Endnote 70 — Recovery taken to a fatal extreme

Hard-line 12-Step thinking treats nearly anything — hobbies, causes, pets, even the 12-Step programs themselves — as a potential emotional escape to be renounced. Boston AA lore tells of recovering people so advanced they pare away every last escape until they sit nude and motionless in a bare room, ending as "a very fine dusting of off-white ashy stuff" (p. 998) wiped up with a damp paper towel.