I had to find the underlying issue that was driving me to use. In most addictions there is an underlying mental illness and the addict is self medicating to feel better. I have severe OCD which caused depression and anxiety. I spent years trying to treat the depression and anxiety, and subsequently the addiction, but nothing worked until I began focusing on the OCD. Everything else was a symptom of OCD. Once I started to get a handle on the OCD everything else began to fall into place. I went to rehab to stop using, and have been clean since. For me the biggest game changer was cognitive behavioral therapy. That got the OCD manageable. That being said, it was not an easy process and something that took me years to achieve. I was an addict for over 17 years, starting as a teenager with opiates and moving my through the spectrum of drugs and alcohol, ultimately replacing one addiction for another.
I think the biggest takeaway would be to address the underlying issues and work to resolve them or get them under control, recognize what you're feeling is temporary, and be patient because it is not a quick process nor is it a race, and take it easy on yourself - don't waste time feeling guilty (it's not your fault, you were sick) and don't set your expectations to high as you'll be harder on yourself when you hit bumps in the process. Recovery is not a linear process - there are ups and downs and sometimes you back track - as long as the general trend is moving forward - you are on your way to health.
