The more I think about it, it seems that long-term happiness is something many people spend their lives seeking OR they believe it’s something they used to have and lost.
That makes me wonder if we are truly ever happy? Or if it’s something that is always just out of reach (in the future or in the past).
What do you mean by long term happiness?
Is it a sense that everything is on the up and up, or just even keeled? Is it a belief that you are, at this moment, where you should be? Is it a retinue of loving friends and family who truly see you for the person you are and still love you? Is it a lack of worry about global or personal conditions, or the faith that those will be worked out?
A constant, unflagging upward trajectory of achievement, sociability, and unique and meaningful experience gathering is simply impossible, and drugs will not grant you more than shallow flashes in the pan in between long stretches of pain and drudgery.
You can’t face the enormity of the world and your life head on, your consciousness and awareness aren’t nearly big enough for that, so focus on the here and now and the hazy near future. Question what makes you feel happy, what experiences or people grant you value, and focus on those.