Enforced morality lacks the power that comes to us when we choose to live a spiritual life.

Basic Text, p. 45

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In our active addiction, many of us lived our lives by default.  We were unwilling or unable to make choices about how we wanted to act, what we preferred to do, or even where we would live.  We allowed the drugs or other people to make our most basic decisions for us.  Freedom from active addiction means, among other things, the freedom to make those choices for ourselves.

Freedom of choice is a wonderful gift, but its also a great responsibility.  Choice allows us to find out who we are and what we believe in.  However, in exercising it, were called on to weigh our own choices and accept the consequences.  This leads some of us to seek out someone who will make our choices for usour sponsor, our home group, our NA friendsjust as our disease made our choices for us when we were using.  Thats not recovery.

Seeking others experience is one thing; abdicating personal responsibility is something else.  If we dont use the gift of freedom weve been given, if we refuse to accept the responsibilities that go along with it, well 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.

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Just for today:  I am grateful for the freedom to live as I choose.  Today, I will accept responsibility for my recovery, make my own choices, and accept the consequences.