Endnote 292 — why Ennet House forbids new-sober romance

Explains the house rule against residents forming romantic attachments during their nine-month stay: it mirrors Boston AA's counsel that newcomers stay uninvolved for a first sober year. Stripping away the drug leaves a raw "hole" in the psyche that recovery is meant to fill, and a love affair is a "delusive analgesic" that lets two newcomers cling to each other instead of the program, so that a breakup can drive both back to the Substance. The chapter's recovery slogans surface here — "Addicts Don't Have Relationships, They Take Hostages" (p. 1054) and "An Alcoholic Is a Relief-Seeking Missile" — and the no-involvement rule is called the hardest suggestion of all to keep.