The Power of Purpose: Why Finding Purpose After Addiction Can Make or Break your Recovery

Let’s be real for a second: if you’ve ever clawed your way out of active addiction—especially the kind that wraps around your neck like a noose—you know survival isn’t enough. Staying alive is the first step. But what keeps you from going back isn’t just staying sober… it’s finding something worth staying sober for. That, my friend, is purpose. And it might just be the most powerful tool you’ll ever have in your recovery journey.

If you’ve been through the hell I have—a nearly twenty year cycle of heroin addiction and incarceration, in and out of jail, detoxes, trauma, shame, all of it—then you know what it means to wake up one day and not recognize the person in the mirror. But now, nine years into long-term recovery, with two beautiful kids, a home I own, investments, crypto holdings, a blog, a coaching business, and a life I never thought I’d get to live—I can say with full conviction that the process of finding purpose after addiction saved me just as much as getting clean did.

This isn’t a cliché post about how “things get better.” This is about the raw truth: if you don’t find a clear sense of purpose in your daily life, something bigger than just staying sober, then you run a much higher risk of relapse. Why? Because addiction, especially substance use disorders like heroin or alcohol addiction, thrives in the absence of meaning.

Let me talk to the version of you that’s hanging on by a thread. The version who’s maybe white-knuckling it. Whether you’re actively using, on an early recovery journey, have reached long-term sobriety, are on a journey of self-discovery, suffer from mental illness, or maybe you arent using substances at all but are struggling and just going through the motions without a clear sense of purpose, who wants to know who they are without the chaos? I know that version well—I was her.

For me, finding purpose didn’t happen all at once. I didn’t wake up knowing I wanted to become an entrepreneur, coach people, write about recovery and personal development, or build a life that feels this full.

Remember, purpose isn’t found. It’s created—through daily life, through consistent effort, and through a commitment to becoming your authentic self. That version of you is already inside. S/he’s/They’re just waiting for you to remember.

It started with really small things before I stopped my hustling and using. I started smiling at strangers passing in cars while taking a walk, chatting up elderly men and women in the grocery store.  Writing in a gratitude journal and meaning it.

Learning new things. Setting tiny, achievable goals—like making my bed or keeping a commitment. Sounds basic, right? But after years of active addiction, those were wins. Each one gave me a little spark of self-trust. A sense of accomplishment. And over time, that built something that looked a lot like hope.

Some time passed, and I realized that I felt the most whole during or after helping people, especially those who were struggling with substances or mental health issues. 

It felt so good to be of use to someone for once. I became a recovery coach, and one day, when I got to one of my client’s homes, she confided that there were two people detoxing on her floor. It was bad. I remember I couldn’t help but shudder when the detox smell hit me like a brick wall. I did not miss this.

They were pretty upset when I rolled on in and started telling them to get up because we were going for a ride. I asked them if they wanted to keep shitting all over themselves or if they wanted to get well. This got them moving.

I brought them to the emergency department, gave them my business card, and let them know that my business card was a ticket to not only getting dosed with Suboxone but also to leave with nine doses.

I picked them up at the end of my workday, keep in mind these two were not my clients. I just couldn’t let them lie there like they were. They were so grateful. We all were in tears by the time I dropped them off.

Here is the best part. The ED contacted the woman the next day and let her know she was pregnant. She reached out to me, and she became a client. It turns out she was four months pregnant, and the doctor told her that had she continued to go the way she was, she would have lost that baby. Her boyfriend bounced ER, but she just celebrated four years. 

My point is that helping these people felt amazing for the short-term, but when someone I work with has something like a four-year milestone, and they attribute it to you- its the best feeling in the world, man, I can’t even.

Eventually, I realized I was building something. A sober life I could be proud of. A purpose-driven, altruistic life that felt connected to my core values. Something that honored the pain I’d been through without being defined by it. I started to lean into personal growth. I made meaningful connections with more people who’d walked through similar challenges. And I gave myself permission to dream again.

Listen—purpose doesn’t have to look like a big, flashy dream. It can be your kids. Your art. A new hobby. Volunteering. Your career. Writing your story. Being of service. Helping others or just listening to what another has to say and allowing them to feel heard. Whatever makes you feel like your life means something beyond just “not using.” Purpose is what turns recovery into living.

