Step One

a couple arguing

Written by, Anna T.

I have admitted that I am powerless over cocaine, marijuana, my boyfriend and all mind altering drugs.  

My life is/was out of control – I couldn’t handle my bills and my relationship with my boyfriend. I was having a hard time getting up for work.  I was becoming co-dependent and resentful and I’m tired of all this bullshit. My life was becoming unmanageable; I was missing God the most.  I had lost my spirituality.  

All of these problems are mine. I refuse to blame anyone else but myself. All of these messes I got into were of my choice.  

What has hurt me is drugs. They put me into a fantasy world. They led me down to another bottom. Also, my obsession with my boyfriend included dreaming he would make it. And, of course, his drug of choice, again, put him into another bottom. I was becoming very co-dependent and unmanageable.  

My daughter was around all of this. She didn’t see the drugs, however, I know she could sense changes in my attitude. She heard my boyfriend and I fight; they were insane fights. I’m laying all of this out on the table. My life again had gone down the drain. I can not drink, do dope or any mind altering drugs. I am powerless over these things and the outcome is horrifying.  

Using and drinking had clouded my vision. I was not loving myself properly. I was going down. I am grateful I didn’t have a heart attack. Let’s not forget that I was not loving my daughter like a true mother. I was living an ugly life. I had enough!!  

I’ve tried a lot of time to get on top of problems; I’d end up right back on drugs; I couldn’t do it myself.  

I want out of all my problems; I will do it one day at a time. I am almost 30 days clean and sober. I am very emotional. I want peace and serenity. I believe I will have this and more.  

God bless me and keep me safe  

I love myself…

Published in A New Leaf – July 1991

More Articles

  • What I Didn’t Do

    Written by, Julie A. Weed once felt like a soft landing — a cushion for my racing mind, a bridge out of loneliness. But over time, the cushion smothered me. Nights blurred into smoke, mornings into fog. I thought I was escaping, but really I was erasing myself. My wife held me through it, even…

    What I Didn’t Do
  • Tradition Two and Humility

    Written by, Anonymous “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority, a loving God whose expression may come through in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.” -Tradition Two As a recovering marijuana addict, I am constantly reminded of how many “control issues” still lurk around the…

    Tradition Two and Humility
  • LGBTQIA+ and Being in Recovery

    Written by, Connor B. My first boyfriend was the one who introduced me to marijuana. I was 18 and he was significantly older. He took advantage of my naïve puppy love in many ways: pressuring me to give him a car loan, living in my dorm room for months, etc. But it was developing the…

    LGBTQIA+ and Being in Recovery
  • Marijuana

    Written By, Dannie H. My heart ached for so long.And you told me it was alright.Realizing to smoke is pain,I thought about you all night.July of my last trip,Ugly, boring, and a shame.A newfound freedomNever fiending for you again.A new leaf I have turned, fake friend! Published By A New Leaf – January 2026

    Marijuana
  • Making It To Dry Land

    Written By, Lee N. A way to stay afloat. That’s what marijuana was for me. My therapist (cringing at myself for being a living, breathing queer, Jewish stereotype by starting a sentence this way but…if the shoe fits) recently shared with me a parable in which someone had compared their addiction to a life raft.…

    Making It To Dry Land
  • Choosing Life

    Written By, Mirabelle H. I smoked for the first time when I was 16. I didn’t feel anything physically, but emotionally, I felt guilt—like I was stepping over a line I wasn’t ready to cross. I told myself it would be different when I was older, when it was “okay.” So I made a deal…

    Choosing Life