Most people struggling with addiction don’t view it through a non-linear lens. What this means is they see the problem as: “I’m addicted to X, so if I beat X, I’ll be free.” However, this approach often fails because it doesn’t take into account the many micro-parts of the system that runs their life. That system is complex and deeply interconnected. Addiction is not an isolated issue—it is one output of a larger structure. This structure includes mental viewing and interpretation, emotional regulation, recovery frameworks, sleep, diet, daily thought patterns, future planning, environmental triggers, and habit replacement. When the substance is removed without stabilizing the system that made it necessary, the system compensates. This is why relapse, substitution, or constant internal struggle is so common. The addiction was serving a function, and without addressing the conditions that created that function, removing the behavior alone is rarely sustainable. Recovery, then, is not about defeating a single substance. It is about restructuring the system so that the addiction no longer has a role to play.