Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Aug. 9, 2023 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford FoundatIon

 

Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023

Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

To enjoy freedom we have to control ourselves.

— Virginia Woolf

We’ve thrown off many oppressions in the process of embracing our particular identities and, for some of us, in emerging from the prison of active addiction. We want to be happy, joyous, and free. As we seek to fulfill our desires, we may sometimes be confused about the nature of freedom. We may neglect a responsibility or rebel against a commitment that feels as if it’s weighing us down.

We may be shortsighted, forgetting that our long-term goals require consistent effort. Freedom does not mean being lax, selfish, or resistant. Self-discipline is not the enemy of pleasure. On the contrary, when we are faithful and steady, pursuing our goals with discipline, we enjoy a sense of mastery and self-esteem. We enjoy true freedom.

Today, in the spirit of freedom, I take one step toward keeping a promise to myself through disciplined action.

Hazelden Foundation

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