“We take these steps for ourselves, not by ourselves. Others have gone before; others will follow. We recover.”

– Life with Hope, second edition, page 69

Before finding recovery, I thought asking for help was a sign of weakness. I struggled for years trying to quit smoking pot on a daily basis. I didn’t know there was a different way to live, and that with recovery tools, I could lose the obsession and compulsion to use a drug that no longer served me. I heard in a meeting that when we start with pot, it’s magic, then it becomes medicine and in the end, it’s only misery. This was definitely my experience. I used pot long after it was fun or enjoyable. When I finally was told about recovery and went to a meeting, I remember feeling bewildered and unsure what to do, but at least I wasn’t using.

Once the fog of smoke lifted, I understood that while I couldn’t quit on my own, alone, I could quit with the help of other addicts. It took me a few months to have the courage to ask someone to be my sponsor and to help me work these Steps. Nothing has ever made lasting changes as much as these Twelve Steps. The Steps are real magic! I’m grateful I learned that it takes strength to ask for help; that it’s not a sign of weakness. I don’t have to do this recovery alone. Any time that I can pick up that 500 lb. phone, I can reach out to a fellow addict and get the support I need. There is a fellowship and it supports each and every one of us.

Final thought: Today, I know I am part of a worldwide fellowship of marijuana addicts that help each other stay clean, one day at a time.