Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Military Sacrifice
Civilians are not aware of the sacrifices made by military members. I underestimated the stress I would be under while I was serving. For my fellow service members, it is extraordinary that you’re all doing this – that you’ve all done this. Because once I joined, I felt there was a huge disconnect between civilian life and military life.
When my son turned one year old, I was in officer training and I missed it. That’s just one example of how military life is different from civilian life. I hadn’t understood that before the Air Force. For example, I’d work all day in the hospital taking care of patients, and then in the middle of the night I’d get a call for a drill: fake deployment. I’d have to put on my uniform and get my deployment bag and go through the stages and be up all night. Then I would work the next day all day in the hospital again without any sleep. It’s just a never‑ending commitment.
I used alcohol to cope with those sacrifices. But now I realize I need different tools to handle what is expected of me.
Today I will seek out healthy coping mechanisms when I encounter stress.
— Anonymous, U.S. Air Force, 1997‑2000
Hazelden Foundation
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