Being on the left of the political spectrum seems to mean a lot of things these days. But what does it mean to you? Being a leftist can be associated with being for workers rights, a socialist, or even communist. For others, the most important thing is diversity and inclusion (also for the disabled). The other thing 'we' seem to be associated with is being green, unanimously vegetarians or vegan and all have a lot of armpit hair. A thing you often hear from more religious conservatives is that the left wants to expand abortion rights, and supports euthanasia. I am curious to see what it means to you!
To be honest, I would put myself on the conservative left. I tend to prioritize subjects like healthcare, housing, workers rights and inclusion over other things. Those are the things that are closest to my heart. As I person, I accept and have friends who currently are in transition. Others heavily support Greenpeace and don't even want to fly on an airplane because of the environment. To me that's fine, I accept all of that, but being left for me stands for:
1] affordable healthcare by publicly funded insurance for all 2] affordable housing - a human right, not a market. 3]* inclusion*: no matter your disability, gender or sexual preference: you should be allowed to participate and feel valued. 4] We make sure *we take care of our elderly & children *With available state pension, elderly homes, and childcare (However I would prefer grandparents or parents to take care of children) 5] no corporate mass surveillance by data brokers, capitalist tracking, age verification or censorship. Freedom of speech and information and proliferation of open source software.
You are spot on about how therapy often blames you for acting like a victim. I was in rehab too, and I had a lot of great discussions about this topic in groups and with the councilors, in which we rarely agreed. I still think it is victim blaming what they are doing, and I disagree with a lot of things in the step-work they advertise. There is a lot of nuance in these things, and you have to understand they will over-exaggerate and magnify anything they say, in order to plant a seed in your mind, to induce friction, and make you think about it. The problem I had is that 95% of addicts in rehab go all the way with embracing the indoctrination, giving up their free will, and accept anything over which they are told to be 'powerless' in their environment.
This is the killer of critical thinking and creativity in my humble opinion. I just can't accept living like that. Feel empowered to make up your own mind, and be grateful for them tickling your senses and provoking new thoughts. But remember: you are not always one putting themselves in a victim role - even when they try to make you think you have been the bad guy all the time during your addiction. The Western world is a wider system that pushes sensitive people over the edge. That's not your fault, and I wouldn't let people tell you it was. I had a lot of shitty friends, teachers who humiliated me, and a disability as the cherry on top, navigating life in a world that did seem to make it absolutely clear I wasn't really welcome or fit in. I was the one causing 'them' problems!
That being said: Stay clean no matter what, bad days pass, cravings too. The most disrespectful thing to do to yourself is starting to use any substance or revert to behavior that only cause self-harm. Try a meeting, but don't worry if you think it feels like a cult. Just use it to get yourself going and drink a coffee with new people over there. You don't have to commit to doing things forever. I will promise you, after being almost 3-years clean: cravings fade, new habits come, and you will enjoy the freedom and sharp mind of being sober and trying new stuff in life. Be proud of yourself!
edit: Don't see this message as a defense of feelings of revenge or that holding a grudge is positive, that's absolutely not what I tried to say ;-) Grudge is a feeling only the person that sits with the grudge suffers from.