Powerlessness Is Not Weakness

This step of accepting powerlessness from the 12-Step process of recovery essentially highlights the power of drugs and alcohol over our lives. Few people intend to destroy their lives and relationships by drinking or doing drugs, but that is what can happen with addiction. These substances literally rewire brain function, making the need to satisfy a craving take prominence over everything else in life–regardless of the consequences. 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.

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But keeping your mistakes to yourself only makes it appear like you are in control when you’re not. It’s like the old story with the blind men and the elephant. In this story, each blind man touches a different part of the elephant and draws his conclusion about what the elephant is like.

Why Is Admitting Powerlessness the 1st Step in AA?

Fully accepting step one is not always a straight path, but there is good news! The old belief that a person must fully accept themselves as powerless for the program to work has been challenged and tested. What research has discovered is that acceptance of this step should be centered on the person and what they believe is problematic.

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Living with the principle of service means it’s your responsibility to help others as you were helped when you first started to work the 12 steps. On the other hand, millions have acknowledged their belief that AA and its principles saved their life. By studying the program, how it works, and each of its principles, you can determine if this type of program is ideal for you.

Discover how reshaping beliefs can lessen your desire to drink.

What we can do is turn to a Power greater than ourselves for help. We let this Power do what we are unable to do for ourselves. People are encouraged to take an honest look at themselves, then deconstruct their egos and rebuild, little by little.

As Annie Grace, the author of This Naked Mind, brilliantly puts it, “When there is no perceived benefit, there is no desire.” By reshaping our beliefs about alcohol, we have the power to weaken our cravings. My favorite free tool is the 30 Reasons Why People Drink checklist. It’s the perfect starting point to help you uncover your hidden beliefs about alcohol and take the first step to weakening your craving. It means recognizing that one’s drinking has become uncontrollable and that attempts to moderate or quit have repeatedly failed. This concept highlights the overwhelming compulsion to drink despite the negative consequences it brings, such as health issues, damaged relationships, and financial problems.

“The first step towards change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”

• Like AA members, NA members believe they cannot control drugs without the help of a higher power.
• The Oxford Group had a broad focus and was designed to help people overcome their problems by confronting their fear and selfishness.
• A person shouldn’t consider themselves weak-willed or incapable when they admit to their powerlessness, and they don’t have to do anything about their addiction yet.
• If you’re struggling with alcohol use—whether or not you’re in AA—it is up to you to choose how you describe your situation.
• Susan is no stranger to the fields of behavioral health and addiction.

It’s not easy to admit this, but if we don’t accept that we are powerless, then we won’t be able to move forward. To learn more about Alcoholics Anonymous, read why it still works all these years after its creation. If you’re interested powerless over alcohol in learning how you can leverage a 12-step group to help your recovery, contact FHE Health and learn about our aftercare and support group options. It’s one thing to take personal inventory and admit our wrongs one time.

Step 1 in AA and Al-Anon Programs Is Honesty

Whether you are attempting to get sober for the first time or you are returning to sobriety after a relapse, it can be hard to admit that you are unable to stop drinking on your own. According to Gray, instead of standing on the ground of reality, we actually stand on the ground of beliefs. Beneath beliefs are conclusions, assumptions, what’s relevant to one’s needs, and our experiences and observations about reality.