FREEDOM

Definition of Freedom:
The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants.

Synonyms of Freedom:
Privilege, prerogative, due, liberty, etc.

These notes are from recovery in AA and/or related 12 step programs. Readers are encouraged to click external links for more detail. We hope you find them helpful.

Love in fellowship.

The gift of freedom is not without a price tag; freedom can only be achieved by paying the price called acceptance. –A Day At A Time | More…

We’re promised a “new freedom” in the 12 Step program. The new freedom is an inner feeling of release from the bondage of compulsion.

We are no longer serving as our own jailers. Nobody can give us freedom if we are locked into compulsions that bind us. We must seek the new freedom within ourselves. –Walk In Dry Places/Mel B 16/07 | More…

Humility – is a word often misunderstood. . . . It amounts to a clear recognition of what and who we really are. Almost immediately after taking the Fifth Step, I felt free from the bondage of self and the bondage of alcohol. –Daily Reflections | More…

Reaching out is the beginning of the struggle that will set us free. It will break down the walls that imprison us. –Just for Today | More…

Freedom is what recovery is all about. We are free to become who we are and enjoy all that life has to offer. We will know a new dimension of peace and serenity.

With the help of abstinence and the Twelve Steps, we become free to work toward resolving our difficulties instead of escaping into false solutions.

We must remain strong and guard the freedom that comes with abstinence. Whatever threatens abstinence should be avoided. To remain free, we stay in touch with others who are also recovering and with the Higher Power that guides and supports us. –Inner Harvest/Elisabeth L. | More…

To enjoy freedom we have to control ourselves. We are free to do what we want, but every choice makes a difference in our lives. Some choices make us happy, and some bring trouble. –Keep It Simple | More…

The Seventh Step is where we make the change in our attitude which permits us, with humility as our guide, to move out from ourselves toward others and toward God.
Because of this  humbling Step, I feel clean. I am especially aware of this Step because I’m now able to be useful to God and to my fellows. –Daily Reflections | More…

Our bodies are both physical and spiritual.
At our very center we are spiritual.

Our bodies are built around the spiritual.
The center is the unseen world.

Therefore, we cannot see it with our eyes and we tend to judge the body because we can see it. The body is not who we are.

We can see the spiritual if we are spiritual ourselves.
We won’t see this always with our physical eyes.

Usually we will see it with our spiritual eye.
We will hear ourselves say “I know this to be true.”

At the center of all human beings is the place of good.
That includes myself. At my very core is good. –Elders | More…

Touching the earth – getting grounded, centered.
There is magic in touching the earth and feeling her healing power.

This is especially healthy to do during a troubling time when our minds are racing or can’t stop thinking or are locked onto fear or resentment. When I need to feel free I can go to the Mother Earth.

The Mother Earth is full of life and love. She always gives her powers to those who come to her. The Mother Earth is alive. –Elders | More…

We’re promised a “new freedom” in the 12 Step program.
The new freedom is an inner feeling of release from the bondage of compulsion.

We are no longer serving as our own jailers. Nobody can give us freedom if we are locked into compulsions that bind us. We must seek the new freedom within ourselves. –Walk In Dry Places/Mel B | More…

We are sure God would like to see us happy, joyous, and free. Hence, we cannot subscribe to the belief that this life necessarily has to be a vale of tears, though it once was just that for many of us. But it became clear that most of the time we had made our own misery. –As Bill Sees It | More… (p.218)

A painful loss can seem like the end of hope for us.
It is true that the place a loved one had in our lives will never be filled.

Change is a basic fact of life. Our spiritual task is to become less rigid in our attachments and more accepting of the flow of life. When we look straight at our losses and allow ourselves to cry and grieve over them, we are saying good-bye and letting go.

Grief cleanses the soul and frees us to move on to new dreams.
The other side of grief is freedom, and we are learning to have many new dreams in our lives. –Touchstones | More…

We are all we need to be, right now.
We can trust that.

We will be shown the way to become who we need to become, step by step.
We can trust that too. –Each Day a New Beginning/Karen Casey | More…

The key to addiction is to be found in the obsessive and compulsive behavior patterns that stop us from reaching our full potential as human beings. In order to be a spiritual person we must free ourselves from compulsive attitudes. –Father Leo | More…

In a very real sense, we are imprisoned by our inability or unwillingness to reach out for help to a Power greater than ourselves.

Have I set myself free from the prison of self-will and pride which I myself have built? Have I accepted freedom? –A Day at a Time | More…

I began to believe in a power greater than myself. Having faith freed me from the bondage of self. As material gains were replaced by the gifts of the spirit, my life became manageable. –Daily Reflections | More…

Many of us believed that heeding the words of God or our Higher Power meant following rigid rules. Many of us now believe differently.

