I subscribe to "addiction is a lifetime deal" scenario. I will always be an addict until the day I die regardless of how long I have sober & I accept that. Addiction is a choice no two ways about it.
I have two choices in life,
Abstinence: Making a conscious choice to not engage in activity that is detrimental to me. This is with my primary addictions at least. If I use non primary habits/substances it is a gradual decline that I can live with or address.
Activity: Making a conscious choice to pick up & destroy my life faster than I have ever done before as I have shown repeatedly. My default setting is to destroy myself.
Once the choice to go active is made there is no off switch for me. Therefore my only choice is to be inactive as once active I am powerless over what will happen due to my addict mindset. With me it is as quick as turning a light switch that is how fast I slip from abstinence to active addiction.
My addiction is not drugs, alcohol or gambling. They are symptoms of my disease but my disease is me. A good friend described it as "your addiction is doing pushups & getting fit as fuck so that when you slip it is ready to do catastrophic damage in a short timeframe". I could not agree more as the addiction is there waiting for you to allow it to re enter your life & it only needs the slightest fingertip hold to break the door wide open.
I spent considerable time doing H&I volunteer work at Herbert St detox in St Leonards. I don't know if anyone has been there as a patient but it is a pretty fucking depressing place. I would go in & share some of my story with whoever was interested. Probably 80% of detoxers attended & there was Q&A time afterwards where I would sit & smoke with them.
I was there to talk about gambling addiction but seeing as I have drugs & alcohol addictions I could relate & not judge the people detoxing. In the 100+ people I met there I was astounded to see that so many shared the multiple addiction theme. So many people told me that someone talking & listening to them as a human being not a "counsellor" or quack helped them realise that their lives had been on repeat. Doing the same old things & having the same old results every time.
Addiction is a lifelong disease but like many diseases it can be managed & you can live a fruitful life. Not that mine is fruitful by any stretch, it is a minging bag of shit in regards to my personal satisfaction & I struggle daily with my demons. It matters not the substance as the substance is the vehicle for the disease in me. That shows me it is a lifelong disease but with some substances I can manage my life in sustainable addiction. Others cause me to be unmanageable in every sense of the word.
I am a far way trashed but hopefully some of this makes sense. This is only my opinion & if you believe otherwise then that is your opinion too