To me it's nothing to do with addiction. The speaker is in that phase that most twentysomethings go through at least once: it feels like everyone else in his cohort has it figured out, and they're moving on while he's falling behind. Even though he's trying, it seems like every time he makes a little progress something happens to erase it. He blames his parents for his failure to establish himself as a functionally independent adult, while recognizing that they've done a lot for him and want him to succeed. He also sees the opportunities he squandered, the relationships he wasn't mature enough to maintain, and how much more work lies in front of him if he ever wants to become a real adult.
"Dr. John" is this particular bar's permanent resident--the guy who's there every day from open to close. He and the narrator aren't exactly friends, but they've spent enough time in the bar together that they talk to each other a bit. The narrator winds up here again and again, even though he doesn't particularly like this bar. It's where he goes when he gets knocked back to square one.
The "heartbreaker" comment in the bridge is a moment of self-awareness: the longest relationship he's had in his adult life is with Dr. John. He has to stop drunkenly bemoaning his fate if he wants to move forward. Maybe he'll wind up at rock bottom again in a few weeks, but it's better than spending those weeks wallowing in self-pity.
To me it's nothing to do with addiction. The speaker is in that phase that most twentysomethings go through at least once: it feels like everyone else in his cohort has it figured out, and they're moving on while he's falling behind. Even though he's trying, it seems like every time he makes a little progress something happens to erase it. He blames his parents for his failure to establish himself as a functionally independent adult, while recognizing that they've done a lot for him and want him to succeed. He also sees the opportunities he squandered, the relationships he wasn't mature enough to maintain, and how much more work lies in front of him if he ever wants to become a real adult. "Dr. John" is this particular bar's permanent resident--the guy who's there every day from open to close. He and the narrator aren't exactly friends, but they've spent enough time in the bar together that they talk to each other a bit. The narrator winds up here again and again, even though he doesn't particularly like this bar. It's where he goes when he gets knocked back to square one. The "heartbreaker" comment in the bridge is a moment of self-awareness: the longest relationship he's had in his adult life is with Dr. John. He has to stop drunkenly bemoaning his fate if he wants to move forward. Maybe he'll wind up at rock bottom again in a few weeks, but it's better than spending those weeks wallowing in self-pity.