The Big Book promises that I am going to know a new freedom
and a new happiness, that I will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it, and that I will comprehend the word serenity and will know peace. - Anonymous
Thought to Ponder . . .
The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Awesome.
A MEMBER SHARES: I'm Peach, an alcoholic, grateful to be here and grateful to be sober. Freedom! What a concept! We hear a lot in the rooms about being happy, joyous and free through working the Steps and living this program, but I don't often hear "Freedom" as a meeting topic, so thought it might be a nice change. Although I had 'rights,' I didn't have what I considered 'freedom' when I got here. I mean mental, emotional freedom. I was held captive by numerous things, my drinking, for one. However, that was only a symptom of bigger problems. My thoughts, ideas, ideals, attitudes, emotions, all held me captive. I love the story in the back of the Big Book, "Freedom from Bondage" (p. 544). Like the entire book, I found a lot of truth in it. I had been holding on to all the negative stuff in life which kept me in a negative state of mind, a negative position, a negative attitude towards anyone and everything, with no freedom to enjoy anything at all. I was too busy being mean, sad, angry, and resentful. Love and hate can't reside in the same place at the same time; one will outweigh the other. Through living this program, and practicing these principles in all areas of my life, I have a real freedom now. I have freedom to choose. I can choose to be angry if I really want to, but that's not a real good place for me to be. Today, I have the choice. Before, I didn't. Before, I was stuck in my old patterns, old habits, and old ways of thinking about everything. I couldn't get out of that on my own; no matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn't work. Today, I have a choice in the matter -- a choice in my attitudes, my views, and how I respond to challenges. That choice gives me the opportunity to embrace a real freedom. Freedom to have peace of mind and serenity. I'm thankful to Alcoholics Anonymous for saving my life, and giving me one worth livi ng, for showing me how to find freedom, for teaching me that I do have choices, and for deepening my understanding of my own personal Higher Power. Thank you for letting me share.
Jane, I love your posts. Thank you so much. The share you provided I really related too. I lived my whole life in fear... no freedom... stuck with negative feelings and the bondage of self. AA has given me a life I never dreamed of having. For that I'm grateful.
I had to think about my freedoms for a little bit. Some of the first ones, I starting receiving might sound silly to some, but I remember the first time I was able to walk to the mail box. That was a big deal for me, even talked about it in a meeting and I found out I wasn't the only one who had ever been afraid to walk to a mail box.
A lot of my freedoms came when I stopped looking for the difference and started looking at the similarities. Today, I can identify with almost everyone.
