Service

Service describes the outward turn that becomes possible when our recovery is stable enough to be shared. The experiences in this chapter are not defined by roles or commitments, but by a shift in orientation – from self-preservation toward usefulness, and toward a responsibility that extends beyond ourselves.

The moments named here often involve contribution without certainty of outcome. We listen without knowing if it will help, show up without being seen, offer time that may never be acknowledged, or carry responsibility quietly. What distinguishes service is not scale or visibility, but intention – the growing awareness that our presence can matter in ways we may never fully witness.

These terms do not frame service as duty, repayment, or virtue. They name the lived experience of becoming available – sometimes willingly, sometimes reluctantly – and the subtle changes that follow when our lives are no longer organized solely around personal need. Service appears here not as proof of recovery, but as one of its natural expressions, unfolding through ordinary acts and sustained attention.