What Does it Mean to Say Youre Powerless Over Drugs and Alcohol?

You may have seen the inside of hospital rooms or jail cells. Regardless of how you got to this point, Step 1 of AA is merely realizing that your alcohol abuse disorder was interfering negatively with your life, and you need to change. Admitting powerlessness is not the same as admitting weakness. It means asking for help, leaning on others and relying on your support system.

Admitting Powerlessness Encourages Acceptance

You aren’t powerless when it comes to choosing not to drink or use drugs. But you are, however, powerless when substances are in your body. The 12-step program is based on the belief that one day at a time we can take control of our lives by making positive changes. Many peer recovery groups use examples of powerlessness in sobriety to help participants accept themselves for who they are. When you are 2 or 10 or 20 years sober, you are still going to be powerless over alcohol. This step of accepting powerlessness from the 12-Step process of recovery essentially highlights the power of drugs and alcohol over our lives.

How to Maintain Long-Term Recovery From Addiction

While it’s true that the 12 Steps were originally based on the principles of a spiritual organization, the world isn’t the same as it was in 1935 when AA and the 12 Step program were founded. The word “God” was eventually replaced with “Higher Power” to be more accessible to everyone, regardless of faith traditions or beliefs. What you believe to be a Higher Power is a very personal thing. Step One only says that, if you are truly addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs, you are completely unable (i.e., powerless) not to be addicted. Even if you abstain for a while, as soon as you return to using alcohol or other drugs, the addiction will reawaken. You do not have the capacity to use any addictive substance in moderation.

• It’s a way of seeing that your behavior is only a symptom, a sort of “check engine” light to investigate what’s really going on under the hood.
• They can’t help you break your addiction, and they feel stuck in uncomfortable positions while they make excuses for your drinking.
• This attitude will bring immediate and practical results.
• It means admitting—and accepting—that you’re living with a disease that alters your brain.

Step 1 in AA and Al-Anon Programs Is Honesty

The group has a lot of information online about its history and philosophy. Quite the contrary, being able to admit that you can’t drink makes you self-aware and honest. Knowing your limitations helps https://ecosoberhouse.com/ you to succeed and accomplish your goals. Rather, look at step one as knowing what you can and cannot handle. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) operates under a set of 12 steps to achieve daily recovery.

It wasn’t until I had a full understanding of this word that my spiritual journey really was able to begin. It also made me realize that I’m not a bad person or a weak person. I finally understood what an alcoholic and addict really powerless over alcohol is. I saw that I was worse than I knew, but understanding the problem helped me accept the solution. Today with the understanding of powerless, our number one priority is our relationship with our creator and how we can best serve.

• The purpose is to recover from compulsive, out-of-control behaviors and restore manageability and order to your life.
• But you are, however, powerless when substances are in your body.
• These groups use similar principles, but each has its own unique approach.
• Founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Robert Smith, Alcoholics Anonymous has grown to include worldwide chapters, each devoted to helping people end their dependence on alcohol.
• When you admit that you are powerless to addiction, you are empowered to reach out for support.

Alcoholism is not even about alcohol

AA is a recovery program for multiracial men and women who are suffering from an alcohol use disorder. Through companionship, mutual respect, and shared experiences, AA members come together to maintain abstinence from alcohol and build sober lives. If you’re passionate about putting a halt to your alcohol consumption, AA membership is available to you. AA support groups are accessible and free, without any age or education requirements. Humans naturally gather together, which is why group therapy remains a powerful therapeutic tool for alcohol addiction. Further, groups with trained leaders, such as AA sponsors, can positively promote substance abuse recovery.

• When you are 2 or 10 or 20 years sober, you are still going to be powerless over alcohol.
• The way to carry this principle forward is to always remind yourself that you’re at the mercy of a higher power, and you don’t come first.
• Our primary mission is to provide a clear path to a life of healing and restoration.
• Admitting you are powerless over alcohol, drugs or a behavior means accepting the fact that you have an addiction that exerts tremendous power and control over your life.

Less alcohol, or none at all, is one path to better health

The paradox of powerlessness