In the next few weeks we will be looking at Shame and Addiction – shame leads to the self pity and depression that can drive drinking and relapse – nicely summed up here in this quote from  The Little Prince.

“- Why are you drinking? – the little prince asked.
– In order to forget – replied the drunkard.
– To forget what? – enquired the little prince, who was already feeling sorry for him.
– To forget that I am ashamed – the drunkard confessed, hanging his head.
– Ashamed of what? – asked the little prince who wanted to help him.
– Ashamed of drinking! – concluded the drunkard, withdrawing into total silence.
And the little prince went away, puzzled.
‘Grown-ups really are very, very odd’, he said to himself as he continued his journey.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince