That pink cloud term gets thrown around a lot and means different things to different people. I used to joke around about 'how long can this last' well past my first year of sobriety. Although I was pretty euphoric for a good long while, it was different than my previous attempts at sobriety. It felt grounded and based in wonder and a lot of certainty. I was amazed a lot of the time.

I've been around long enough now to have a healthy concern for people that seem to have everything going just great in early sobriety. I've seen over and over someone who gets things all put together in their life; the job is back, they get the legal stuff settled, the spouse lets them come home, they can drive again, only to relapse hard for seemingly no good reason.

Having everything go well seems to distract them from doing any real work in recovery. The sobriety is based on circumstance in life, and that kind of sobriety rarely lasts. Far better, I've come to believe, is someone who struggles enough that they stay motivated in taking the steps. That usually requires staying rooted in step 1.

Now that makes sense keithj. I have heard that some addicts need to struggle to keep the misery fresh in their minds as to work hard and keep working at recovery. Maybe I need to struggle more. I dont mind doing it. I have never had to struggle for anything in my life ever. Except getting and staying clean. Trying to use at times. But as far as life nd building it, not really. I have said lots of times, I have been pretty freakin lucky to be where I am for what I have done to myself over the years. There are some that havent done or gone through a fraction of what I have put myself through and havent made it at all. I need to be grateful, Because I must be here for a reason.
Either that or this is all a cruel joke to torture myself the rest of my life.

Steps
 

I like what I heard recently. "The pink cloud is the grace period God gives us to get busy working the steps."

Never Had a "Pink Cloud" except when I was using.
Felt great for about the first 30 minutes to 1 hour, then felt like crap for the days and weeks that followed.
Now as a sober human I just feel life, some days its up some days its down, just like the description that we are surfers, riding the waves of lifes. Some days the waves are good and some days they are flat, Some days they are rough and throw us to the ground but usually we make it back up if we swim hard enough.

Just my experience,
thanks for letting me share!