If we put as much energy that we put into getting high and or drunk into our recovery, the obsession can be lifted. Recovery brings its own pain. Especially in early recovery. The old adage, "no pain no gain" is very real in the recovery process. We can quickly forget the pain of active addiction. Keeping it green by going to meetings and being active in bettering your life and working a recovery program. Remember, the past is a place of reference not a place of residence. This perspective can make the pains that come in recovery tolerable and the gains even that much sweeter.