When people imagine their life’s adventures, alcoholism and addiction aren’t part of the dream. For Derrick How, he carried alcohol and addiction through his life, always hoping alcohol would get him through life’s unexpected turns and wicked twists. His journey to sobriety opened up a whirlwind of personal turmoil, an undercurrent of unresolved conflicts with himself. The journey became a life-jarring quest to help him learn who he was and gain the self-love he needed to replace his self-loathing. Much of his life had been privileged, and he was grateful. He deprived himself, however, of the internal richness of the experiences he was surrounded by. He’d never taken the time to find out what his life had been missing. There was always an internal dissonance he couldn’t shake. Profound experiences felt short-lived and lacked the potency he craved. Even joyful events set him back because of the added pressures he placed on himself. This resulted in accidents, setbacks, low moments, and failed efforts at recovery. Only through the fusion of philosophy into his healing did he begin to see life through a new lens, uncovering a path to genuine self-awareness and fulfillment.