In the poem “The Hurt Locker”, Brian Turner illustrates images and emotions associated with war, many of these emotions are similar to those experienced by an addict fighting their internal war on addiction. The term “hurt locker” is a military term for a tragic and painful place. Many addicts find themselves in a tragic and painful place while in the deepest throes of their addiction and/or when they hit rock bottom. Addiction, like war, is something that is fought against. Many soldiers join the military because they want the thrill and the rush of being on the battlefield. Soldiers on the battlefield are responsible for death, the death of the enemy, the death of their fellow troops and sometimes, their own death. While the thrill