Freedom
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 123
Freedom
Ideas that things like courage; honesty; responsibility; strength; humility; dignity & God are kind of frightening but when they are attached to the word FREEDOM I get a sense of excitement and peace. FREEDOM is HOPE and it’s a journey one day at time!
Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ohio
Posts: 3,785
This is a good topic.
Freedom for me is peace.
Once I let go of the bottle I still had my old ideas. I had all these emotions to deal with. I still wanted to hide from them. A big one for me was anger. I think anger was one of the only emotions I ever let show so when I stopped drinking the feeling seemed to triple. My resentments began to eat me alive.
Completing my forth and fifth step let me release all that anger I had kept bottled up for so long. I felt peace when I laid down the bottle, like I was no longer behind bars but letting go of the resentments allowed me to leave the jail house.
Once I let go and moved past that my life became a lot more simple and I love simple. Now I can work on the other emotions that I stuffed deep down or in some cases never felt before, like gratitude. I have the freedom today to be able to do that.
Freedom for me is peace.
Once I let go of the bottle I still had my old ideas. I had all these emotions to deal with. I still wanted to hide from them. A big one for me was anger. I think anger was one of the only emotions I ever let show so when I stopped drinking the feeling seemed to triple. My resentments began to eat me alive.
Completing my forth and fifth step let me release all that anger I had kept bottled up for so long. I felt peace when I laid down the bottle, like I was no longer behind bars but letting go of the resentments allowed me to leave the jail house.
Once I let go and moved past that my life became a lot more simple and I love simple. Now I can work on the other emotions that I stuffed deep down or in some cases never felt before, like gratitude. I have the freedom today to be able to do that.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Long Beach, CA
Posts: 705
Freedom is the antithesis of alcoholism. Everything about addiction enslaves those who suffer from it. We are so beaten down, so exhausted, so tormented that it's difficult to see past our obsession to the other side, where freedom waits for us, shimmering and shining like some lush tropical wonderland. In the earliest days of sobriety, freedom seems just beyond our grasp. We lie gasping through our withdrawal like fish out of water, knowing that relief is just a swallow away. But that relief is like a mirage...as soon as we crack, reach out and grab the bottle, step across the sand toward the sparkling blue water, the relief fades in front of our eyes and it's straight back to prison, no passing go, no collecting $200.
The freedom I found after I walked away from alcohol for good was both a huge relief and an unexpected surprise. It felt so good, so restful not to have to plan everything all the time. What store, how much, how to hide. The surprise was rediscovering that I kind of even liked who I was. After loathing myself for long, the feelings of pride and satisfaction were both delicious and a little embarrassing.
Thanks for the topic. I hope with all my heart that every person who is looking for guidance here on SR finds the freedom of a sober life. It's the sweetest gift we are given with our new life.
The freedom I found after I walked away from alcohol for good was both a huge relief and an unexpected surprise. It felt so good, so restful not to have to plan everything all the time. What store, how much, how to hide. The surprise was rediscovering that I kind of even liked who I was. After loathing myself for long, the feelings of pride and satisfaction were both delicious and a little embarrassing.
Thanks for the topic. I hope with all my heart that every person who is looking for guidance here on SR finds the freedom of a sober life. It's the sweetest gift we are given with our new life.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 184
Hey Row, I like this topic 
To me, freedom includes the small things in life. I don't feel like a prisoner in my own home. I can come and go as I please without worrying about how much I've drank. I can complete daily chores and goals without feeling physically drained, and I can keep appointments instead of cancelling them constantly. This also includes the freedom to think with a clear brain and make good decisions based on sound judgement. Everyday gets a little better!
To me, freedom includes the small things in life. I don't feel like a prisoner in my own home. I can come and go as I please without worrying about how much I've drank. I can complete daily chores and goals without feeling physically drained, and I can keep appointments instead of cancelling them constantly. This also includes the freedom to think with a clear brain and make good decisions based on sound judgement. Everyday gets a little better!
Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: New England
Posts: 155
Freedom is knowing that I can now set out to accomplish my goals and if they don't go as planned, at least I know it wasn't because of the alcohol. So many regrets- "if only I hadn't been drunk/drinking/on a binge, I could have kept my job/relationship/commitments/went for an opportunity". I don't have to yell at myself anymore for screwing up something good, due to alcohol
God's Kid
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 1,820
I'm experiencing a lot of freedom in my life right now and I think it is directly related to letting go of more old ideas.
I have always loved AA speakers who hit home the message 'God/HP wants us to be happy, joyous and free.'
I have always loved AA speakers who hit home the message 'God/HP wants us to be happy, joyous and free.'
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