In a nutshell, post drug addiction is as hard to experience as actively using drugs. You fear the pill, fear the joint, and fear the line of cocaine. You may see it in your dreams: marijuana or another drug is so close you can taste it. Other than that, there will be a struggle. To survive drug addiction you need to do more than “white-knuckle” it, a term used when you just try to beat it on willpower. This is also a problem of the mind. Drug addicts tend to be the depressed; they use to get rid of the pain. My experience is that a doctor who specializes in substance abuse can remove this pain over time. You may find that you need to take medication (for a short or long time) to help with mood problems.

Gain Perspective:
Are you willing to quit? Can you see the big picture about your drug addiction? These are some important questions, but let’s go to the nuts and bolts. You will be healthier, live longer, and save money. You won’t destroy your life. You will regain confidence, perhaps, from friends and family. Life will have a new meaning for you. It will be a struggle, sure, but see all these things, look to them whenever you have a doubt, and the answer will be clear. Staying clean works.

And it Does Work:
The next step is to look at this in the short term. This article won’t bring in a lot of 12 Step material here, but there is a saying, “One day at a time.” You could also say, “One step and the next gets me where I am going.” You will be surviving a day at a time. Staying clean usually will work out for you. There will be changes in your life … big changes. There is more than perspective—there is happiness.

You will be Happy Without Drugs:
Can you really be happy without drugs? Sure, but it is a process that takes time, there is no quick fix. But, overtime your life will dramatically improve and you will be much happier. Drug addiction stays with you. The marijuana made you happy at first, but at some point it became an addiction and that is where the fun began to wear off or completely ended. Drug addiction is in your hand and if you make the right moves you will be happy again.

Happiness without drugs tends will be a struggle at first. In fact, a lot of people are very happy for the first 30 to 90 days of sobriety. This will wear off and there will be some ups and downs, but in the end you will be very happy that you stopped using drugs. It is also common for some people to experience a brief relapse in the beginning of recovery. However; a head full of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) tends to make drinking or using again not very fun.  By this time you have realized that a sober life style is a much happier life style.

Out of the Storm:
You can be happy by putting some work into it. Just like money comes when you work for it, recovery works when you put time and effort into it. You can go to 12 step meetings, for example, so you can share your thoughts. There are thousands of doctors who specialize in substance abuse, use them to help you. Friends and family will listen to you. Drug addiction will never be a fun process to go through, but once you are out of the storm, once you reach the end, it will be so much better, and you will see the world in a different way.