When I had my first stretch without booze, I went on the "marijuana maintenance" program. Later on, I used other substances, but I always used a substance until I made the decision to stop.
In my experience, I could not start working on the problem (why I needed to use something) until I first became willing to let go of the symptoms. In other words, so long as I wasn't willing to stop getting high, I couldn't stop getting high, and the consequences just kept coming.
Peace & Love,
Sugah