Going Around in Circles

You know what I hate? I hate it when I think I'm improving in some area of struggle in my life and come to find out, it's only because I have been away from the circumstances that bring out the yucky side of me that I've "improved". This sucks. I imagine this is the exact same struggle of my dear friends in AA and NA. In rehab, out of the context that triggers substance abuse, there is often great "improvement". But reality is that life can be hard, dangerous, scary, empty... and it's so easy to return to old patterns; it's so hard to break away...