"Terminal uniqueness aka personal exceptionalism makes it difficult for the addict to seek or accept help for his problems. Other people, those unlike 'him,' can and should receive help from others in overcoming their problems - but he, precisely because of who he is, can't obtain such help. To do so would be a serious threat to his entire system of uniqueness. Personal exceptionalism puts us in a difficult position because if we fail to live up to fulfilling these unrealistic expectations that we've created then we experience feelings of failure, shame, and humiliation. Worse still is that when this personal exceptionalism is threatened we feel those exact same feelings because we're faced with the realization that we're exactly like everyone else. The feelings behind this personal exceptionalism may result in a grandiose and defiant false self that serves to protect us from the often intense underlying fear of inadequacy."
We identify with a speaker's feelings not the actual events of their story. We all get here different ways. If everyone's story was in the book then it's tremendous size would prevent anyone from carrying it around. We all can find the common ground of powerlessness and helplessness which brought us here with deep despair. The Basic Text puts it better than I ever could - "We had convinced ourselves that we could make it alone and proceeded to live life on that basis. The results were eventually disastrous and each of us had to admit that self-sufficiency was a lie."
You're not alone. Don't stop before the miracle happens.
