The Hero’s Journey of a Recovering Addict

As someone in recovery, have you ever thought of yourself as a hero? Yeah, me neither. I tend to be hard on myself sometimes and do not zoom out to see the whole picture of who I have become or what I have accomplished. By studying the Hero’s journey, a timeless storytelling framework, I have learned that we in recovery are indeed heroes. I will be laying out this journey over a three-article series, and I want to invite you along on this adventure. If you are sober today, you are a hero.

The Hero’s Journey

Life doesn’t always go as planned. Sometimes, it feels like the universe throws us into a storm we never signed up for, and before we know it, we’re struggling to keep our heads above water. For many, addiction can feel like that storm — a relentless force pulling us under. But what if I told you that your journey through addiction and recovery is much like the story of a hero? Yes, a hero. Not the kind with a cape, but with courage, resilience, and a heart strong enough to rise again.

Are you familiar with the traditional Hero’s journey? The Hero’s Journey (or Hero’s Story Arc) is a framework that describes the typical stages of a hero’s transformation throughout a story. Initially outlined by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), it is a typical structure in myths, legends, and storytelling across cultures. Christopher Vogler later adapted it for modern storytelling in The Writer’s Journey. While they are unrelated to the steps of AA, there are 12 phases to the Hero’s journey.

We see the Hero’s journey represented in many different stories that we may be familiar with. A few examples include:

Mythology: Odysseus in The Odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh

Books/Movies: Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, Harry Potter in The Philosopher’s Stone, Katniss in The Hunger Games and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

The story arc follows the phases below, but it is important to note that the phases are not always linear in the Hero’s journey. The article later demonstrates this as we follow Luke Skywalker’s journey in the Star Wars franchise.

Here are the Phases of the Hero’s Journey in order from left to right:

In this article, I am going to apply the heroes to the journey of one who has suffered from addiction and found their way to recovery. The sections below outline each phase from beginning to end. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

As they are my favorite movies, I will use Star Wars throughout the article to provide examples of a hero as he progresses through the journey. It is common knowledge that George Lucas, creator of the franchise, was a fan of Joseph Campbell’s work and used his framework in developing the movies, so it is a perfect fit.

ACT 1: Departure (The Ordinary World)

Phase 1: The Ordinary World

Before addiction takes hold, there’s life as we know it. Maybe it wasn’t perfect, but it was familiar. We had routines, relationships, dreams, and perhaps even a sense of purpose. For some of us, this ordinary part may have been only a portion of our youth, whereas others may experience the ordinary world until later.

For some, the ordinary world is a place of calm. For others, it’s already filled with struggles: a problematic childhood, trauma, emotional turmoil, or stress that feels unbearable. Either way, this is where our story begins. Let’s call it “before.” Before things got out of control, and before addiction tightened its grip.

Like the traditional Hero, we may feel unfulfilled, stuck, or unaware of our potential. We may feel trapped and unable to break free from the cycle of addiction. The ordinary world, while challenging, is also a place of potential. This stage plants the seeds of change; we recognize the need for something more.

Just like the Hero who receives a call to adventure, we may experience a moment of clarity, realizing that we can’t continue down the same path. This realization is the first step towards breaking free from the ordinary world and embarking on the transformative recovery journey.

Star Wars: The first movie, A New Hope, introduces our Hero, Luke Skywalker. Luke experiences his ‘ordinary world’ as a dull life as a moisture farmer on the desert planet Tatooine. He dreams of excitement and freedom but feels bogged down by responsibilities and a sense of duty to his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, who are raising him. Our introduction to Luke shows his life isolated in a desert where he completes his mundane tasks day after day.

Phase 2: The Call to Adventure

In the traditional Hero’s journey, the call to adventure disrupts the ordinary world. It’s a pivotal moment when the Hero faces a challenge or a problem that forces us to step outside our comfort zone. The call to adventure can be seen as a wake-up call, a moment of reckoning where we realize our current path is unsustainable. It’s a call to action, a demand to change our life.

This call to adventure can show itself to us in various ways. It might be a health scare, a legal issue, or a significant relationship breakdown. It could also be a less dramatic event, like a moment of deep reflection or a growing dissatisfaction with our current life. Typically, for us suffering from addiction, the call must be dramatic as we are at the grips of a powerful disease where deep reflection will not be enough to free us.

A call to adventure can be a painful experience and an opportunity for growth and transformation. It forces us to confront our problems head-on and seek help. Our call might involve contacting a friend, family member, or a recovery organization like Alcoholics Anonymous.

Star Wars: Luke’s call to adventure also happens in A New Hope. His moment occurs when he buys a couple of droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, from the nomad scavengers and traders, the Jawa. While working to repair R2-D2, a holographic message is projected out of the droid. The message is a desperate plea from Princess Leia for help. Here is an adventure that, coupled with his desire for a change in life, sets Luke on his transformational path.