When I look back at my many years of failed attempts at sobriety and reintegration into the community from “finishing school,” the one thing I was never able to get was gainful employment. No matter what I did or how hard I tried, nobody would give me a chance. Nobody would give me a purpose and I hadn’t yet found the self-love to think I deserved a purpose.

Remember, this was before addiction was considered a disease. I never lost hope that it might happen, and every time I was released, I tried just as hard as the times before, but small town, making the newspaper, and being the first real heroin raid in my town- I can’t really blame them. 

When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter at the age of thirty-five, it wasn’t about me anymore. I finally had a purpose and I wasn’t going to mess it up for once in my life. I decided that I wasn’t going to allow her to see me for what I’ve done but to see how far I have come and be inspired and motivated by my journey, so I had a lot of work to do. I’m still doing it.  

I became an addiction recovery coach, and for the first time in my life, I felt valued, important, and heard. I have never in life felt comfortable. Not even a little. I have felt like I am wearing a skin suit that is not only five sizes too small but also has a Mack truck tire around it. I was a voice for those who didn’t feel they deserved to be heard, and I still am.

When you’re connected to a clear purpose, you’re less likely to fall back into old patterns. Purpose helps with mental illness and substance use disorders because it gives structure, meaning, and a sense of belonging. It doesn’t erase the hard days, but it gives you something to hold onto during them.

And if you’re not there yet, don’t worry. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Thats exactly why I share my experiences. In hopes that you might figure things out before I did and not waste your life away fighting at jails, institutions, and death.

Finding your purpose after addiction is a process. Start small. Set a specific goal. Try something new. Explore new interests. Write about your past struggles and what you want next, and I will publish your story here. There are no rules with purpose. Grab something, anything, anywhere, and hold on for dear life because it is essential for success. 

Even if you have to seek something outside of yourself at first, in time, you will be wherever it is you need to be, but until then, fake it until you make it. For me, it was my late-in-life children, but also it was as it is now. 

I have to help people on the largest scale possible, and this has been enough. I have destroyed myself for this blog to give people hope. It’s the hardest thing I have ever done. Some days, I work sixteen hours, only taking breaks for QT with the kiddos. Failure is not an option this time. It’s NOT gonna happen. It can’t. I can feel that I am here doing this for a reason. Whether I help 1 person or millions it will make it all worth it. It’s all I’m aiming for. Help one person and then another and another, and so on. Your purpose might not shout—it might whisper. But if you get quiet enough, you’ll hear it.

Here’s the good news: you don’t need to become someone else. You just need to reunite with your true self. The you that existed before the pain, before the trauma, before the substances or mental illness tried to steal your light. That you is still in there, waiting. And the second you start moving toward a meaningful life—whatever that means to you—everything starts to change, and things begin to just fall into place- sometimes right into your lap.

I’m not promising rainbows. I still have hard days. But I’m living a purposeful life now. A life that feels real. And I want that for you too. A life with a sense of direction. With achievable, meaningful goals. With joy in the present moment and a future that feels wide open. 

If nobody’s told you lately, let me be the one: You’re loved. It’s not your fault. You’re not broken. You’re a powerful creator. And you’re worthy and capable of building a life that feels worth living.

So, take the next step. One tiny action. That’s how the recovery process works—one foot in front of the other. You don’t have to know where it all leads. Just trust that it’s leading somewhere better.

And don’t forget—you’re never alone. There’s a whole world of possibilities out here waiting for you.

If this post resonated with you or you would like to add or share something, please do so in the comments below. You know I love to hear from you. You could also support my work by liking, sharing, commenting, subscribing, following, and registering to join our free-of-charge, supportive, all-inclusive, judgment-free, meet-you-where-your-at online community where teachers learn. Learners teach all while working together to #provethemallwrong and #showthemwhatwecando.

In our support forums, you can give or receive support all on the same day. This community is for all of us who are more progressors, less perfectors. Addiction is not a prerequisite. All are welcome. This is a new, growing community, so please be patient. If there are any issues, please contact me at [email protected].