Many addicts and alcoholics (and for that matter, most anyone) think they would be happy if they just had enough stuff, or everything they could imagine. Cell phones. Automobiles. The perfect apartment. A great wardrobe. The right job. The right mate. The list goes on and on.
And the media educates us all the time about those who finally succeed in obtaining all those things anyone could want. Yet they end up being drug addicts or alcoholics. Some kill themselves. Or end up in prison or a mental hospital. And they're seemingly never happy because they're living on the hedonic treadmill, never happy with the new thing they acquired. And then begin looking for something else to fill the desire for the new thing. And they quickly learn that it didn't work either.
But, there/s a key to happiness and satisfaction in life. And it dates back over 2000 years ago to the times of the Stoic philosophers, Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca, and many others. To sum up, their philosophy is pretty simple. In fact, I've read that the core idea for the Serenity Prayer has its roots in stoic philosophy.
And the short form of the philosophy is deciding what you want from life. If it's something you can obtain, then do it. If it's something that's beyond your grasp, then accept that you can't have it and move on. And it's really that simple. If I can achieve my desires, then do so. If I can't get what I want, then accept that. There's no room for unhappiness once we accept that some things are beyond our reach.
It may sound too simple. However, it won't cost anything, but a little bit of time to try it. And just think, you'll never be stressed - and you'll always find happiness.
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