Many of us relied on drugs and alcohol to provide a false sense of happiness. The illusion was fleeting, and we spent incredible amounts of time and energy attempting to give ourselves brief moments of happiness and relief through intoxication. When we make the decision to get sober, we often have no idea how to be happy without substances. We had come to rely upon them, and now we have to find new ways to provide the feelings of happiness and contentment that drugs and alcohol seemed to give us. Recovery is not just about not using drugs or alcohol. Rather, recovery is about experiencing an entire psychic change and spiritual awakening that gives us a life of happiness, joyousness, and freedom. We find that the spiritual principles of recovery ultimately lead us toward happiness in a way we never believed possible. Acceptance is a major part of recovery, and through acceptance we can derive happiness. A personal story from Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Acceptance was the Answer, explains, “And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation-some fact of my life-unacceptable to me, and can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in the world by mistake. Unless I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world, as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.” We stop trying to control every aspect of our lives and the lives of others and come to realize that we can simply accept the world as given. When we accept the unchangeable, we do not feel the inner conflict between the way things are and the way we want things to be. When the inner conflict and turmoil is gone, we are finally open to happiness, and can experience true joy for the first time, unaided by drugs and alcohol.
Your story can be one of happiness, joyousness, and freedom in sobriety. You can make the decision to seek help now and begin the journey to complete recovery from addiction and alcoholism. Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment center in beautiful Laguna Beach, offers cutting-edge treatment methodologies and techniques to help you develop all the tools needed to achieve and maintain lasting sobriety. For more information about individualized treatment options, please call today: (877) 279-1777
