Starting life after drink & drugs is not just a question of putting the substance down. Abstinence or stable using is not the end, it is the means. The most important element in moving on after addiction is a meaningful life. 

Addiction by definition destroys life. It takes away health, family, money, relationships and worse. This happens slowly but by the end life has been reduced to a small, restricted set of activities that mainly revolve around the substance and little else. It's...