"I used to think drinking was the only way to be happy. Now I know there is no way to be happy"

Laura Kightlinger's words paint a stark and raw observation about the nature of personal happiness, especially as it relates to escapism and sobriety. Her statement begins with a recognition of a past belief: that alcohol offered a consistent, perhaps even reliable pathway to happiness. For many who struggle with substance use, drinking becomes not just a habit, but a coping mechanism, a shortcut to feelings of temporary joy, relief, or even numbness from pain. The humor and bleak honesty embedded in her phrasing suggest a world-weariness, a knowing tone that those who have relied on vices for comfort might recognize.

However, what might first appear as a linear journey from dependence to enlightenment turns, in the second half, into a deeper revelation about human experience. The expectation might be that renouncing drinking, or any addiction, would lead to the discovery of genuine, sustainable happiness. Yet, Kightlinger flips this expectation, acknowledging that sobriety, rather than opening the gates to happiness, reveals its absence as a permanent condition. The realization is profound: happiness isn't guaranteed, nor is it always accessible, even when behaviors once deemed harmful are stripped away.

There is a vein of dark humor and self-awareness running through her observation, as it dances on the boundary between tragic and comic. The line critiques a common cultural narrative: that achieving a state of happiness is not only possible, but expected, especially after overcoming personal demons. Instead, Kightlinger delivers an honest and rather existential twist, there may be no “way” at all, no formula or fix that leads reliably to happiness. Instead of answers or promises, her words leave open the idea that the search itself might be futile, or at least that happiness isn't a guarantee once a crutch is abandoned. In acknowledging this, there’s a somber liberation that may resonate with those who recognize that happiness is not always the reward promised for overcoming hardship.