There’s a billboard in my neighborhood that I pass on my runs. It asks a simple question: Addiction or Recovery?

It’s part of a public health campaign—aimed at alcohol and drug addiction—but it always hits me differently. I wonder:

Is running an addiction? Or is it recovery?

I think most runners have asked themselves.

For some of us, running is recovery. It replaced something—alcohol, smoking, destructive habits, depression. It becomes the structure, the clarity, the purpose.

For others, running is addiction. It fills space compulsively. It overrides balance. You crave the miles. Miss a run and your day feels off. You track, tweak, obsess.

I’m not sure one answer is better than the other. And maybe the real truth is that it’s both. Maybe that’s what makes running so powerful. It’s what we reach for when we need healing. And then, sometimes, we hold on so tightly that it consumes us.

That’s not a condemnation—it’s just something worth noticing. If running is your addiction, maybe adding a bit of “recovery” to your mindset would help—more grace, more rest, less pressure. If it’s your recovery, maybe there’s strength in fully committing—structure, habit, purpose.

Addiction or recovery? Which is it for you?

—George
Founder, Peregrune