The rule of thumb, who said it?
Advice to recovering drug addicts, went something like this:
Get a plant. If the plant is still alive in a year, get a pet. If the pet is still alive (and you still have it?) in a year, maybe you're ready to be in a relationship with a person.
Was it the Buscemi character that said this?
Is this standard advice to people new in recovery? In contrast, what I have heard is "Don't get married OR divorced in the first year of sobriety.". The implication being, don't make ANY major life changes in the first year if you can help it. The "plant-pet-relationship" rule of thumb seems to extend that to two years.