Do you know about the Stuart Smalley sketches on the program Saturday Night Live? These sketches starred comedian (and now U.S. senator) Al Franken as the character Stuart Smalley, who hosted a fictional show called Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley.

As part of his show, Smalley would give affirmations, or positive statements, while looking into a mirror. He gave these statements to try to make himself and his audience feel better. The most famous of these statements was, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!”

Franken said that this character and his behavior sprang from his experiences with the recovery group Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Franken has admitted to using drugs in the past. His wife, Franni, has admitted that she’s in recovery for alcohol abuse. Al Franken also cowrote When a Man Loves a Woman, a movie that depicts how a woman’s alcohol abuse and recovery impacts her marriage.

It seems clear, then, that Franken is familiar with various aspects of substance use disorder, recovery, and emotional wellness. Critics have mocked the phrase “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough…” as psychobabble, but there is something to be said for such talk.

Let’s face it, substance use disorder can devastate a person’s self-esteem. Abusing drugs and alcohol can make people feel terrible about themselves and their situations.

In rehab, people can boost their self-esteem. They might do this in a very Stuart Smalley-like way: by reminding themselves about their positive qualities. This might be difficult at first, because addicts are often used to beating themselves up for their problems.

But with practice, and with the help of therapists and loved ones, drug and alcohol abusers can connect to the positive areas of their lives. People have to remind themselves that they are truly good enough to become sober and stay that way.