“We did whatever we could to make other people, places, and things be what we wanted. Since this proved to be impossible, we would be hurt and blame others for our problems. So we tried even harder to control and consequently suffered even more.”

– Life with Hope, first edition, page 11

It used to really annoy me when I heard people in meetings say, “I’m grateful to be an addict.” All I could see from being an addict were problems: fear, shame, guilt, and depression–—not to mention the legal problems, lost jobs, failed relationships, and poor health. After a while I began to realize it was those problems, and the desperation they caused, that brought me to Marijuana Anonymous.

It was in MA where I was finding a whole new way of life. I began to see how my problems really were the “price of admission” to a spiritual life. As I continue to learn and grow in the program, I begin to see that a “problem” is really a solution trying to find me. When a part of my life isn’t working, the Steps and the program give me a chance to look squarely at that situation and ask myself, “How can I learn and grow from this?” It’s a wonderful ability that I learned in the rooms of MA and through working the Steps.

Today, I am not dominated by “problems,” even when parts of my life aren’t working. There are a lot less of those now that I’m clean. More importantly my eyes have been opened to a new way of seeing things: one where everything really is part of the path I have chosen to walk and for that I am truly grateful.

Final thought: Today, I will ask my Higher Power to help me see my “problems” as opportunities for learning and growth.