IJ study archive

recovery as a paramilitary of orders

quote

U.S.A. recovery from the addictions was somewhat paramilitary in nature. There were orders and the obeying of orders.

Context

An outsider casing the institution names a truth its insiders live inside: American recovery runs on orders and the obeying of orders — kneel, pray, share, tell your story, do the next thing whether or not you feel it. What looks from within like surrender and discipline reads from Marathe's tactical distance as a chain of command, and the ruse works precisely because obedience is the culture's native currency.

In anthology