Drugs and alcohol will get you in the end unless you are willing to do something about your problem and take serious action.  Most people who are caught up in using alcohol and drugs are not serious enough about getting help to really follow through with things.  What they do is to imagine a life when they are clean and sober, and thus they wish that things were different.  But they are not usually willing to put in the massive amount of energy that is required to make the changes for a better life.  It is easier to stay stuck in a rut, even if that means slow suicide by a lifestyle of drug and alcohol addiction.

What is required to overcome drug and alcohol addiction?  Quite a large effort, regardless of how you go about doing it.  Let’s take a look at some examples of case studies where people have broke free from addiction and alcoholism and changed their life.

Take a good friend of mine that I met about 9 years ago.  He went to detox due to his rampant alcoholism and use of other drugs.  He smoked marijuana and also smoked crack on a regular basis.  He was drinking over a fifth of vodka every single day.  So he went to detox and they sent him to a long term treatment program.

Now this friend of mine had been to rehab before but he was never willing to actually follow through on what was suggested.  So this time, he was willing to go to long term treatment, where he lived for about 6 months.

Most alcoholics can not imagine going to rehab and living there for 6 months, dedicating their entire life to recovery during that time.  But this is the kind of effort and commitment that it takes to stay clean and sober.

This friend of mine is still clean and sober today, over 9 years later.

Another friend of mine stopped using drugs and alcohol one day and started attending meetings.  They went to tons of meetings and became immersed into the recovery community.  Later on they started speaking to schools and kids about drug and alcohol addiction.  They have found a way to carry a message.  In fact, almost every person who has found long term success in recovery has found a way to carry a message to other alcoholics and addicts.  This is a key to recovery that is too often overlooked.

So those case studies should give you and idea of the kind of effort and dedication that it takes to make it in recovery.