A radical approach to confronting addiction puts human connection first

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Only The Lonely –

September 19, 2019 – She was also downing Adderall and Vyvanse like candy, medications prescribed for her ADHD but also used to maintain a relentless pace of work and life. Nicolaisen might have recognized some of the symptoms of her addiction—she had gone to rehab as a senior in high school for cocaine use, bouncing back with support from her family and going on to thrive at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. But unlike cocaine, Adderall and Vyvanse were legal. They were prescribed by a doctor. She was fine.

That is, until she wasn’t. After her best friend from college nearly died from a heroin overdose, Nicolaisen had her own wake-up call. She recognized that she was addicted to pills, and her problem wasn’t only with the prescriptions. She was also isolated, in spite of being surrounded by people. “It was constant human interaction, but with every single one of those interactions feeling empty and transactional,” she says.