Is Marijuana Really Harmful?

There are some people out there including people that are thinking about or trying to get sober that do not consider weed to be harmful, problematic or even something that could create a chemical dependency. Some of these people pose arguments such as: “it’s a plant”, “nothing bad happens when people smoke”, “you can’t get addicted or die from pot”, and/or “I have a problem with other substances but not with weed”. Then there are the “what ifs”: “what if I get sick and need it?”, “what if my insomnia never goes away?”, “what if I can’t get rid of my anxiety without it?” etc

Effects Of Drugs

Most of us in recovery find that any mind altering substances, regardless of where it comes from or how it affects us cognitively is most likely problematic, harmful, and potentially fatal for us. We suffer from a disease that not only affects us physically but also spiritually and mentally as well.

A drink or drug for us in any form is potentially devastating to us on many levels. While those questions may come up for all of us at time or another, there are many other ways to handle situations that come up without running the risk of jeopardizing our lives and sanity and without including marijuana.

Weed Is Not Worth It

While there have been benefits for us as people that deal with drug and alcohol addiction, the reality of what weed or any other substance does to us far out way the benefits. Regardless of what hand life deals to us we can get through anything sober as a result of not giving up and sticking to our 12 steps of recovery.

Dealing With Depression And Laziness In Recovery

Sometimes in recovery when we put down the drink things start coming up for us that didn’t before. We get a new set of feelings that most of us have never dealt with. Over time we might become complacent and lazy with our 12-step work. What happens then is that we can become unmotivated and if we are not careful, we can slip into a depression or even go back to engaging in our chemical dependency.

Challenges In Recovery

This is not uncommon considering the one thing that would act as a lubricant has been taken away from us and all we are left with is ourselves and our thoughts. If we leave things until they get bad then life can begin to seem pretty unbearable. It can seem impossible to do even the littlest tasks. We may find that it even affects our relationships negatively. Most of us become short and irritable.

When We Grow In Recovery

It isn’t usually until we get in enough pain that we begin to change and grow. When the pain we are in is greater than our fear of changing and our laziness then we will do so. When this time comes then there are tools available to us when we are ready.  We do not need to suffer in silence. There are many people that have gone through this and come out the other side.

Stay committed to your 12 step recovery programs, this will help with mental health treatment. If we are willing to share what we are going through with another alcoholic/ addict then we can get the solution on how to handle it. It is through our experience, strength, and hope that we are able to pull ourselves and others out of the darkest places. The fact is that there is going to be highs and lows in life and while pain is inevitable sometimes suffering is optional.

Life After Cloud Nine

Often times what ends up happening when we receive alcohol addiction help, and get sober is everything seems to get better, there are moments of pure bliss, and everything seems great. It’s almost like were high on life. This is often referred to as a pink cloud. It’s that time in sobriety when the emotional fog from years of battling with our alcohol addiction has lifted and everything seems amazing. These times come and go throughout our sobriety.

Staying Realistic and Being Prepared in Sobriety

While it is a nice place to be in it is also important that we prepare for the times that don’t seem so perfect. The longer we stay sober the more those feelings of elation are replaced with more consistent feelings of joy, peace, and happiness. It may seem disappointing when those elevated moods drop and that pink cloud dissipates but the fact is that when that happens it is a perfect opportunity to begin really working on ourselves. It is through doing the work, and going through the addiction recovery process that we can begin to heal from our past as well as build a foundation on which we can have long term sobriety. Its one thing to stay sober through the good times but it’s another to do the work and stay sober through the more difficult times. The more we are in tune with our reality the better the chances are that we will stay sober. If we build a life we love and work towards being the type of person we want to be there will be no need for pink clouds because being present in the moment and truly will be much more gratifying.

Struggling in Sobriety - Don't Give Up

For most of us that suffer from drug addiction or alcoholism we are all too familiar with the idea of struggling. Whether it is struggling with figuring out how we are going to get sober, or how we are going to get our next fix most of us are used to having difficulty with living life on life’s terms. As alcoholics prior to receiving drug addiction treatment most of us are constantly seeking elevated moods through material things or relationships. Some of us are under the impression that when we get sober that we don’t have to struggle anymore. While this is true in the sense that we no longer have to fight an uphill battle with our chemical dependency it does not mean that life stops happening or that we no longer have responsibilities. It is easy to get stuck with the mindset that because we were “good”, did the right thing, and got sober that we now deserve a reward or that things should be easy from here on out. What we fail to recognize is that we didn’t get sober to get things, we got sober so that we could recover from our seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. It doesn’t necessarily matter what happens to us, it’s how we handle the situations that come up for us that help mold us into the people we are trying to become. It is our choice on how we cope with everything. As long as we are willing to do the work and stay sober we can be rest assured that we can overcome any hurdle with grace, dignity, & peace.