We recently spent a morning video recording the stories of a dozen or so individuals in a residential treatment home in Phoenix. It was a surprisingly positive experience. A staff member teared up several times—and rightfully so. The stories were poignant and those who told them were being quite vulnerable. It got me thinking about the structure of good stories.

What is the structure of a good recovery story?

Good recovery stories have a universal structure. They start with a person living in a world with problems—and through challenge, risk, and sacrifice the person arrives at a new world.

A world with problems—>Main character faces challenges, risks, and sacrifices—>New World

If you analyze story structure, you begin to see this pattern repeatedly. Think of how many stories start in a world with problems.

• Cinderella’s mother has died, and her stepfamily has her living in servitude.

• The movie Hidden Figures (2016) starts in a segregated world, with racial prejudice, Jim Crow, and a Cold War as prominent features.

• The Lord of Rings starts with Hobbits under threat from Mordor, wraiths, and Lord Sauron.

From this world with problems, the protagonists face challenges, risks, and sacrifice.

• Cinderella risks defying her stepmother’s orders not to attend the prince’s ball.

• In Hidden Figures, The Black female mathematicians face numerous challenges as they attempt to safely send a man to the moon.

• In Lord of the Rings, Frodo faces a series of death-defying “adventures” in his quest to destroy the ring.

 When the action is over, the main character arrives at a new world.

• In the case of Cinderella, she marries a prince.

• In Hidden Figures, the women are major contributors to a successful moon landing.

• In Lord of the Rings, a simple Hobbit saves Middle Earth and The Shire.

• In other stories, the evil villain is defeated, the guy gets the girl, or the world is made safe for democracy once again.

What does this tell us about the best recovery stories?

The best recovery stories follow the pattern described above. They begin in a world in which addiction has created problems. The action in the story involves getting free from addiction. And the new world is one that is meaningful and bright.

Stories of this type have many virtues. First, they are gripping stories—they capture our attention. These stories have action and movement. The main character undergoes a transformation. All of this makes for a compelling story.

These stories are also instructive. The listener is able to glean strategies for getting sober. The listener also learns that change is possible—that addiction can be defeated.

These stories make sobriety attractive. Actions taken to get sober are presented as acts of valor and heroism.  The listener is rooting for the main character to win.

On the contrary, when stories focus on the descent into addiction, they lack the above virtues. Instead of providing positive examples and strategies, these stories provide lurid details. These stories are wrecks on the highway—the listener’s dignity is diminished by gawking. These stories make voyeurs of their listeners.

 Christ’s story can be thought of as the most important and compelling of all stories. In his story, he arrives at a world with many problems. After many risks and challenges from the authorities, Christ faces the greatest challenge anyone could face—death and sin. He risks everything a person can risk. He sacrifices his all. The result is a new world for all of humanity.

 he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:7-8