She Didn’t Look Like An Addict

She wasn’t the type you’d expect.

She had a kind smile, worked double shifts, and always asked people how they were doing—really doing. People said she was “so strong,” “so independent,” “so put together.”

They didn’t see her car parked in the same dark lot every night, shaking hands tracing the edges of a bottle she promised she wouldn’t buy.
They didn’t hear the screaming in her head when everything else was quiet.
They didn’t know how many times she swore it was the last time.

Every morning, she showed up to life like she hadn’t crumbled the night before.

No one saw her fall.
No one saw her fight.
No one saw her choosing every single day to stay.

Addiction doesn’t always look like rock bottom.
Sometimes, it looks like a quiet girl holding it all together with cracked hands and hopeful eyes.
Sometimes, it looks like you. Or me.

Be kind. You never know who’s barely holding on.

And if you’re the one struggling—
this is your sign that you’re not invisible.
You’re not weak.
And you’re definitely not alone.

Keep going. One breath at a time.