"Happier"....Hrmmm...
Well, Looking at my life while I was "in" is a nightmare in it's self. What I HATE about my life NOW, is that I feel like a foreiner in a new country. I'm learning everything brand new. Although, it has it's advantages, I feel that my perspective on things is very different than most people I come in contact with. Because what most people have taken for granted (education, work, family, etc..) I am just now learning how to deal with.
Being a JW doesn't exactly teach you how to deal with real life, so I am self taught. It's a hard road to travel down, so I could see how this trial and error period definitely puts people in a perculiar situation and (IMO) people tend to be happiest when they are in their comfort zone. But once you change that comfort zone, things tend to get easier and happier.
I'm saying this from a naive perspective. I am very naive and I feel that is because of my up-bringing. They (JW's, IMO) only teach you how 'bad and terrible' things are out here...and when I got out, I was so paranoid, waiting for the other shoe to drop so-to-speak... I feel I put myself in situations that MADE life worse because it's what I expected to happen. When I got older and stopped being so foolish about it and calmed down, life was smooth and easy.
I was VERY young when I left. I'm growing up (nearly 30 now! lol) still. But I now have the freedom to love life and see how absolutely ridiculous the things they say are! I listen to my Mother drone on about it and I can't believe that any adult could actually believe this way.
So, to the point here...yes, NOW I'm happier. MUCH, even. Just took me a long time to get there.
-Phee