The rigid rules, the endless instructions, the exhortation to perfection, are not the words our Higher Power whispers. The words of God are often those still, small words we call intuition or instinct, leading and guiding us forward.

We are free to be whom we are, to listen to and trust ourselves. We are free to listen to the gentle, loving words of a Higher Power, words whispered to and through each of us. –The Language of Letting Go/Melody Beattie | More…

When things begin to go wrong, God does not interfere and make changes (usually) without our cooperation. God reveals the extent of His love by allowing us a creative responsibility in our lives. –Father Leo | More…

I had not accepted or understood the implications of my alcoholism. Today I am beginning to take care of myself because I have accepted my disease. I do not choose today to be the enemy in my life — I have surrendered to live. –Father Leo | More…

There is a freedom in loving and being loved. The love we have for other special people frees us to concentrate on them, and we forget ourselves and our problems.

In being loved, we discover the same freedom. We don’t have to conceal our defects.  We can be open. Certainly, we continue to work to free ourselves of defects, but we do it for ourselves; we don’t have to be perfect to deserve love. –One More Day | More…

The gift of freedom requires the acknowledgment of the benefactor, God. God has created me with free will and I need to respect this gift in others. Dignity is a two way street. –Father Leo | More…

Perhaps our greatest difficulty as recovering individuals, is not trusting that life is a process and one that promises goodness.

Letting go of the outcome of every experience, focusing instead on our efforts, making them as good as possible, validates our trust in the ultimate goodness of life.

How much easier our days go when we do our work and leave the outcome where it belongs. –Each Day A New Beginning/Karen Casey | More…

Real emancipation can’t come at someone else’s initiative or as a gift. It can only begin from within, by saying, “I will take my independence.” Then we begin to be responsible men because we own it on the inside. –Touchstones | More…

We are free of alcohol.
We’ve been given a second chance or third chance.

Freedom from dependence is not enough.
We also want to be happy, and to do something with our lives.

So each day we keep learning, we keep growing. Each day without alcohol or other drugs is a gift, a gift from God. –Keep It Simple | More…

Although we came into The Program to deal with a specific problem, we soon became aware that we would find not only freedom from addiction, but freedom to live in the real world without fear and frustration. We learned that the solutions are within ourselves. –A Day At A Time | More…

The purpose of freedom is to create it for others. Sobriety is freedom.
With this freedom, we have a responsibility to help other alcoholics who still suffer.

The program tells us this in Step Twelve.
We do this by telling our stories and offering hope. –Keep It Simple | More…

There is a difference between self-care and self-seeking. We can trust that self-care is always appropriate. We want to be free of self-will and self-seeking, but we are always free to take care of ourselves. –The Language of Letting Go | More…

By submitting to God, we’re released from the power of liquor. We’re also released from the things that were holding us down: pride, selfishness, and fear. We’re free to grow into a new life, –24Hours | More…

Our bodies are both physical and spiritual. At our very center we are spiritual. Our bodies are built around the spiritual. The center is the unseen world. Therefore, we cannot see it with our eyes and we tend to judge the body because we can see it. The body is not who we are. We can see the spiritual if we are spiritual ourselves. We won’t see this always with our physical eyes. Usually we will see it with our spiritual eye. We will hear ourselves say “I know this to be true.” At the center of all human beings is the place of good. That includes myself. At my very core is good. –Elders Meditations | More…

I had not accepted or understood the implications of my alcoholism. Today I am beginning to take care of myself because I have accepted my disease. I do not choose today to be the enemy in my life — I have surrendered to live. –Father Leo | More…

Perhaps our greatest difficulty as recovering individuals, is not trusting that life is a process and one that promises goodness. Letting go of the outcome of every experience, focusing instead on our efforts, making them as good as possible, validates our trust in the ultimate goodness of life. How much easier our days go when we do our work and leave the outcome where it belongs. –Each Day A New Beginning | More…

Our bodies are both physical and spiritual. At our very center we are spiritual. Our bodies are built around the spiritual. The center is the unseen world. Therefore, we cannot see it with our eyes and we tend to judge the body because we can see it. The body is not who we are. We can see the spiritual if we are spiritual ourselves. We won’t see this always with our physical eyes. Usually we will see it with our spiritual eye. We will hear ourselves say “I know this to be true.” At the center of all human beings is the place of good. That includes myself. At my very core is good. –Elders Meditations | More…

Seeking others’ experience is one thing; abdicating personal responsibility is something else. If we don’t use the gift of freedom we’ve been given, if we refuse to accept the responsibilities that go along with it, we’ll lose that gift and our lives will be diminished. We are responsible for our own recovery and our own choices. Difficult as it may seem, we must make those choices for ourselves and become willing to accept the consequences –Just For Today |More…