I always took that to be a song about loss and grief, not so much about addiction at all...
I can certainly see both interpretations, but to me it's about his alcoholism.
If you listen to the lyrics it makes sense
Sage was notoriously struggling with alcoholism at the time he wrote this
just my interpretation:
"the sterile robots want to talk to me about detox" what else could this mean? Well, I guess he could be talking about getting toxins/infections out of a loved one, too (I'm very open minded)
Meet me... at the family room on the side of the intensive care unit.
Immediately... I'll carry a tune, but the siren's so loud I can't hear my music.
Keep free... of negative thoughts. Everything'll be fine we all assumed.
That is would go back to the way things were. That it would go back to normal soon.
- his family meeting him after an OD or drug related medical scare. He used music as his outlet so he's "listening to music louder than he care here the ambulance" and "wishing things would go back to normal, the way they were" before his addiction
Meet me... halfway and I'll go that extra length just to help your strength.
Meet me at the AA meeting, needing to take more than 12 steps.
Bring me to your hiding place so I can face your vice grip.
I'll chisel every single monkey off your back with this ice pick.
- him getting into AA, where they are huge on helping each other beat their addiction
I saw the moon in a way that I'd never seen it before when I looked up that night,
Into the sky... wondering why... looking for answers. Guess I ain't asked right.
- this can easily be interpreted both ways, but I have personally looked up into the sky... wondering why... looking for answers on why I can't be sober
Plus the general way he emphasizes crack pipes in the chorus... kinda makes it obvious for me
Any song can be interpreted its own way by the listener. That's one of the magical things about music
