“We are transformed from suffering addicts seeking relief from the grip of our disease into people who are able to be ‘happy, joyous, and free.’ By the grace of a Higher Power, we are given the gift of recovery.”

– Life with Hope, third edition, page 57

By the time I made my way to Marijuana Anonymous, I must have attempted to quit…to be honest, I can’t remember how many times I had attempted to quit. I know it’s been many, many times. Each time I wound up one way or another with a pipe in my face, thinking to myself, “This is the last time,” before taking a deep, deep inhale.

Little did I know that the day I attended my first Marijuana Anonymous meeting was the day my relationship with marijuana and, even more deeply, my relationship with myself would change forever. I never thought freedom was possible for someone like me. Could I have a life without the desire to get high, and even more mind-bogglingly, a clean life that is full of joy, mystery, and love? I know it now through my own direct experience that such radical personal transformation is possible and, because it’s possible for me, I know it’s possible for other suffering addicts as well. Freedom is a real possibility.

Final thought: Today, I live my life in awe of all the wonderful and mysterious experiences life has to offer. Today, I live my life with freedom.