Recovery is possible. Fourteen years ago, I woke up and didn’t use alcohol or any other drugs for the first time in over fifteen years. I haven’t used them since, but it was one day at a time.

I remember vividly watching other people live their ordinary lives: going to work, going to the store, playing with their children, and wondering how they were able to do that. I remember I used to be able to do that. I used to be able to do all of it without needing something just to function. I was pretty convinced that I had broken something and it felt like I was on the other side of a thick pane of unbreakable glass watching normal life. There was no way I was getting back. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that the trip was comfortable. It wasn’t. Early recovery is especially difficult, and early recovery means p

the first two years. I can tell you that it’s been worth it. Life still happens, so I can’t tell you that life will get better if you get clean, but I can promise you that you will get better.

I found that Narcotics Anonymous worked for me, even as an atheist, and I was able to work the steps just fine. I also chose total abstinence from everything, including alcohol and marijuana. For me, that was incredibly important.

Let me tell you: if you’re stuck, if you feel like there’s no way out, if you feel like you’re hopeless and broken, don’t give up on yourself. Go get help, but be prepared to do one of the most difficult things you’ve ever done in your life. It won’t be easy, but it is worth it. 

So many times in life, there are no guarantees, but I believe this is one exception. If you stay abstinent one day at a time and do the work to heal yourself, you will recover.