that world, although I wish I didn't.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Having lived through addiction, I understand that world despite wishing otherwise. **In simple terms:** I know addiction from experience. Key Takeaway Use personal insight to help others. Themes addiction experience empathy Mood thoughtful empathetic Type personal educational When to use this quote - counseling - support groups - public speaking - writing Key Concepts recovery awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can your experience aid recovery? - What limits does personal history impose? A Different Perspective Personal bias may color perspective on addiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-year/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Because I know I'm an addict, and I know I'm an alcoholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/because-i-know-i-m-an-addict-and-i-know-i-m-an-alcoholic/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) > [You spend years wishing your parents would get off your back...only to realize they're the only people who ever really had your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/you-spend-years-wishing-your-parents-would-get-off-your-back-only-to-4/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [When I'm on tour, I don't see these spots as much as I'd like. I'm just in, I perform, then I'm out. I hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-jones/when-i-m-on-tour-i-don-t-see-these-spots-as-much-as-i-d-like-i-m-just/) [Sharon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-jones/) > [If you can help a child, you don't have to spend years repairing an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/if-you-can-help-a-child-you-don-t-have-to-spend-years-repairing-an/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [It's hard to spend years at a time working in total solitude with no reality-check.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-banks/it-s-hard-to-spend-years-at-a-time-working-in-total-solitude-with-no/) [Russell Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-banks/) > [Study continuously, developing yourself into a better person, more sensitive to things in nature. Spend years in getting ready.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-webster-hawthorne/study-continuously-developing-yourself-into-a-better-person-more/) [Charles Webster Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-webster-hawthorne/) > [A writer could spend years reading already-published books just to gain a grasp of the historical terrain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/a-writer-could-spend-years-reading-already-published-books-just-to/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [You spend years wishing your parents would get off your back, only to realize they're the only ones who ever really had your back..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-spend-years-wishing-your-parents-would-get-off-your-back-only-to-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to be happy while I make movies and not just do things just to work. I want to do things I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-fukunaga/i-want-to-be-happy-while-i-make-movies-and-not-just-do-things-just-to/) [Cary Fukunaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-fukunaga/) > [I have to work really hard to get the record deal - I have to spend years at it to get good. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-have-to-work-really-hard-to-get-the-record-deal-i-have-to-spend/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [All of the things I've directed, I'm really emotionally close to. That's why I choose to direct them and spend years on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-stoller/all-of-the-things-i-ve-directed-i-m-really-emotionally-close-to-that/) [Nicholas Stoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-stoller/) > [Although most of us realize what we control and do not control, we live as though we do not really know, and in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-most-of-us-realize-what-we-control-and-do-not-control-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You spend years wishing your parents would get off your back , only to realize that they are the only ones who ever had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-spend-years-wishing-your-parents-would-get-off-your-back-only-to-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As an actor, you spend years getting ready for an opportunity to arise, and when it does, you're ready for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/as-an-actor-you-spend-years-getting-ready-for-an-opportunity-to-arise/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [“the only way back is to spend years and hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawyers so that you can, if you’re lucky, grovel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hamilton/the-only-way-back-is-to-spend-years-and-hundreds-of-thousands-of/) [Tyler Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hamilton/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Addict quotes > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Taxpayers would likely be responsible for treating addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/taxpayers-would-likely-be-responsible-for-treating-addicts/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They said a drug addict needs rehabilitation, they never said what a broken heart needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satyajit-chhotaray/they-said-a-drug-addict-needs-rehabilitation-they-never-said-what-a/) [Satyajit Chhotaray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satyajit-chhotaray/) > [I was ashamed. My son is a drug addict. What does this mean about me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-was-ashamed-my-son-is-a-drug-addict-what-does-this-mean-about-me/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [So many kids are fat drug addicts these days, it's almost as if Rush Limbaugh had puppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/so-many-kids-are-fat-drug-addicts-these-days-it-s-almost-as-if-rush/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-m-a-complete-addict-of-the-x-factor-so-i-can-see-why-everyone-gets/) [Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/) > [“I don’t fundamentally understand why people give a shit about what other people put up their noses or what other people put in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/i-don-t-fundamentally-understand-why-people-give-a-shit-about-what/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-not-heroin-or-cocaine-that-makes-one-an-addict-it-is-the-need/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [… an outlaw gulch, a haven for draft resisters, struggling artists, and drug addicts…a camp for semi-demented adults… Venice is like the legendary Phoenix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-davidson/an-outlaw-gulch-a-haven-for-draft-resisters-struggling-artists-and/) Sara Davidson > [I had to come to terms about becoming an addict, which, for a long time, I lied to myself about the status of until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-had-to-come-to-terms-about-becoming-an-addict-which-for-a-long-time/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [“Addiction is a decision. An individual wants something, whatever that something is, and makes a desicion to get it. Once they have it, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/addiction-is-a-decision-an-individual-wants-something-whatever-that/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) Browse all 634 Addict quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did spend years as an addict, so I know that world, although I wish I didn't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know-that-world-although-i-wish-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Addict" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know-that-world-although-i-wish-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/stephen-king-13_addict_i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know_2143797.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/stephen-king-13_addict_i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know_2143797.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/stephen-king-13_addict_i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know_2143797.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I did spend years as an addict, so I know that world, although I wish I didn't.” — Stephen King", "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": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I did spend years as an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know-that-world-although-i-wish-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-did-spend-years-as-an-addict-so-i-know-that-world-although-i-wish-i/#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 } } ] } ```