Dallas BraggFormer crystal methamphetamine user, I help men who have sex with men break free from the addictive patterns associated with Chemsex. Currently expanding my expertise by seeking to become a Certified

The meetings were never meant to be the destination.

29 Jul 2026 · 2 min

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1:38

In this monologue, the speaker shares two personal strategies that aided his recovery journey, focusing on Stoic philosophy. He challenges the common stereotype of Stoicism as emotional repression, explaining that ancient Stoic teachings align closely with the Serenity Prayer and are inherently pro‑social and process‑oriented. He argues that Stoicism can support individuals transitioning from the recovery community back into broader society by encouraging them to deliberately enter uncomfortable social situations, observe their emotional reactions, and avoid complete collapse. Through repeated exposure and reflection, one builds the “inner citadel” – a resilient inner strength that enables handling social challenges and fostering new friendships. The speaker frames this approach as a practical, step‑by‑step process rather than a quick fix, emphasizing personal responsibility and gradual growth.

Chapters

I want to walk people through 2 things that were really helpful for me on my journey. One of those is Stoic philosophy, which I think gets sort of a bad reputation. I think when we think of someone as Stoic, we think of them as sort of emotionally repressing a lot of what's going on. But when you really look into the ancient Greek philosophy, it's very closely tied to the Serenity Prayer. That's sort of how I pitch it to people who have struggled with with addiction. And where I think it's valuable in this retreat is that social reintegration, right? Maybe you have found great solace in the world of addiction recovery, and you're sort of eager to reintegrate into the rest of the world. I think Stoic philosophy is a great thing to be in conversation with, because it's very pro-social. It's very process-oriented. I think we've both worked with men who are eager to expand their social world and they go, just, just tell me what to do. Like, what do I do? How do I make friends? What do I do? And I'm like, yeah, I, I don't have a magic wand, but buckle up. It's a process. It is a process of stepping into an uncomfortable situation, noticing what is coming up for you there, and trying to avoid complete emotional collapse at something that's kind of uncomfortable there, right? It's about getting up, kind of dusting it off, taking a look at what was happening for you, And building, as the Stoic says, that inner citadel, that strength through experience, that, oh, okay, I can handle this.