Getting Past The First Few Weeks Of Being Clean?

[Guest Adamo]

I'm wondering if anyone else has felt this way in their early stages of being clean. I've been using drugs daily for three years now. I have a lot of community support with drug counselling and I've reached out as much as I can in that sense. I feel really great psychologically/emotionally when I get my first few days in clean. I get super proud of myself and whatnot. But once I get to that two week period it's almost as if the novelty wears off. It kind of hits me then that life just sucks without being able to use. I'm wondering if anyone else feels the same way or did? How did you get past that?

[Michelle 2010]

Hi Adamo, welcome to Laura's. There were four of us in the Sunday night substance abuse chat room last night and that issue is never far away. For many of us new in sobriety the problem you are facing is EXACTLY the issue, more than the issue of quitting using is. It was never the stopping of drinking, and to a much lesser extent(for me), drugging, that jammed me up. It was what I was left with that was the issue. How to live in the world without the need to self medicate. I never figured it out on my own, needed help, which it sounds like you are getting. If you have counselors I'm sure the option or requirement of 12 step program are discussed.

I have a young relative who has embraced 12 step recovery, and for the first time in his life he feels whole and complete. The need to use substances to get the world around him to align with his interior landscape is no longer an necessity. He is genuinely content and able to face life on lifes terms without the nagging feeling that he doesn't fit in or is out of step with the world around him. Quite a gift to receive in his youth. I recieved it several decades into my life.

The simple reality is that thousands die every year because they can't stay off drugs and alcohol, not because they can't quit. Something has to take their place in our lives, and 12 step programs offer a spiritual solution to the problem, not an intellectual one.

Congratulations on your clean time! Btw, look for clean folks who have what you want, and do what they do... I'm not talking about BMW's, I'm talking about honest smiles, open laughter, self confidence, and an active lifestyle. If they are in recovery, they will be happy to show you how they do it.

Best Wishes

Michelle