Phase 3: Refusal of the Call

We may initially resist the call to take the first step towards recovery, clinging to our familiar, albeit destructive, lifestyle. We may not have hit bottom or deny our issues for other reasons. However, as the consequences of our addiction become more severe, we are forced to confront the reality of our situation and accept the challenge. The alternative to accepting the challenge for many is ending up in jails, institutions, or dead.

“I’m fine. I’ve got this under control.” Sound familiar? In addition to general denial, we may still blame others for our issues, in paralyzing fear of the unknown, or doubt our ability to change. We might have told ourselves we didn’t have a problem or that we could quit anytime despite evidence to the contrary. Maybe we believed it. Perhaps we wanted to believe it.

Even though the call to adventure has shaken our world, the Hero initially hesitates, reluctant to leave the familiar and face the unknown. Our refusal can lead to prolonged struggle, where we continue to engage in self-destructive behaviors despite the growing consequences. We may try to manage our addiction on our own, or we may try to ignore the problem altogether.

This stage plays a crucial role in the Hero’s journey because it highlights the Hero’s internal conflict. We feel torn between the desire to change and the uncertainty of the adventure ahead. The refusal of the call is a natural part of the process. It illustrates the power of addiction and the difficulty of breaking free from its grip.

However, it’s also a temporary stage. As the consequences of our addiction become more severe and the desire for a better life grows more substantial, we will eventually move towards accepting the call and embarking on the path to recovery.

Star Wars: In Luke’s journey, this phase and the next phase, meeting the mentor, meld together. The Princess sends her message to Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi living in isolation on Tatooine. Luke asks his uncle Owen if he knows of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his uncle says it is Ben Kenobi he is talking about. Obi-Wan becomes the mentor in Luke’s hero journey.

Luke is intrigued by the call, or he would not have asked about Obi-Wan. While there is no specific dialogue, at this point, we can imagine Luke feeling the opposing forces of his farm responsibilities and duty to his aunt and uncle and wanting to embark on an adventure. In the next section, after meeting the mentor, we will see a more direct refusal of the call.

Phase 4: Meeting the Mentor

For us with addiction issues, meeting the mentor is a life-changing moment. It marks the beginning of a transformative relationship that can empower us to face our challenges and ultimately reclaim our lives. The mentor provides us hope, guidance, accountability, and wisdom from their journey.

In addiction recovery, the mentor isn’t always a wise old sage on a mountaintop. It could be a sponsor, fellow addict, therapist, friend, or someone put in our lives by fate. It is important to remember that a mentor is not always a compassionate, likable human being. They may challenge us in uncomfortable ways and do not consistently deliver their messages in a friendly manner.

For example, the founder of Stoicism, Zeno of Citium, was mentored by Crates of Thebes, who publicly ridiculed and embarrassed Zeno. He aimed to help Zeno overcome his attachment to social conventions and fear of judgment. The Hunger Games franchise provides another example: Haymitch Abernathy, an alcoholic former Games winner, mentors the Hero, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss considers him frustrating and untrustworthy, and their relationship begins with tension and mutual skepticism.

For most suffering from addiction, we find our mentor at rock bottom or early in recovery. One could think of a home group or the group conscience of a meeting as our mentor. Whatever or whoever it is, this guide doesn’t do the work for us, but it lights the path and reminds us that we don’t have to walk it alone.

Star Wars: We pick up Luke’s story, having already met his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan educates him on the history of the Jedi, a group of mystical warriors, and his family’s connection to the order. Additionally, Obi-Wan informs Luke of what is happening with the evil Galactic Empire, and the Rebel Alliance is determined to fight this foe.

Obi-Wan not only passes on his wisdom and knowledge but also encourages Luke to believe in his ability to rise to the occasion. Later in the story, Obi-Wan introduces Luke to another critical mentor, Jedi Master Yoda. Obi-Wan also gives Luke a practical goal: aiding the Rebel Alliance by delivering the Death Star plans to Alderaan, a stronghold for the Rebel Alliance.

As mentioned above, Luke refuses the call to adventure that Obi-Wan is offering. In a discussion, he says, “I can’t get involved! I’ve got work to do. It’s not that I like the Empire—I hate it—but there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s such a long way from here.” Luckily, for the sake of the Galaxy, Luke eventually yields to the call.

Conclusion

Now, you have an overview of all the stages a hero goes through on our journey. You have been introduced to the ordinary world, heard the call to adventure, refused the call, and met a mentor. That gets us through a third of the phases.

In the following article, we will take the critical step of crossing the threshold. After that, we will encounter tests, gain allies and enemies, approach the inmost cave, and face the ordeal. As we progress, the journey ramps in intensity and our courage and resiliency will drive our success.

Resources

 Wikipedia entry for The Hero’s Journey

 The Hero’s Journey – The Joseph Campbell Foundation