Immediate Reward*

Some people try to live good lives, do the right thing, be productive, for the sake of a future reward.  In Christianity it is to go to heaven after you die.  For a worker it might be for a future promotion or a future bonus.  In a relationship it might be for some later response from you partner that would please you.  People exercise, beat themselves up in hot yoga, running hills, Orange Theory, and other such exacting workouts for the sake of feeling better later or being skinnier.  It is all about delayed rewards.  But in recovery programs the reward can be much more immediate.  As someone said, "The reward for living a good and sober life, is a good and sober life.  If you are trying to be sober and you are miserable, well, that is what those steps and meetings are all about.