Addiction and recovery from addiction are described by synthesising fifty-two qualitative studies from thirty-two years of research. Based on the lived experience of individuals this approach creates an understanding which emphasises not just the active phase of addiction, but the period before this phase. In addition the interpersonal, temporal, and community aspects of this condition are emphasised. A prominent feature is that addiction destructs the individual's sense of self. In recovery this damaged self has to be reconstructed while healing of body and relationships are prominent. The individual should also find a way back into communal existence, thus restoring a sense of meaning into their lives.