What is Rock Bottom anyway?

The term “rock bottom” has become popular in modern story telling over the past fifty years or so. According to Merriam-Webster, the term "rock bottom" was first used as an adjective in 1884 and as a noun in 1890. 

The term "hitting rock bottom" originated in the 19th century among miners. It was used to describe when the bedrock of a mining operation was reached, indicating that there was no way to go lower. Ask any person over the age of about 15 and they’ll know it, too, as a phrase for people suffering from addiction.

We know these stories from films. Leaving Las Vegas, Flight, Barfly, A Star is Born, 28 days, Clean and Sober, and countless others. You may have only seen one of these but it’s easy to see the struggle. It makes for a great story arc when the protagonist overcomes their rock bottom. Or, their rock bottom is actually death from their addiction. Like several of my close friends and colleagues over the last decade plus. Not a happy ending at all. It’s like watching someone die in slow motion. But they keep pouring the cheap vodka down their throat day after day after day. It’s a painfully sad way to go.

There isn’t a scientific, single word word for rock bottom. Very few attempts have been made to actually study rock bottom, or operationalize it, with recent research tests and surveys. The best one I’ve found is “Identifying “Hitting Bottom” among Individuals with Alcohol Problems: Development and Evaluation of the Noteworthy Aspects of Drinking Important to Recovery (NADIR)” . As someone who hit rock bottom and has been sober for over 17 years, I find the terminology ‘Noteworthy Aspects of Drinking Important to Recovery’ sounding relatable and comical at the same time. So frigid and distant a phrase, like observing rock bottom through a telescope, compared to my own appreciation and intimacy for my subjective rock bottom.