I like your post and I agree with it completely lessgravity. Living a meaningful existence is often central to filling a void left by drugs and/or alcohol . I believe that the void is often at the very center of the desire to drink and/or use in the first place and that a persons using and/or drinking only gives the illusion of fulfillment.
I saw Victor Frankel speak at an "Evolution of Psychotherapy" conference many years ago. He said that he is sometimes asked if he hates the German people as a result of his experience in Auschwitz. He said no, I can't hate a whole race of people based on what some individuals in that race did. He said that if he did this he would be doing exactly what the Nazi's did.
There was a very brief silence ... and then a thunderous applause, like I have never heard before of since. It was incredibly moving. That man knew how to find meaning. That's the key. It's how he survived.
May you all find it.