Inside The Next Happy

What better time to delve into a new book other than when you are delving into being a new you? While focusing on sobriety after you have completed treatment is never an easy feat, sometimes reading about someone else’s journey and the lessons they learned before you, can act as a reminder of why you have chosen the current path you are on – something much needed in those times of feeling weak.

In the new book by Tracy Cleantis, The Next Happy: Let Go of the Life You Planned and Find a New Way, the idea that sometimes it is okay to let go of the original plan – and instead go with the flow – can come as a surprising comfort to those who find themselves on a completely different life plan than the one originally intended. In the book, Cleantis shares that sometimes the best way to keep moving towards happiness, is to let go of the plan you originally had for yourself. By doing this, you open yourself up to a whole new array of opportunities, and inevitably find yourself on the path that you were intended to be on the whole time.

While in The Next Happy, Cleantis references her dream of one day conceiving a child in lieu of her fertility issues – the overall message of the book applies to those in addiction treatment as well. For example, sometimes the alcoholic of seven years has to abandon the dream of one day being able to drink like a normal person, and instead acknowledge that that plan will never work out for them. It is revelations like these that so many have already found inspiring when looking for that little bit of motivation to stay sober.