As always, this is not a book report. Rather, it is an opportunity to discuss some ideas that stuck with me while reading “Choke” by Chuck Palahniuk.

The Power of Addiction

Addiction is crippling. It possesses the power to destroy a person, family, and community. The range of addictions men and women find themselves in service to vary like shades of green. In this book, the addiction is sex, but the lessons remain the same. Addiction can take hold of a person’s life and never let go without a proper countervailing fight.

What stuck with me while reading this book is how ill-equipped we are to face addiction as a society. We spend millions on ad campaigns but turn rehabilitation over to the private market. We entrust those solely focused on profit with rehabilitation without a single thought given to the idea that making people whole again may not be in their economic interest. Until we come to terms with this reality, we can prepare ourselves to live in a world where people don’t improve. Instead, they maintain, do the time, and more often than not fall back into the same traps that caught them the first time.

The Power of Forgiving Yourself

There is tremendous power to be found in the act of first forgiving yourself for transgressions. No matter the level of severity, if we can make ourselves whole again, then we can begin to work on others. Depending on what transpired, that road may be long and winding, but it cannot be walked without first coming to terms with what you did wrong, creating a plan to correct your mistake, and then walking the path a better and more enlightened power. Without a doubt, there will be roadblocks ahead of you. You will trip, fall, and face people with no interest in forgiveness. These shortcomings matter very little if you have done the heavy lifting of forgiving yourself.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan