[Seabear]

My younger brother has been through physical pain, opioid addiction, and divorce. The physical problems (neck, discs, joints, etc) led to the opioids which in turn led to the divorce.
I became his "ear", listening, asking questions, attempting to guide but mostly just listening.
He was finally able to turn his life around after a number of years by going to rehab and attending multiple meetings a week.
That in itself, though, was not the game changer.
After attending meetings for a while, he became a group leader, scheduling meetings/conducting meetings/following up with individual group members to help them stay on the path.
By being with others who had the same experiences he began to regain his self respect. But by having a growing responsibility as a group leader he found new purpose, greater self awareness, an ability to assess/deal with his own issues and has been clean for 3 years. He still conducts meetings each week, sees his now-grown daughters often, and has a productive life with friends and relatives.
Shared experiences and becoming a responsible group leader turned his life around.
I talk with him most days, the usual references to the businesses we partnered over the years, the political bs in our world, travel, but mostly just enjoying a conversation. He still has a few lumps in his gravy but is able to deal with all of them without falling back.